CNN
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Mark Withers, an actor recognized for a number of high-profile tv roles, together with homosexual character Ted Dinard on Eighties-era primetime cleaning soap “Dynasty,” has died. He was reportedly 77.
The information of his November 22 dying was confirmed to Variety on Friday by Withers’ daughter, Jessie Withers, who recognized the trigger as pancreatic most cancers.
The elder Withers loved a prolific profession in tv all through the ’80s – with appearances in reveals together with “Matlock,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “The Dukes of Hazzard,” “Dallas” and “L.A. Law” – however once more drew consideration in 2016 as coroner Gary in Season 1 of hit Netflix present “Stranger Things.”
While he additionally performed Coach Locke throughout eight episodes of daytime cleaning soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” Withers is most recognized for portraying Ted, boyfriend and confidante to Steven Carrington, prized son and inheritor of the titular household within the first season of “Dynasty,” in 1981.
Playing an LGBTQ+ character on a serious American TV present was a uncommon incidence for an actor in a drama on the time. In 2018, Withers instructed the “Hollywood and Beyond” podcast that the “Dynasty” creators “have been good in pushing the envelope” in portraying an genuine homosexual relationship with out overly including scandal or humor. He mentioned the connection with Steven was “30, 40 years forward of its time.”
More latest roles for Withers got here in reveals comparable to “Frasier,” “Criminal Minds,” “Sense8,” “Castle” and “Drop Dead Diva.”
Jessie Withers, in an announcement to Variety, mentioned of her father:
“He confronted his sickness with the identical energy and dignity he dropped at his craft, making a legacy of heat, humor, and dedication, alongside together with his exceptional potential to make each position unforgettable. Mark’s enduring expertise and dedication to the business can be fondly remembered by colleagues, pals, and followers alike.”
