James Houghton, Original Young And Restless Cast Member, Dead At 75
James Houghton in his days on The Colbys, l., and in a Young and Restless scene with on-screen sister Jess Walton (Jill).
James Houghton, an actor and Daytime Emmy-winning soap opera writer, passed away on August 27, 2024 of peritoneal mesothelioma at the age of 75. His widow, Karen, shared the sad news with The Hollywood Reporter, explaining that she had not wanted to discuss her husband’s passing until now.
Memory Lane
A native of Los Angeles, California, Houghton was born on November 7, 1948 into a show biz family; his father, Buck Houghton, was a television producer with credits including The Twilight Zone and Executive Suite. When Young and Restless premiered in 1973, Houghton was a member of its original cast, playing the pivotal role of Greg Foster, son of Liz Foster and brother to Jill Foster and Snapper Foster. He remained with the show until 1976; the role of Greg was subsequently recast with Brian Kerwin (later Charlie Banks on One Life to Live) and Wings Hauser. Howard McGillin then played Greg before the character was written out of Y&R in 1981. Houghton returned to the show as Greg for a two-episode stint in 2003, sharing scenes with Jess Walton (Jill) and William Gray Espy (ex-Snapper).
After the conclusion of his original Y&R stint, Houghton was tapped to play record producer/ladies’ man Kenny Ward on Knots Landing from 1979-83, and Cash Cassidy (a United States senator who was the rival of Jason Colby, played by Charlton Heston) on The Colbys from 1986-87. The actor also appeared in episodes of Fantasy Island, The Love Boat and other memorable prime-time series of the 1980s. Loughton also amassed several film credits, including More American Graffiti and I Wanna Hold Your Hand.
Houghton wrote three episodes of Knots Landing and, after getting his daytime writing start as a member of the team at Days of our Lives, worked as a script writer for many years on both Y&R and Bold and Beautiful, winning four Daytime Emmys as part of Y&R’s writing team.
He is survived by his wife, Karen, who he wed in 1994; their two children, Daniel and Alisa; his mother, Wanda, and his sister, Mona; and a grandson, Milo.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Soap Opera Digest does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.