Father Figure

Close Up

Patriarch John McCook talks about life, love, Eric Forrester and an hour-long B&B

Did You Know ...

	A Gemini, John McCook was born on June 20.
	He is 6 foot 2 inches with brown eyes and salt-and-pepper hair.
	When McCook was 11, his mother took him to his first musical, Peter Pan, with Mary Martin and Cyril Richard. "I saw the play with its music, power, fantasy, and I said, 'That's what I want to do!' " As an adult, he got to play the dual role of the father and Captain Hook in a summer-stock production.
	McCook's first love is musical theater. "Musical theater, nightclubs, dinner theater...Music and action made a man of me, made me an adult. It took me out of my parents' home and formed my life."
	Drafted by the U.S. Army, McCook spent two years conduction the men's chorus.
	Anthony Hopkins is his favorit actor, Christine Lahti his favorite actress.
	His favorite movie is North by Northwest.
	Christmas is McCook's favorite holiday. "It's about family, and it connects us with our religion," he says.
	He loves classical music. "I listen to classical music more than anything - Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky."
	In 1993 he released an album of love songs titled John McCook Sings Bold and Beautiful Love Songs.
	McCook co-starred with Michael Nouri (ex-Steve, Search for Tomorrow), Janice Lynde (ex-Laurel, OLTL; ex-Leslie, Y&R), and Mary Stuart (ex-Jo, Search for Tomorow; Meta, GL) in a series of musical specials for CBS called After Hours: From Janice, John, Mary and Michael, With Love. The shows aired from 3 to 4 p.m.

Original cast member John McCook (Eric, B&B) takes his role - on-screen and off - very seriously. McCook is regarded as the half-hour soap's unofficial patriarch. In addition to opening up his dressing room to fellow cast and crew (not to mention the soap press), McCook hosts B&B's annual fan event, and he makes a point of welcoming each and every new actor to the show. "Nobody's really given me these responsibilities," says McCook. "But I do them because I feel that - as most of the actors her do - this needs to be a positive place."

The tradition of keeping one's dressing-room door open harkens back to McCook's theater days, which began when he was a student at Long Beach State College and landed a job narrating the Jungle Cruise ride in Disneyland. The aspiring actor received a compliment on his work from Walt Disney himself. "He said, 'Nice job, kid,' " McCook, a native of Venture, Calif., happily recalls.

McCook earned his Actors' Equity card in San Diego and performed in various stage productions including Anything Goes in Las Vegas and West Side Story on Broadway. Later, the legendary Jack Warner, co-founder of Warner Brothers, put him on contract at the studio. McCook appeared in the TV series Mr. Roberts and No Time for Sergeants and also spent time under contract at Universal Studios.

In 1976, McCook's longstanding relationship with the Bell family, who created Y&R and B&B, began when he was cast as Y&R's Lance Prentiss. His leading ladies includes Jaime Lyn Bauer (ex-Lauralee; now Laura, DAYS. McCook left Genoa City in 1980 when the show went to an hour. "I was 36 and felt it was the right age to leave," says McCook. One reason he could go was that his Y&R contract did not have a provision addressing the show going to an hour. (B&B fans can rest easy - such a clause does exist in the actor's current contract.) " I was given the opportunity to re-sign or not stay at all," says McCook. "I decided to compete for the brass ring."

McCook went for the gold ring in 1980 when he married actress Laurette Spang (Cassiopia, Battlestar Galactica). They appeared in the TV miniseries Tourist, filmed throughout Europe. Upon their return to the U.S., McCook became one of primetime's busiest player. He appeared on everything from Dynasty (doing a bedroom scene with Heather Locklear, no less) to Magnum P.I. and Family Ties. In 1985, McCook was cast as Larry Hutchins on the short-lived secret agent series Code Name: Foxfire, starring Joanna Cassidy, which was canceled after a few months. "I did other pilots, but I didn't get the brass ring as far as that was concerned," says McCook. "But I gained a wealth of experience and seven more years of maturity."

Such maturity was exactly what McCook's former Y&R boss William Bell was looking for when he was casting the role of B&B's Eric in late 1986. Even though the actor was only in his early 40s at the time, his tone and demeanor lent themselves to playing the older Eric. "Bill recognized that I could do it," a grateful McCook acknowledges. "When I was in my 20s and at Universal, they wouldn't let me play college guys because my voice was too adult sounding. I needed the years after Y&R to acquire some more physical maturity."

Working for a familiar, not mention successful, boss like William Bell, enticed McCook back to soaps. "It's a different situation than what a lot of actors have," points out McCook. "I don't work for a network like ABS or some huge advertising firm. I work for Bell-Phillip TV, and the people here know how to make daytime television. I'm very glad I'm on their team. I take a great deal of pride and value in the work I do here. Also, the absolute dedication that people who watch our show have is something to be respected. Being on B&B has gone far beyond being a job."

