Y&R FAQs
Q: Was Kristoff St. John (Neil) on THE BAD NEWS BEARS?
A: Yes. As a child, St. John played Ahmad Abdul Rahim on the 1979 TV show, which was based on the movie. Y&R alum Tricia Cast (ex-Nina) played Amanda Whirlitzer on the show.
Q: Has Jeanne Cooper (Katherine) starred on any other soaps?
A: Not exactly, but the Y&R grande dame did a brief crossover to sister show B&B in 2005.
Q: Is Thad Luckinbill (J.T., Y&R) related to actor Laurence Luckinbill, who was once wed to Lucille Ball’s daughter, Lucie Arnaz?
A: Yes, the men are distant cousins. Laurence Luckinbill was also once wed to Robin Strasser (Dorian, ONE LIFE TO LIVE), which makes Thad also related to Strasser and Luckinbill’s sons, Nicholas and Benjamin.
Q: Is Darcy Rose Byrne, the little girl who plays Abby on Y&R, the child of Martha Byrne (Lily, AS THE WORLD TURNS)?
A: No. Darcy Rose Byrnes is not related to her. However, entertaining is in the little actress’s blood. Her father, C.J. Byrnes, has appeared in many prime-time programs and movies, including BIG LOVE and The Horse Whisperer, and her mother, Cathy D’Arcy, appeared in Twelve Monkeys and Hackers.
Q: Didn’t another actress originally play Ashley Abbott?
A: No. However, Eileen Davidson has shared the role she created back in 1982. When she left the show from 1988-’99, Brenda Epperson Doumani (1989-’96) and Shari Shattuck (1996-’99) took on the character.
Q: How many kids did the late John Abbott have?
A: John had four children. Jack and Traci are his kids with first wife Dina. Dina is also his daughter Ashley’s mother, but Ash’s biological father is Brent Davis (the late John never knew this and believed Ashley was his own). His youngest, Billy, is his son with Jill.
Q: What was the name of the restaurant that Kevin burned down?
A: Gina’s Italian Restaurant, which was owned and operated by Genoa City local Gina Roma. Now she’s playing manager at the GCAC restaurant.
Q: After a lifetime of on-again/of-again love, why did young Billy and Mac finally break up on their wedding night?
A: They learned Jill was Kay’s daughter…which made them first cousins!
Q: What physical ailment left GC residents concerned for Victor’s life back in 1992?
A: He had a heart attack — but not everyone was “concerned”! Refresh your memory by watching this fun clip.
Q: Has Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) ever been on another soap?
A: Yes. Stafford appeared on the short-lived serials TRIBES (as Frankie) and the Aaron Spelling-produced PACIFIC PALISADES as Joanna. AMC fans may remember that on the sudser, Stafford played the “sister” of Rachel, played by Natalia Cigliuti (ex-Anita), only to be revealed in a Chinatown-type twist that the women were actually mother and daughter.
Q: Whatever happened to teen model Cricket?
A: After surviving date rape, she became a lawyer and started using her real name, Christine.
Q: Are Eileen Davidson (Ashley) and Doug Davidson (Paul) related?
A: No, their common last name is just a coincidence.
Q: How many kids does Victor have?
A: Four. Victoria and Nicholas are his children with Nikki; Victor, Jr. is his son with ex-wife Hope; Abby is his daughter with Ashley (Ash stole his sperm). Ashley and Julia were also pregnant with his children at one time, but Julia miscarried and Ashley got an abortion.
Q: Are Christian LeBlanc (Michael) and Matt LeBlanc from FRIENDS related?
A: While the two share the same last name and a love of acting, Christian and Matt are not related.
Q: How can Katherine and Jill be mother and daughter: Didn’t Jill marry Kay’s son, Brock?
A: You are correct. Jill and Brock were married back in 1975. However, the short-lived union was a marriage of convenience, engineered by Kay, and it was never consummated. When Jill learned that she was pregnant with the child of Kay’s husband, Phillip, she ended the charade.
Q: Is it true that Nikki killed her father when she was in her teens?
A: It’s true. In 1979, Nikki was a precocious, promiscuous teen. Her sister, Casey, a doctor, had remembered a traumatic event that was buried in her subconscious — when she was a child, their father, Nick, had raped her. When Casey went to confront their devious dad, he was in the process of trying to rape Nikki. During Nikki’s struggle to defend herself, she accidentally killed her father.
Q:Is the boy who plays Devon the same kid who was on FAMILY MATTERS?
A: Yes. Actor/recording artist Bryton McClure, who now goes by just Bryton, played the adorable moppet Richie on the hit TV series from 1990-97, a role he began at the tender age of 3. For more on what the talented teen has been up to since then, check out his official Web site at www.bryton.net.
Q: Who is Danny Romalotti, Jr.’s, biological father?
A: Daniel’s biological daddy is Brian Hamilton. When we first met Phyllis in 1994, she pretended Danny was her baby’s father in order to trap him into marrying her. When Danny finally uncovered her scheme in 1997, the couple divorced for good and Danny won custody of the boy. Two actors have played the part of Brian. Steven Culp originated the short-term role in 1995. Two years later, Brian visited Genoa City, and he was played by William A. Wallace. The character was last seen in 2002, when Brian (portrayed by Wallace) appeared in Phyllis’s jailhouse nightmare.
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