Jay Harris Pickett (February 10, 1961 – July 30, 2021) was an American actor.

Early life and education

Pickett was born in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

, and grew up in

Caldwell, Idaho Caldwell (locally CALL-dwel) is a city in and the county seat of Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The population was 68,336 at the time of th2023 United States census making it the List of cities in Idaho, 5th most populous city in Idaho. C ...

. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in acting at

Boise State University Boise State University (BSU) is a Public university, public research university in Boise, Idaho, United States. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has b ...

and his Master of Fine Arts in acting from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

and appeared in numerous theatrical productions at both schools.

Career

Pickett's television appearances include in the miniseries ''Rags to Riches'', and roles on such series as '' China Beach'', ''

Mr. Belvedere ''Mr. Belvedere'' is an American sitcom that originally broadcasting, aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from March 15, 1985 until its cancellation (television), cancellation following the 107th episodic television, episode on December ...

'', '' Dragnet'', ''

Jake and The Fatman ''Jake and the Fatman'' is an American crime drama television series starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. (Jason Lochinvar) "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. Created by Dean Hargrove and Joel Steiger, the ser ...

'', ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...

'', '' Perry Mason'', and '' Matlock''. In 1997, Pickett originated the role of Frank Scanlon, a dedicated paramedic and substitute teacher and the complicated older brother of Joe Scanlon, on 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 ...

drama ''

Port Charles ''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes p ...

''. In 2006, Pickett substituted for actor Ted King in the role of Lorenzo Alcazar on the soap opera ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

'', the parent series of ''

''. In 2007, Pickett rejoined the cast of ''General Hospital'' in the recurring role of Detective David Harper. He enjoyed most sports, including football, basketball, baseball, and skiing. He was also an expert roper and western horse rider.

Personal life

Pickett and his wife, Elena, resided in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and had three children. He was best friends with former ''

'' co-star Michael Dietz and was godfather to his daughter, Madison. Pickett died unexpectedly from a heart attack while preparing to film a scene for the film ''Treasure Valley'' directed by Travis Mills on a set near Oreana, Idaho, on July 30, 2021, aged 60.

Filmography

Films

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pickett, Jay 1961 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors Boise State University alumni Male actors from Idaho Male actors from Spokane, Washington People from Caldwell, Idaho People from Owyhee County, Idaho University of California, Los Angeles alumni