McCook candidly points out that there are also practical reasons for his present employment. He and Laurette have three children, Jake, 16, Becky, 14, and Molly, 7. McCook also has a son Seth, 24, from his first marriage to dancer-actress Juliet Prowse, who passed away last year. A definite family man, McCook is committed to Laurette for the long haul. "Laurette and I decided a long time ago we were going to be together no matter what," he says. "Any time we ever have a conflict, we know the bottom line is there is no threat to our marriage. Once a couple establishes that, they can better deal with disagreements and rough periods."

Recently, the devoted couple took advantage of the opportunity to sneak in some R&R during B&B's recent remote in Italy. "When you take your partner on a (work) trip, you have to reserve some attention for her," notes the actor.

With college for Jake still a few years away, McCook's preparing for the day his nest has one less occupant. "We have friends who have a child who's gone off to school, and we've seen them react to that," McCook says. "I don't particularly look forward to that. Our home is about our kids." Jake wants to be a film director, and Becky has indicated an interest in psychiatry. Seven-year-old Molly shows signs of following in her parents' footsteps as a performer. "Molly has a lot of energy, and while she could (turn to acting), we don't really know," McCook admits.

Speaking of having more than one actor in the family, would John and Laurette contemplate becoming a married soap duo a la Ronn Moss (Ridge) and Shari Shattuck (Ashley, Y&R)? "Laurette's really happy being a mom," McCook replies. "If she were offered a role on a soap, I don't thinks she'd take it. If it were for three weeks? Then I think she would."

If the frequent rumors of B&B expanding to an hour ever come true, McCook plans on working double-time to keep the set a happy one. "I can't say I'm against the show expanding to 60 minutes," states McCook, but he does pose the question: "Do we need to go to an hour to prove we're successful? I don't thinks so." Currently, B&B owns the No. 3 spot in the ratings and is seen in over 90 foreign markets. "We're already a success," McCook adds. "The day we go to an hour, it will be for reasons other than that. I will be because maybe CBS needs another half-hour on its lineup."

While additional cast would, by necessity, be added to an expanded version of B&B, McCook's likely to retain his place as one of the shows romantic male leads. "John's the sexiest guy on the show," proclaims Tracey Bregman (Lauren) whose character is in love with Eric. "Not that I don't love the other guys here, but John really is the sexiest one," she adds, with a laugh.

The writers have tapped into McCook's charisma over the years by pairing him with Stephanie, Brooke, Sheila and Sally. Even Taylor contemplated a romance with her one-time father-in-law. "John manages to combine his crazy sense of humor - which is always appealing - with honesty and a sense of caring," says B&B producer-director Deveney Marking. "He's all the things you want a person to be, but that's not what you always find in a work situation. John's just so darn warm to everyone. I don't know what we'd do without him."

Viewers almost had to find out when Eric and Lauren went down in a plane and subsequently encountered Rush. (Watch for Eric to keep his newly grown beard now that he and Lauren have been rescued.) Next up, B&B will explore how Eric's psyche has been affected by his experience. "Eric will have more of a connection with Lauren since she was the one with whom he shared that ordeal," McCook predicts. "Eric won't be able to relate this to how he feel with Stephanie (Susan Flannery). It will perpetuate the triangle in way that's more emotionally deep than simply Eric trying to choose which woman he wants to be with."

McCook has nothing but praise for his tow Emmy-winning leading ladies. "On one side, I have Tracey (1984-85 Emmy winner for Outstanding Ingenue when Lauren was on Y&R). We have a lot of fun. It was very flattering when the show paired me with this vital actress, who has humor, sexiness and good dramatic range. I loved her even before I started working with her. On the other, I have my partner Susan Flannery (1974-75 Emmy winner for Outstanding Actress as Laura on DAYS). She's pretty inspiring. I have so much respect for her. She'll reach for some emotion during a scene, and I'll say, 'Whoa - where did that come from?' I give her a lot of credit for the success of our scenes and of our show."

The only down side to McCook's front-burner storyline this year was that it kept him form appearing in any musical theater projects. During his B&B tenure, the actor has done two productions of Man of La Mancha and performed with Carol Burnett (ex-Verla, AMC) in From the Top! "It's been three years since I've done something," notes McCook. "I'd love to do a tour of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? of The Lion in Winter, but I don't have the time. Understandably (a theater producer) would need a major commitment from me and that's how it should be. The best reason of all as to why I'm unavailable is that I'm too busy here," says McCook, which a smile. "I think I'd be disappointed if I asked for some time off and the show actually gave it to me."

Soap Opera Magazine, not dated

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