Young & Restless and Days of Our Lives Vet Dead at 76 — and On His Birthday, Too

It’s with a heavy heart that we report that soap Nick Benedict has passed away — sadly, on his 76th birthday. Daytime fans are likely well acquainted with the acting vet who, after a number of smaller roles starting in the ’60s, scored his first major part as All My Children‘s Phil Brent from 1973 to 1978 — with a brief appearance a decade later.

Benedict’s wife, Ginger, works at Jake’s Steakhouse in Tehachapi California, which shared the sad news on Facebook, writing, “Nick Benedict’s birthday was July 14. He went to be with the Lord this day. Please pray for Ginger.”

The Steakhouse first shared the GoFundMe just four days earlier asking for prayers for Benedict and his wife after sharing the heartbreaking news on July 9 that Benedict had undergone “emergency spinal cord surgery” the week before, after which he was left paralyzed from the neck down.

“They live in Arizona and Ginger travels back and forth,” the folks at Jake’s Steakhouse wrote. “To say this is a stressful situation is not saying enough. Ginger is in town today and wanted to tend bar. This would be a great opportunity to stop by and say hi. Life can change in an instance.”

Benedict took over the role of Phil on All My Children from Richard Hatch and made it his own, and it was during his tenure that Phil won Erica’s heart and (briefly) her hand in marriage as her second husband. It wasn’t, of course, the actor’s only soap role, as he also scored unforgettable roles on The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives.

Longtime visitors to Genoa City will remember him as Michael Scott in 1981, photographer and Victor’s romantic rival for then-wife Julia’s heart. In one of the show’s most memorable storylines of all time, after Julia slept with Michael and became pregnant with what everyone assumed was his child. It wasn’t, but Victor didn’t discover that until after he locked his competition up in his basement and fed him rats.

Though, as Benedict told The Times and Democrat, he stepped back a bit from acting after his father, actor and director Richard Benedict, died in 1984, he never truly abandoned the craft. He dipped in and out of roles throughout the ’80s, appearing on such touchstone shows as The Dukes of Hazard, Knot’s Landing and Santa Barbara.

Then, in 1993, he made his return to daytime to join Days of Our Lives as Curtis Reed, Kate’s abusive ex and father to Billie and Austin. Though he was a bit nervous about how viewers would take to him as a villain after years of playing the good guy, jumping back into the soap opera world, he shared with The Times and Democrat was “just like riding a bike. Once you learn how, you never forget.”

The actor continued to appear regularly on TV throughout the ’90s, though his last major role ended in 2001 on Days of Our Lives. Curtis had been shot back in 1993 by Stefano, but his ghost continued to make the occasional appearance up until then.

Though it’s been decades since we’ve seen him in daytime, the roles he gave us over the years are some of the most unforgettable in all of soap opera history. Our hearts go out to Benedict’s wife, Ginger, and all their loved ones in this difficult time. But we feel confident in saying that though he may be gone, daytime will never forget Nick Benedict.

Why not relive some happier times while you’re here with our photo gallery of All My Children memories.