Daytime Emmy-Winning Soap Alum Thom Christopher Dead At 84

Thom Christopher, who is best known to soap fans for this work as iconic villain Carlo Hesser on One Life to Live, has passed away at the age of 84.

Remembering A Legend

The sad news was shared by his former OLTL co-star and on-screen son, Anthony Crivello, who played Carlo’s son, Johnny Dee Hesser. Crivello wrote on Facebook, “My dear friend of many years, actor #ThomChristopher passed today. He was always a gentleman, always supportive, and he and his wife Judith who [preceded] him in death, [were] always gracious to me and welcoming. Thom and I worked together on the #abc daytime series #onelifetolive in the 1990s. We’re seen here with the lovely #audrylanders who played my sister, and Thom my father. It was a wonderful time, difficult hours and long days, but joyful each minute. May Thom fly on Wings of Angels to be beside his beloved Judith, and may they enjoy each other’s company once again, beside the ‘Pearly Gates’ of heaven.”

Christopher was born October 5, 1940, in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York. He attended Ithaca College and trained as an actor at Neighborhood Playhouse. On Broadway, he appeared in Emperor Henry IV as the second guard in 1973, in Nöel Coward in Two Keys as Felix in 1974 and Caeser and Cleopatra as Apollodorus in 1977, which starred Rex Harrison and Elizabeth Ashley (ex-Emma Frame Ordway, Another World).

His first soap role was in 1974 on The Edge of Night, where he played Noel Douglas. Playing Earl Merrick on Love of Life followed in 1977. Several prime-time episodic work followed until he hit it big with a regular role on the second season of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, playing the character of Hawk. There were also more episodics and films along the way, including 1983’s Space Raiders with fellow soap stars David Mendenhall (ex-Mike Webber, General Hospital) and Patsy Pease (ex-Kimberly Brady Donovan, Days of our Lives).

The actor’s daytime career took a dramatic turn in 1990 when he was tapped to begin playing mobster Carlo on OLTL. Carlo, a cerebral baddie who was introduced during the tenure of legendary executive producer Paul Rauch, was killed off in 1992 — or so it seemed — at which point Christopher began playing the meek and bookish Mortimer Bern, Carlo’s twin, who took over his brother’s life with an assist from Carlo’s widow, Alex Olanov. Christopher would go on to return as a back-from-the-dead Carlo from 1996-97, and came back again in 2005 and 2008.

“The writers were very generous with what they created for Carlo, starting with the introduction of the character and the very strong and well-paced development of his relationship to Llanview, the Buchanans, Renee and the backstory of her and Carlo’s love,” Christopher reminisced to Soap Opera Digest upon the show’s cancellation in 2012. Of playing Mortimer, he said, “As a singular character, I don’t think he wouldn’t have worked, but paired with Carlo in a dual role it was wonderful. The producers’ and writers’ idea to do a Pygmalian story of turning Mortimer into Carlo was incredible and an actor’s feast. I had the supreme joy and privilege as Mortimer to be in the company of three very memorable women — Eileen Heckart and Elaine Stritch [both of whom played Mortimer’s mother, Wilma] and Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who taught Mortimer about sex. As the song goes, ‘Who can ask for anything more?’ ”

For his work on OLTL, he was nominated for two Daytime Emmy in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category in both 1992 and 1993, winning the first year. In 1992, he was also nominated for a Soap Opera Digest Award as Oustanding Villain: Daytime for his work as Carlo, and the following year he was nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category.

Christopher received congratulations from his wife, Judith Leverone (l.), and OLTL co-star Patricia Elliott (ex-Renee) upon winning his Daytime Emmy Award.

In 2005, Christopher told Digest what he felt was the reason why fans took his bad guy character, Carlo, into their hearts. “Not allowing him to be totally bad,” he said. “Creating a character in totality in the sense that he’s all good or all bad, it’s kind of dull. It’s showing the vulnerability, the humanity, whether it’s perverse or otherwise, that there’s a humanity there. I think that’s what becomes attractive and exciting for an audience to sit and watch. This is what the writers did then for Carlo. They gave him children, and that kicks off something, and it’s always worked within the structure of the story.”

After wrapping his first stint on OLTL, Christopher played Dante Partou on Loving from 1993-1994, earning another Daytime Emmy nomination in 1994 for Outstanding Supporting Actor. Later, he took on the role of Colonel Dax on Guiding Light, where he worked from 1999-2002, with appearances again in 2003 and 2004. During his breaks from the soaps, he had small roles in several films and in 2001, he played millionaire Aristotle Onassis in the mini-series Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot which also starred another daytime alum, Lauren Holly (ex-Julie Rand Chandler, All My Children) as Ethel Kennedy. His last role was as Elliot Handle in 2017’s ADDicted, which starred Gil Bellows (Ally McBeal) and Kathleen Quinlan.

On the personal front, Christophe was married to Judith Leverone, from December 18, 1971 until her death in 2019.

Soap Opera Digest sends condolences to the actor’s family, friends and fans during this difficult time.