Soap Star Nick Benedict, ‘All My Children’ and ‘Days of Our Lives’ Actor, Dead at 77

Nick Benedict, a soap opera veteran known for his roles in All My Children, The Young and the Restless, and Days of Our Lives, has died. An online obituary confirmed that Benedict died in Arizona on his birthday, July 14, of complications following emergency spinal surgery. He was 77.
 
“Nick Benedict’s birthday was July 14. He went to be with the Lord this day. Please pray for Ginger,” read a Facebook post from Jake’s Steakhouse, a restaurant in Tehachapi, California, where Benedict’s wife Ginger works as a bartender, read. The post also included the link for a GoFundMe page, which stated that “on July 2nd, Sunday Nick had emergency spinal cord surgery. On July 4th he was admitted to hospice. He is paralyzed from the neck down. He will need constant care and support.” The page was created to “raise money to help with bills, food, and any medical expenses that may arise,” and has since raised more than $4,000.

The son of actor and director Richard Benedict, Benedict began his career as a child actor in the 1955 film Wiretapper. He went on to appear on several popular shows throughout the 1960s, including Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-O, and Ironside. Benedict, however, was best known for his roles on popular soap operas.
 
He starred as Phil Brent, an ex-husband of Susan Lucci’s Erica Kane, on All My Children from 1973 until 1978. He took over the role Richard Hatch, and before leaving the role, earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series in 1979 for his performance in his final season. He went on to portray Michael Scott in The Young and the Restless in 1981, and later Curtis Reed in Days of Our Lives, appearing in a total of 93 episodes from 1993-2001.
 
Benedict’s other credits include Knots Landing, Medical Center, The Dukes of Hazzard, and Tales from the Darkside. He also appeared in 30 episodes of Tribes and seven episodes of Santa Barbara. Benedict stepped away from acting following the 1984 death of his father, Benedict telling the Times and Democrat in 1993 that he went on to oversee a contracting business and played in nightclubs with bands. He is survived by his wife of 22 years. Memorial plans have not been announced at this time.