Actor Peter White, best known for his work on the soap opera “All My Children” and in several adaptations of “The Boys in the Band,” has died at the age of 86.
White died of melanoma at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, his All My Children co-star Kathleen Noone confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
The New York City-born actor, who celebrated his 86th birthday last month, portrayed the character Linc Tyler on the ABC series “All My Children” in 12 episodes of the series from 1976 to 2005, according to iMDb.
White first played the role of Tyler – the storyline son of Phoebe Tyler (played by the late Ruth Warrick) in 1974, as he was the third actor to play the role on the long-running soap, according to THR. He returned and appeared in episodes 1981, 1984, 1986, 1995 and 2005.
White played the role of Alan McCarthy in The Boys in the Band, both on stage and in director William Friedkin’s 1970 film.
Details: Actor Peter White, best known for his work on the soap opera “All My Children” and in several adaptations of “The Boys in the Band,” has died at the age of 86. In the picture 1970
The veteran actor appeared in the 2006 Hallmark film Although Nobody’s Going With Me
He began appearing in this role in April 1968 at the off-Broadway venue Theater Four.
The play and film focus on a group of gay men’s birthday party in Manhattan, at a time when portrayals of gay characters were downplayed or unflattering. It was not made clear whether the McCarthy character was gay.
In a 2008 interview with Weekly, White spoke about the new territory the cast and crew had with the work, according to Soap Opera Digest.
“On opening night, none of us knew what we had,” White said. “We were all just like, ‘It’s a play, it’s something new, it’s different and it’s good.’ It was a 100 percent gay audience – and the next day it went crazy!”
The production’s popularity skyrocketed when White said, “We got a call to come to the theater early because there were so many people around the theater that you couldn’t get close.”
White said that he never considered “The Boys in the Band” to be “a gay play,” but rather “a play with gay characters.”
He said he was working on a production of the Neil Simon play “Barefoot in the Park” when he got the chance to appear in “The Boys in the Band.” White said his “Barefoot in the Park” co-star, the late Myrna Loy, recommended he appear in the potentially controversial production.
“Things were really moving for me; I was doing so well and I thought, ‘I don’t need this risk,'” White told Weekly in 2008. “I spoke to Myrna – she became my mentor – and she said, ‘Peter, if that’s you.’ “To be an actor you have to take some risks in your life.”
The veteran actor was remembered on social media with the news of his demise
According to iMDb, White played the character Linc Tyler on the ABC series “All My Children” in 12 episodes of the series from 1976 to 2005
White was a graduate of Northwestern University and had also studied his craft at the Yale School of Drama.
White began his career on the CBS soap opera The Secret Storm from 1965 to 1966, where he portrayed the character Jerry Ames. He also appeared in a guest role on the series NYPD in 1968.
White played the role of Dr. Sanford Hiller in the CBS soap Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing and also appeared in the film The Pursuit of Happiness that year. He made his first appearance on Broadway in 1975 in the play Your Cat Is Dead.
White also had a lengthy role on the ABC series “The Colbys” in 1985-1986, playing the role of attorney Arthur Cates in 16 episodes of the show’s first two seasons.
He also appeared in 14 episodes of the NBC show Sisters from 1991 to 1996, playing the role of Dr. Thomas Reed, the late father of the characters Swoosie Kurtz, Sela Ward, Patricia Kalember and Julianne Phillips.
White was a frequent guest star on television shows in the 1980s, including Hill Street Blues, The Jeffersons, Dynasty, Knots Landing, Falcon Crest, Hart to Hart, Simon & Simon, The Paper Chase, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Matlock, LA Law , Dallas and Designing Women.
He continued his work steadily throughout the 1990s, appearing in, among others, “Mad About You,” “NYPD Blue,” “The West Wing,” “The X-Files,” “Ally McBeal,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” and “Cold Case”.
According to THR, White was the third actor to play the role on the long-running soap. He returned and appeared in episodes 1981, 1984, 1986, 1995 and 2005.
White has appeared in several films throughout his career, including 2004’s First Daughter, 1998’s Armageddon, 1997’s Flubber and 1993’s Dave. His last role was in the 2016 film Punching Henry.
White has worked as an acting coach in recent years, THR reported.
Kathleen Noone told THR that White is unmarried and has no children.