Cameron Mathison
HE WENT FROM CRIPPLED CHILD TO SOAP HUNK
October, 1998
“All My Children” star Cameron Mathison suffered from a terrible handicap as a young child - and he says it was the best thing that ever happened to him!
Cameron - who plays sexy con man Ryan Lavery - ripples with muscles that pro athletes envy. But as a youngster, he suffered from a crippling bone condition that made him a prisoner in a massive leg and hip brace which he even wore to bed.
He could shuffle along only with crutches - and was the target of children’s cruel taunts.
“But the suffering I went through as a child gave me the motivation to fulfill my dreams,” disclosed the 28-year-old hunk.
Today the 6-foot-1, blue-eyed star is a standout at basketball, volleyball, skiing, and weight lifting. He has a washboard stomach and a iron will.
“When I was 2 -1/2 years old, I was diagnosed with Leg-Calve-Perthes disease - a degeneration of the hip bone,” he said.
“For about 3 -1/2 years I wore a big steel brace constantly - even to bed. It was very uncomfortable. The simplest chore, like getting a glass of water, seemed impossible.”
On the first day of kindergarten, he had to leave early - the kids teased him, giggled and stared. “I felt like a freak,” the actor admits.
As soon as he got the braces off for good, he was determined to make up for lost time.
“I got this big smile on my face and walked by myself, “ he recalled. “From that moment on, I just tackled life with a vengeance. I joined every sporting team I could think of at school. I played basketball and tennis. I swam and learned to play golf.”
Cameron became an outstanding athlete in high school and in college. His early handicap not only gave him the drive to succeed - it made him a better human being.
“It made me a much more sensitive person,” he explained. “I had been the kid that mothers told their children not to stare at.”
After completing college, Cameron competed in grueling freestyle skiing. “I also ‘extreme ski’ - jumping off 25-foot high cliff, “ he said. Cameron landed modeling parts and then set his sights on doing soap operas.
He tried out for a role on “Sunset Beach” and didn’t get it - but that wasn’t enough to stop him.
In January, he landed a two-year contract with “All My Children.” He’s appeared in the TV movie, “Any Mother’s Son” and in the new movie “54” about Studio 54.
“If you really put your mind to something you can make it happen.” beans Cameron, who adds, “I view every day as a gift from God. I never take anything for granted.”
National Enquirer/October 1998
SINBAD THE SOAPSTER
Michael Logan
Zen Gesner who joined “All My Children” September 23 as Braden (a mysterious sexpot with no last name), shed no tears when his syndicated series “The Adventures of Sinbad” was axed last March due to the sudden pull-out of its primary investor.
“It was a blessing in disguise, “ insists Gesner. “Playing Sinbad was a blast. I rode horses and swung swords in a fantasy world for two years. But between the South Africa locations and the 16-hour days, I rarely saw my new son, Finn, for the first six months of his life. The AMC schedule allows me to be a real husband and father.” (His wife is lawyer Cindy Farrelly whose naughty-boy brothers, Peter and Bobby, are the creators of the hit film, “There’s Something About Mary.”)
On October 1, Gesner appears on “Friends” as the first guy to date Rachel after the cliff-hanger wedding of her ex-beau Ross. So how’s it go? “Let’s put it this way: By the end of the episode, my character is sent back to the dating pool. Ross is *still in the picture.”
TVGuide/Michael Logan/October 1998
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