Jerry Douglas, the longtime actor of The Young and the Restless, has died at 88.
On November 9th, the star famous for his character as Abbott in the long-running soap opera “The Young and the Restless” died after a “brief illness,” as per the reports received.
For more than 30 years, Douglas had been the mainstay of the CBS soap opera in the role of a wealthy chairman of cosmetics magnate and the foundation of The Young and the Restless’ Genoa City. He also appeared as TV guests and worked in supporting roles over his long acting career, which saw projects including “The Bionic Woman,”, “The Streets of San Francisco”, “Cold Case, “Melrose Place.”, “Barnaby Jones” and “Arrested Development.”
Douglas was featured in the popular show “The Young and the Restless” from 1982 to 2006. Apparently, his character in the show died in 2006, but he continued to make appearances as Abbott’s ghost to guide his family in time of need. The all-time favorite show released its 12,000th episode last year.
“Jerry came to ‘Y&R’ in 1982 with an impressive resume of credits,” said the executive producer of the “Y&R”. “Our show was lucky to have an actor of his caliber join the cast and introduce the audience to the iconic Abbott family. His contribution to the legacy of Y&R as Abbott family patriarch, John Abbott is still felt to this day. He will be sorely missed.”
Born in 1932 in Chelsea, England, Douglas studied at Brandeis University and was also part of his school’s football team. After earning a degree in economics, he pursued acting under the instructions of Uta Hagen and Jeff Corey. Apart from being an actor, Douglas was a playwright and screenwriter as well. He worked with Josh O’Connell on several projects.
In 1960, the avid reader and golfer appeared in TV guest shots on shows like “The Donna Reed Show” and “The Untouchables”.
He is also recognized for his projects, including Gunsmoke,”, “Bonanza,”,” “Ironside,“Mission: Impossible,”The Rookies,” “Quincy” “The Rockford Files,”“Combat” “Land of the Giants,”“Mannix,,“The F.B.I.,” and “S.W.A.T.”
He also recorded a pop album in 2015 called, The Best is Yet to Come.”
