Stuart Damon, ‘General Hospital’ Star, Dies At 84

Stuart Damon, who was best known for his decades-long role as Dr. Alan Quartermaine on General Hospital, has died at the age of 84. Damon’s son, Christopher, said that his father had been suffering from renal failure for quite some time.

The actor and son of Russian-Jewish immigrants was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1937. He first got his start on the stage, performing a series of roles both on and off-Broadway. However, Damon’s big break came when he landed the role of Prince Charming in the 1965 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. He continued acting in plays and musicals around New York before moving to the U.K. in the 1960s.

There, he acted in his first recurring television role as American secret agent Craig Stirling on The Champions. Damon also appeared in the 1968 BBC TV adaptation of The £1,000,000 Bank Note.

Still, his longest-lasting role was that of Dr. Alan Quartermaine on General Hospital, which lasted for almost 30 years, beginning in 1977. He reprised his role in the shorter-running spinoff series, Port Charles (1997-2003). From 1982 to 1999, Damon was nominated for seven Daytime Emmy Awards, finally winning one in 1999. In addition, the actor was nominated for two Soap Opera Digest Awards and won one.

Damon had a prominent role in the GH series until his character’s death in 2007, but he appeared sporadically on the show until 2013. During this time, he had roles on daytime soap operas and shows like Days of Our Lives, As the World Turns, Fantasy Island, Hotel, Diagnosis Murder and The New Mike Hammer.

His movie appearances include A Touch of the Casanovas, Destination Moonbase-Alpha, Perry Mason: The Case of the Killer Kiss and Rain from Stars.

Damon is survived by his wife Deirdre Ann Ottewill, son Christopher and daughter Jennifer Zonis.