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A Tribute To Gerald Anthony

Frank Valentini (Executive Producer, OLTL):
Gerry Anthony was an exceptional actor and a warm and generous friend. His dedication to his craft was tireless, his devotion to his friends and colleagues, boundless. Gerry’s friends at ONE LIFE TO LIVE are saddened by his death, but will remember the amazing talent and good humor he brought to his work.”Anthony Call (ex-Herb, OLTL):
“I could write a novel about Gerry. He was totally self-made, remarkably creative. Came out of very humble beginnings. I met him when I first went on the show. His scenes were extraordinary, particularly the work he did with Maggie Klenck [ex-Edwina] and Christine Ebersole [ex-Maxine] and Judy Light [ex-Karen]. He was a director, that’s what he loved. He had a wonderful imagination and he’d work with these women and they never looked that good. Ever! He would create a structure – a lot of people hated him for it – he would create a fabulous structure to a scene and then they’d improvise. I saw some work that he staged in the theater. He was an alien. I’m telling you, he did not fit in. I think it hurt him in the long run. He always wanted to direct the show. They finally gave him a shot at two shows. They said, ‘He’s going to be long and impossible.’ I happened to be in both shows, which was a thrill, and he directed them exquisitely and brought them in not long, but under the time limit and with shots and stuff that nobody ever saw on that show. He was a funny guy. He was always learning. When I came on the show, he wanted to get into the softball business — playing competitive softball and volleyball with the other shows — and my image was … the standing joke was, if there’s a team on ONE LIFE TO LIVE, Gerry Anthony is managing it and he’s playing the game with one hand and reading the manual of how to play the game in the other hand. That was Gerry Anthony. He constantly learned. I was always flattered that he had a high regard for me, because I thought he was such an individual and so unique in his expression. I thought he’d look down his nose at me because I was just playing a stiff! But he had enormous admiration for me, and I was always flattered by that. I remember near the end of his run, we had a scene together, and I remember one of the greatest compliments I’ve ever been paid was that he was nervous acting with me. I said, ‘Why are you nervous? I’m the one who doesn’t think I can live up to you.’ Well, it was a great compliment. He always looked to the stars for the best. I’m just stunned.”Judith Light (ex-Karen, OLTL):
“Gerry was one of the smartest men I ever knew, and I’m just so incredibly sad. We hadn’t been in touch for a long time, but [his ex-wife] Brynn Thayer [ex-Jenny] is my best friend. She’s the one who told me. For any of us who had that extraordinary opportunity to work with him or be with him, it’s just devastating. He had so much to give and so much to do. I just hope that he’s at peace now in a way that he wasn’t when he was here. I wish I could tell him all the things I’m telling you. I told him that when I worked with him, but it’s not the same. That was too many years ago. We had an incredibly creative time together and the way we worked together was so intense and so layered. You don’t have very much time to do that kind of work when you do a soap, but Gerry and I always managed to do that. That was something that we both loved. The work we did was due in great measure to Gerry. He was also a wonderful director. There were things that we’d talk about and he’d guide me to. He was much more experienced than I was, because he’d been there for quite a while when I got there. He was very generous in showing me the ropes and telling me how everything worked. I was always excited when I knew I was going to get a chance to work with him … which I did a lot. That was a good portion of my storyline. I think I won the Emmy because of Gerry. He was so much a part of that, giving me that story and helping me. He was an incredibly generous person. I wish he knew what we all know about him. It really is a shame.”Jessica Tuck (ex-Megan, OLTL):
“I got to work with him his second round on ONE LIFE. He was originally there with Judith Light and then he came back two summers in a row. My character worked with him constantly. We were thick as thieves. He made me crazy! He’d go off the page. Written dialogue was something to only take a look at. The fun thing about it was it worked with our characters and as long as I could run with him, we ended up having a very spontaneous, crazy relationship on-screen together, which I loved. It really got me out of my ‘do it exactly, perfectly,’ box. It gave me freedom to improv. Gerry Anthony had a lot of spirit. He loved what he was doing and I felt like it showed. I really enjoyed working with him. He was a crazy, uncontrollable spirit who I could relate to. For me, he was coming from Hollywood, so he’d tell me stories about nighttime television and the world outside of the soaps. I was just starting out, so it was interesting to hear what he was experiencing in L.A. He used to always say to me, ‘Don’t ever take for granted what you have on this show, because this is a really great gig.’ He was absolutely right. Some of the best times I’ve had were on ONE LIFE with that group of people. He took me under his wing. You couldn’t help but love him. He was incredibly kind and incredibly respectful to me as an actress. He gave me a whole new level of confidence that I had something to offer. I felt like he always trusted me. We had this kooky storyline – it was ridiculous, but the crazier it got, the more fun it was. It was the perfect fodder for Gerry to have a good time. He was an energy who’d come sweeping in. He was great. I think about him because that was such a fun time and I’m so sorry to hear he’s passed away. It’s so sad. He certainly made an impression on me.”

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