Nicholas Pryor, veteran actor who starred in ‘Risky Business’ and ‘Port Charles,’ dies at 89

Nicholas Pryor, veteran actor who starred in 'Risky Business' and 'Port Charles,' dies at 89

As a cinephile with a keen appreciation for the rich tapestry of acting talent that has graced our screens over the years, I find myself deeply saddened by the passing of Nicholas Pryor. A veteran actor who spanned seven decades and amassed an impressive 170 TV and film credits, his legacy will undoubtedly live on in the hearts and minds of countless fans.


Veteran actor Nicholas Pryor, known for his long-running role of over 300 episodes on the soap opera “Port Charles” and for acting alongside Tom Cruise in “Risky Business,” passed away at the age of 89.

On Monday, Nicholas Pryor passed away at home in Wilmington, North Carolina due to cancer, as confirmed by his agent Susan Tolar Walters to The Times on Wednesday. “Nicholas was an extraordinary person, both personally and professionally,” Tolar Walters’ agency shared on Instagram. “He will be deeply missed.

For approximately 70 years, Pryor accumulated over 170 acting credits across TV and films, with a significant stint on “Port Charles,” a spin-off of ABC’s long-running series “General Hospital.” In these daytime dramas, Pryor portrayed ex-spy Victor Collins. However, he was the leading star in the spin-off series from 1997 to 2002.

It’s with great sadness that we, the General Hospital family, have learned about Nicholas Pryor’s passing,” said the GH account on Twitter yesterday. “Our thoughts go out to his family as they navigate through these challenging times.

Jon Lindstrom, a popular actor from “General Hospital” and Pryor’s screen son, posted a heartfelt goodbye on Instagram. In his message, he referred to Pryor as “not just a colleague, but one of my very best friends.

Lindstrom commented: “He served as a mentor, a source for advice, a reliable confidant, and almost like a father figure… He was among the most hilarious individuals you could enjoy in conversation, especially over a fine bottle of wine and an exceptional meal.

According to Lindstrom’s post, Pryor often assumed fatherly figures in his roles. He portrayed a tense father figure for Tom Cruise’s character Joel Goodsen in “Risky Business.” In the 1987 movie “Less Than Zero,” he played a similar role alongside Robert Downey Jr.

Initially, Pyror wasn’t known for his on-screen fatherly roles; instead, he started his TV and movie career in the ’50s. After a string of minor parts, it was around the mid-’60s when Pryor found his rhythm with soap operas like “Another World” and “The Nurses.” His soap opera repertoire expanded to include shows such as “All My Children,” “The Edge of Night,” and “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing.

In my acting career, I’ve made appearances on shows like “M*A*S*H,” “Dallas,” “The Bronx Zoo,” “Murder, She Wrote,” and “Beverly Hills, 90210,” to name a few.

Apart from television roles, Pryor’s career extended to acting in movies such as “Damien: Omen II,” “Airplane!”, “Pacific Heights,” “Collateral Damage” and more recently, “Halloween Kills.

Born on January 28, 1935, in Baltimore, I find myself tracing my roots back to a city that has nurtured many a creative soul. After completing my studies at Yale University, I dived headfirst into the world of theater, gracing stages with groups like the Drummond Players and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. My journey took me to various theaters across the land, each stage offering a new canvas for my craft.

In 1993, he got married to his “Beverly Hills, 90210” co-star Christine Belford. Besides his wife, Pryor leaves behind his daughter Stacey Pryor, as well as his grandchildren Auguste and Avril Bas.

Read More

2024-10-10 01:01

Previous post Eman Esfandi shares how he became Ezra Bridger in ‘Ahsoka’
Next post Four Superstars Who Could Replace Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther at Crown Jewel