Quinn K. Redeker, ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘The Young and the Restless’ Star Dead at 86

Quinn K. Redeker, who starred in Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless, has died. He was 86. In addition to his prolific career as an actor, Redeker earned an Oscar nomination for co-writing the 1978 Best Picture Oscar-winner The Deer Hunter.

Redeker’s daughter, Arianne Raser, told The Hollywood Reporter that her father died on Dec. 20 in Camarillo, California. He died of natural causes. Redeker is survived by Raser and his other children, Brennen, Glaen, and Quinn Jr., and his grandchildren, Keihen and Quinn.

Redeker’s biggest contribution to Hollywood movie history came after he read a Life magazine article about a man who played Russian roulette for the camera. He then called screenwriter Louis Garfinkle in 1974 about writing a script about a man living in the Bahamas who played Russian roulette for money. Garfinkle saw the dangerous game as the “perfect metaphor” for the Vietnam War, which they made integral to the story. Eventually, they sold the script, The Man Who Came to Play, to producer Michael Deeley, who then hired director Michael Cimino. At that point, the script introduced the idea of two American POWs in a Cambodian prison camp. The final result was the war classic The Deer Hunter, starring Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken.

Redeker and Garfinkle retained story credit on The Deer Hunter, alongside Deric Washburn and Cimino. Washburn and Cimino wrote the final screenplay, but all four were nominated for the 1978 Best Original Screenplay Oscar. Although the award ultimately went to Coming Home (another story about Vietnam War veterans), The Deer Hunter still won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Walken), Best Sound, and Best Cinematography.

As an actor, he starred as Alex Marshall on Days of Our Lives from 1979 to 1987. He played multiple characters on The Young and the Restless but is best remembered for playing Rex Sterling from 1987 to 2004. His other television credits include episodes of Starsky & Hutch, Barnaby Jones, Adam-12, The Virginian, and Harry’s Law.

Redeker also worked with Robert Redford multiple times. He had roles in The Candidate (1972) and The Electric Horseman (1979), which both starred Redford. In 1980, Redeker had a role in Ordinary People, which won Redford the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars. His final movie was Big Miracle (2012), starring Drew Barrymore.