ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, June 6, 1996 TAG: 9606060033
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: tune in tomorrow
TYPE: NEWS OBIT
SOURCE: NANCY REICHARDT
Daytime lost another well-loved, familiar face on May 19 when ``General Hospital'' star John Beradino, who played Dr. Steve Hardy, died of cancer in Los Angeles.
Beradino, the only remaining original ``General Hospital'' cast member, made his daytime debut on April 1, 1963, along with the show itself. He was a cornerstone of the show for the past 30 years, and had many front-burner story lines during that time. His work on the soap netted him three Daytime Emmy nominations as Best Lead Actor. On April 1, 1993, Beradino was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in honor of his work on ``General Hospital.'' Only last April the actor was honored with the first annual SuperNova Award by the Los Angeles chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and was recently inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
Acting was not Beradino's first career choice. The actor, who became interested in sports at the age of 9 when he picked up his first baseball bat, played baseball during his school years, and high school football. He earned a football scholarship to the University of Southern California, but switched over to baseball and was eventually named the teams Most Valuable Player. He played professionally for the St. Louis Browns and the Cleveland Indians. He was at second base when the Indians won their last World Series title, but his career came to an end due to a leg injury and Beradino then took up acting.
Besides ``General Hospital,'' Beradino, an alumnus of the ``Our Gang'' comedies, appeared in the TV movies ``Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate'' and ``Moon of the Wolf.'' He had a cameo in the movie ``Young Doctors in Love,'' which was a spoof on soap operas.
``General Hospital'' executive producer Wendy Riche told the press, ``All of us at `GH' are deeply saddened by John's passing. But we're grateful for the many years he shared with us. John left an indelible mark in two distinctly American pastimes - baseball and daytime drama. He was a star in both.''
Beradino is survived by his wife, Marjorie, their children, Katherine Ann and John Anthony, and two daughters, Toni and Cindy, from a previous marriage.
Donations in Beradino's memory may be sent to: The John Beradino Baseball Scholarship Fund, University of Southern California Athletic Department, Heritage Hall, 203-A, Los Angeles, Calif. 90089-0602.
Short takes
Lindsay Price, who plays Michael Lai on ``The Bold and the Beautiful,'' says that she and co-star Dylan Neal (who plays Dylan Shaw) are like two peas in a pod.
``We have a series of strange random things that we have in common,'' says Price. ``Like movies - we both go constantly. We both love hockey, but, of course, he roots for the Canadian teams and I love the L.A. Kings. We both love root beer. We're both addicted to Reese's peanut butter cups.''
Personality wise, Price notes that she and Neal share a couple of traits in common, too.
``Actually, there are a lot of things about him that remind me of myself, which is bizarre,'' says Price. ``Because I've never met a guy like that. We're both very even tempered. We both have the same sense of humor. We're unbelievably alike!''
Send your questions about soap operas to Nancy M. Reichardt, ``Tune in Tomorrow,'' in care of The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491. Questions cannot be answered personally, but those of general interest will be answered in future columns. |United Feature Syndicate
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: John Beradino was an original member of the cast ofby CNB"General Hospital." Beradino made his daytime debut April 1, 1963.
He died May 19 in Los Angeles.