Days of Our Lives and Dynasty actor Wayne Northrop passed away at 77 on November 29. According to his publicist, Cynthia Snyder he had been struggling with Alzheimer’s for the past six years. He died at his Woodland Hills home in California.
Wayne Northrop is survived by his wife - Lynn Herring Northrop and two sons - Hank Northrop and Grady Northrop.
Announcing the demise through a statement his wife said:
“Wayne was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s six years ago. He took his last breath in the arms of his family. We wish to thank the most caring and amazing place, The Motion Picture and Television Home for taking such great care of him."
"Wayne touched so many people with his sense of humor and wit. A husband for 43 years, the best dad ever to his two boys, Hank and Grady, and a rancher who loved his cows and was a friend to many.” The General Hospital star concluded.
Northrop played the role of chauffeur Michael Culhane on Dynasty, starting from the pilot episode, "Oil" (1981), and continuing until the season one finale, "The Testimony" (1981). He reappeared in the seventh season premiere, "The Victory" (1986), before departing again in the 1987 episode, "The Sublet."
How has Wayne Northrop’s career shaped him as an iconic actor?
Wayne Northrop was born on April 12, 1947, in the charming town of Sumner, Washington, to Robert and Donna Jean Northrop.
He pursued a BA in communications from the University of Washington before learning the art of acting at the Seattle Community College. He joined the Los Angeles Actors’ Theatre in 1975 which was led by Ralph Waite.
He made his on-screen debut with Police Story where he was offered a small role. He later bagged roles in shows including Testimony of Two Men, and The Waltons. He made a few guest appearances in Cold Case, The Haunting of Lisa and The Deidre Hall Story.
Wayne Northrop is famously known for portraying the character of Detective Roman Brandy in the Days of Our Lives series from 1981-1984 and again from 1991-1994. A report in Variety mentioned that he worked on an NBC special called You Are the Jury: The State of Arizona v. Dr. Evan Blake in 1986 and the CBS TV movie Guts and Glory: The Bill Johnson Story in 1985.
He later landed a role in Port Charles in 1997, where he played Rex Stanton till 1998. He made a comeback to Days of Our Lives in 2005 as Dr. Alex North.
In May 2016, Northrop attended the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. At the event, he posed for photos with Deidre Hall and Josh Taylor who started playing Roman in 1997.
How have fans paid tribute to Wayne Northrop?
One of Northrop’s fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to post a tribute to the actor.
“Wayne Northrop brought Roman Brady to life. He was amazing as the eldest son of the Brady family & his relationship with Bo was soap gold. Wayne & @peterreckell shared a special bond both on & off screen. He will be missed, but his memories will live on in #Days history forever.” She wrote.
“Wayne Northrop was the one & only original Roman Brady on Days of our Lives. When I was in HS, Days was my go-to show and each time Wayne & Deirdre were on, it was wowza chemistry! Still 💙them to this day. So so sad to learn of Wayne’s passing. 💔” Wrote another fan.
“I am so sorry to hear of Wayne Northrop’s passing. He and @TheLynnHerring were married for over 40 years and Wayne left his mark on Port Charles in more ways than one.” Someone else commented.
Trending
“Crushed at the passing of Wayne Northrop. 😭 Such a fan. At a loss for words, really. Roman & Marlena's original love story has held my heart my entire life. Rest easy Wayne. 🕊️✨ #RomanMarlena #copdoc #80sDays” One more fan tweeted.
Wayne Northrop has touched the hearts of a million fans and he will always be remembered as the iconic hero, Roman Brandy.
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