Longtime soap opera fans are mourning the death of Broadway and television actor Christopher Pennock, who passed away at the age of 76 on February 12 following several days of hospitalized care, reports Broadway World.
Though Pennock hadn't been a part of the soap world in some time, he made his mark in the early days of the genre. His first major soap gig was on Dark Shadows, where he played a whopping three roles (Gabriel Collins, Jeb Hawkes, and Cyrus Longworth) from 1970 to 1971.
After departing the supernatural world of vampires, Pennock went on to play the pivotal part of Mitch Williams on General Hospital. As fans of the ABC soap may recall, Mitch was a magnetic D.A. who had both Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot) and Susan Moore (Gail Ramsey) falling all over themselves to be with him. Mitch eventually married Tracy so that he could use her money to campaign for the Senate -- but he continued to sleep with Susan on the side.
Pennock's time on GH came to an end in the midst of what would become one of the soap's most controversial storylines: Luke (Anthony Geary) raping Laura (Genie Francis). The mob wasn't happy with Mitch's Senate campaign coming with the promise to bring down organized crime, so Frank Smith ordered Luke to eliminate the threat. Feeling as if he was going to die whether he carried out the order to kill Mitch or not, an anguished Luke forced himself on Laura on the floor of the Campus Disco.
Some of Pennock's other soap roles include Days of our Lives' Joe Taylor (1978), Dynasty's Lt. Dawes (1984), The Young and the Restless' Steven Petrie (1986), Guiding Light's Justin Marler (1990), and Melrose Place's Rusty (1992-1993). He also appeared in television series like High, Theatre Fantastique, Silk Stockings, The Love Boat, and The A-Team.
Pennock's Broadway credits include The Rose Tattoo, Abelard & Heloise, and A Patriot for Me. He was a lifelong member of the Actors Studio, a professional organization for actors, directors, and playwrights best known for teaching method acting.
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