Grant Aleksander
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Grant Aleksander (born Grant Aleksander Kunkowski; August 6, 1960) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Phillip Spaulding on the
CBS Daytime CBS Daytime is the division of the CBS television network that is responsible for the daytime television block programming on the network's late morning and early afternoon schedule. The block has historically encompassed soap operas and game sh ...
soap opera ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
'', off and on from 1982 until the show's cancellation in 2009. He received a
Soap Opera Digest Award ''The Soap Opera Digest Awards'', originally known as ''The Soapy Awards'' when introduced in 1977, was an awards show held by the daytime television magazine ''Soap Opera Digest''. History 1977–1983 The Soapy Awards were an award presented ...
and four
Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
nominations for his role on ''Guiding Light''.


Early life

Aleksander was born in
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
and raised in Timonium. He is the youngest of three sons. He attended
McDonogh School McDonogh School is a private, coeducational, PK-12, non-denominational school situated on an 800-acre campus in Owings Mills, Maryland, United States. McDonogh enrolls 1,460 students, approximately 75 of whom participate in the Upper School's ...
, where he played football. He became interested in acting after a drama teacher encouraged him to try out for a school play. After high school, he enrolled at
Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...
, where he starred in productions of ''The Owl and the Pussycat'', ''
The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his histrionic mo ...
'', ''
The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 to 1693. Miller wrote ...
'', and ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
''. He also appeared on stage in Baltimore, starring in ''The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' and ''
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' is a 1955 American three-act play by Tennessee Williams. The play, an adaptation of his 1952 short story "Three Players of a Summer Game", was written between 1953 and 1955. One of Williams's more famous works and his ...
''. He left Washington and Lee to study at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
and the
Circle in the Square Theatre The Circle in the Square Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 50th Street, within the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. The current Broadway theater, completed in 1972, i ...
. He eventually returned to Washington and Lee, earning his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre in 2012.


Career

After moving to New York, Aleksander worked as a waiter and tried modeling. He appeared in an
ABC Afterschool Special ''ABC Afterschool Special'' is an American anthology television series that aired on ABC from October 4, 1972, to January 23, 1997, usually in the late afternoon on weekdays. Most episodes were dramatically presented situations, often controve ...
, ''A Very Delicate Matter,'' in 1982. He landed his big break when he was cast as
Phillip Spaulding Phillip Granville Spaulding is a fictional character from the CBS Daytime, CBS soap opera ''Guiding Light''. Phillip has been portrayed by three different actors, most notably by Grant Aleksander. The character is the adoption, adopted son of ...
on ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
''. He initially played the role from 1982 to 1984, before leaving to pursue other opportunities. Aleksander landed guest starring roles on ''
Hardcastle and McCormick ''Hardcastle and McCormick'' is an American action crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 18, 1983, through May 5, 1986. The series stars Brian Keith as Judge Milton C. Hardcastle and Daniel Hugh Kelly as ex-con and r ...
'', ''
Who's the Boss? ''Who's the Boss?'' is an American sitcom television series created by Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter, that aired on ABC from September 20, 1984, to April 25, 1992, with a total of 196 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons. It was produce ...
'', and ''
The Fall Guy ''The Fall Guy'' is an American action-adventure television series produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981, to May 2, 1986. It stars Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas as Hollywood stunt performers who moonl ...
''. He appeared in the TV movie '' Dark Mansions'' and the film ''
Tough Guys ''Tough Guys'' is a 1986 American action comedy film directed by Jeff Kanew and starring Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Eli Wallach, Charles Durning, Dana Carvey, and Darlanne Fluegel. It is the eighth film of Touchstone Pictures, and the fina ...
''. Returning to soaps, he had a brief stint as DJ Phillips on ''Capitol'' in 1986. He returned to ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
'' as Phillip Spaulding in 1986 and stayed until early 1991. He decided to leave due to burn out from the show's fast paced schedule, as well as grief from the recent deaths of his parents. In 1993, Aleksander joined the cast of the
ABC Daytime ABC Daytime (sometimes shortened to ABC-D or ABCD) is a division responsible for the daytime television programming block on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC Network and syndicated programming. The block has historically encompassed soap o ...
soap opera ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...
'' as Alec McIntyre. He stayed with ''AMC'' until 1996. Aleksander returned to ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
'' in 1996 and continued playing the role of Phillip until 2004, when he was abruptly dismissed from the show. Media reports speculated on a number of possible reasons, including his high salary, and allegations that Aleksander was temperamental or had been feuding with the actress who portrayed his love interest. Aleksander said the dismissal was storyline dictated. After being killed off, it was revealed in May 2006 that Phillip Spaulding was still alive. However, the character didn't appear on camera again until Aleksander returned in February 2009. He stayed with ''Guiding Light'' until its final episodes in September 2009. During his time away from ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
'', Aleksander directed episodes of ''
As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...
''. In 2006, he appeared in the film ''
The Big Bad Swim ''The Big Bad Swim'' is a 2006 American independent film about a group of adults who enroll in an adult education beginner's swim class. The film takes place in southeastern Connecticut, in the town of Uncasville. It premiered at the 2006 Tribeca ...
'', co-starring with
Paget Brewster Paget Valerie Brewster ( ; born March 10, 1969) is an American actress. She first received recognition for her recurring role as Kathy on the fourth season of ''Friends''. She gained wider recognition as FBI Supervisory Special Agent Emily Pre ...
. He also had a role in ''Fields of Freedom'', a historical film about the battle of Gettysburg. In 2008, he guest starred on ''Life on Mars'', playing a soap opera doctor. Aleksander joined the cast of the web series ''
Tainted Dreams ''Tainted Dreams'' is a soap opera that premiered on YouTube on December 30, 2013 and later moved exclusively to Amazon and Amazon Prime. The series debuted on Popstar! TV and the Popstar! App on September 23, 2019. Created by Sonia Blangiardo, i ...
'' in 2013, playing Adam Clark. In late 2014, he returned to
Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...
as a Guest Artist in the first "Dick Sessoms Honorary Production" of
George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...
's ''
Mrs. Warren's Profession ''Mrs. Warren's Profession'' is a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893, and first performed in London in 1902. It is one of the three plays Shaw published as ''Plays Unpleasant'' in 1898, alongside ''The Philanderer'' and '' Widowers' H ...
''. Aleksander starred in ''Mary, Mary'' at Cape May Stage in 2015. He also appeared Off Broadway in ''Perfect Crime'' in May and June 2019.


Personal life

Aleksander met his wife, attorney Sherry Ramsey, when they were cast in a play together as students at
Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...
. They were married on September 19, 1987. Aleksander and his wife have rescued many animals and are supporters of
PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...
.


Filmography


Film


Television


Web series


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aleksander, Grant American male film actors American male soap opera actors Washington and Lee University alumni Male actors from Baltimore Living people People from Maryland Actors from Maryland American male stage actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 1960 births