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PROFILE

Rick Hearst

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SOAP STAR STATS

Rick Hearst (Ric, GH)

— ABC

Vital Statistics

Birthdate:: January 4
Years on Show:: 2002-present
Marital Status:: Married to Donna Smoot since 1990
Children:: Two sons, Nicholas and Cameron

THE 411

Rick Hearst joined the cast of GENERAL HOSPITAL in November of 2002 as the passionate Ric Lansing. He grew up in New York in a tight-knit Italian Family. Rick's fascination for the ocean and sea life would have led him to a career in oceanography but, at the age of twelve, his focus shifted to acting when his mother remarried and they moved to Texas. Rick went on to land an acting scholarship at The University of Texas in Austin. He starred in several theatrical productions while at U.T. in summer stock, and met his wife, Donna, in one of the productions. Knowing he wanted to pursue a career in acting and feeling that the acting coursework was not intense enough, Rick left university and moved to New York, where he quickly landed three agents.

Rick received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in 1991 for his work on GUIDING LIGHT. He was also nominated three additional times in supporting categories. In 2004, he won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama. In 2007, he won the Emmy again for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama.

Rick and his wife live in the Los Angeles area with their two sons, Nicholas and Cameron. In his free time, he enjoys shooting pool and playing the guitar.

ET CETERA

—His real last name is Herbst.
—Started studying karate after he was mugged in New York and now has a black belt.
—Auditioned for the role of GH's Stavros, which went to Robert Kelker-Kelly.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Other Soap Roles
BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL (Whipple 'Whip' Jones III, 2002)
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (Matt Clark a.k.a. Carter Mills, (2000-2001)
GUIDING LIGHT (Alan-Michael Spaulding,1990-1996)
DAYS OF OUR LIVES (Scotty Banning, 1989-1990)
Film Roles
Carpool Guy (Joel, 2005)
Dead Sexy (as Richard Hearst, Bellhop, 2001)
Warlock III: The End of Innocence (as Richard C. Hearst, Scott, 1999)
Crossing the Line (Rick Kagan, 1989)
Brain Damage (Brian, 1988)
TV Roles
CHARMED (Troxa in episode: "Sight Unseen" 2000)
PACIFIC BLUE (in episode: "Just a Gigolo" 1999)
MAGGIE WINTERS (Lance Rubacky in episode: "Friend or Faux" 1998)
PACIFIC BLUE (Frank Kovac, as Richard C. Hearst, in episode: "Till Death Do Us Part" 1998)
JENNY (Zak, as Richard C. Hearst, in episode: "A Girl's Gotta Live in the Real World" 1997)
ALRIGHT ALREADY (Frame Designer in episode: "Again with the Jessica's Boyfriend" 1997)
BEVERLY HILLS, 90210" (Alan Black, uncredited, in episode: "Heaven Scent" 1997)
BEVERLY HILLS, 90210" (Alan Black, as Richard C. Hearst, in episode: "Spring Breakdown" 1997)
BEVERLY HILLS, 90210" (Alan Black, as Richard C. Hearst, in episode: "Storm Warning" 1997

MEMORABLE QUOTES

"That I wasn't so damn up-front. My mother says, 'You are an open book.' I'd like to have a bit more mystery about me, explore that side of myself." — On what he would change about himself, Soap Opera Digest, 4/3/90

"We would have been up a creek had I not gotten this job [as Alan-Michael on GL]. We had completely exhausted our savings. When you get your first job, you're like.... I bought a motorcycle, we bought a new car, we were living in a nicer apartment. Exactly one month to the day after I left DAYS, I got this job, and four days later, I got married. But for the whole month of May, my wife and I were sweating." — Digest, 6/25/91

"I suggested that my character would wear a pinky ring. It's something I grew up with. Any guy with class always had a very tasteful pinky ring with character. Nothing gaudy, usually gold. So, Whip now has a nice onyx pinky ring." — Digest, 4/23/02