One Life to Live star Thom Christopher dead at 84

Thom Christopher, best known to soap opera fans as Carlo Hesser on One Life to Live, passed away on December 5 at the age of 84.

One Life to Live star pays tribute to Thom Christopher

Anthony Crivello, who played Christopher's on-screen son, Johnny Dee, on OLTL posted the news on Facebook the night the actor passed.

"My dear friend of many years, actor Thom Christopher passed today," Crivello wrote. "He was always a gentleman, always supportive, and he and his wife Judith who preceded him in death, were always gracious to me and welcoming. Thom and I worked together on the ABC daytime series One Life to Live in the 1990s. We’re seen here with the lovely Audry Landers who played my sister, and Thom my father. It was a wonderful time, difficult hours and long days, but joyful each minute. May Thom fly on Wings of Angels to be beside his beloved Judith, and may they enjoy each other’s company once again, beside the Pearly Gates of heaven."

Christopher played mobster Carlo Hesser and his twin brother Mortimer Bern off and on from 1990-2008, winning a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 1992. Christopher delighted audiences as a larger-than-life mob boss with fascinating family ties who faked his death more than once. When Carlo wasn't around, his brother Mortimer was always ready to cause trouble for the citizens of Llanview, especially the Buchanans.

A successful daytime and primetime career

Christopher was born on October 5, 1940, in Queens, NY. After graduating from Ithaca College, he studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse and began appearing on soaps in small roles in the 1970s. In addition to OLTL, Christopher's daytime credits included Love of Life, The Edge of Night, Guiding Light, and Loving. The actor earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for his work as Dante Partou Loving in 1993. That year, he was nominated twice, also earning a nod for her OLTL role, according to IMDb.

The actor was also known for his one-season role as Hawk on the primetime sci-fi series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. The actor appeared on various primetime series, including Murder, She Wrote, Law and Order, Simon & Simon, Hunter, and TJ Hooker. Christopher also brought Greek business tycoon Aristotle Onassis to life in the 2001 TV movie Jackie, Ethel, and Joan: The Women of Camelot.

Christopher was married to Judith Leverone from 1971 to 2019.