Thomas Knight Slater (December 26, 1938 – November 14, 2022), known professionally as Michael Hawkins and credited sometimes as Michael D. Gainsborough, was an American actor. He is known for playing Frank Ryan on the

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

Ryan's Hope ''Ryan's Hope'' is an American soap opera created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, airing for 13 years on ABC from July 7, 1975, to January 13, 1989. It revolves around the trials and tribulations within a large Irish-American family in ...

'' (1975–1976). He was the father of actor

Christian Slater Christian Michael Leonard Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor. He made his film debut with a leading role in '' The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985) and gained wider recognition for his breakout role as Jason "J.D." Dean, a sociopath ...

Life and career

Thomas Knight Slater was born in

Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

on December 26, 1938, the son of Helen Margaret (née Knight; 1913–1999) and Thomas G. Slater (1907–1961). He would later also use the stage name Michael Gainsborough. His uncle was radio personality Bill Slater. Hawkins spent the early part of his childhood in Forest Hills section of Queens, as well as in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. Later in the 1940s, he lived in the Strathmore section of Manhasset, Long Island. He was athletic and was one of the faster boys at his grade school, Munsey Park School, and started his acting and singing career in a fourth-grade production of the Gilbert Sullivan operetta, HMS Pinafore, as Captain Corcoran. His family left Manhasset in 1950. It is not clear where he was raised after that point. After a small role on the CBS soap opera ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show f ...

'', he played Dr. Paul Stewart #4 on another CBS soap opera, ''

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 ...

''. He later replaced

David Birney David Edwin Birney (April 23, 1939 – April 27, 2022) was an American actor and director whose career included performances in both contemporary and classical roles in theatre, film, and television. He is noted for having played the title role ...

as Mark Elliott on another CBS show, '' Love is a Many Splendored Thing''. He later played Larry Kirby #2 on the NBC soap opera '' How to Survive a Marriage''. Hawkins later created the role of Frank Ryan on the ABC soap opera ''

'' but was fired from the role at the end of the show's first year reportedly due to his alcoholism and inability to memorize lines correctly. He was asked back, but replaced with actor Andrew Robinson later that year. At the time she was cast in ''Ryan's Hope'',

Helen Gallagher Helen Gallagher (July 19, 1926 – November 24, 2024) was an American actress, dancer, and singer. She received three Daytime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, a Donaldson Award, and a Drama Desk Award. Gallagher's work on the New York stages spa ...

, who played matriarch Maeve Ryan, taught singing in her home three times a week. Hawkins was one of her students. Hawkins was married to casting director Mary Jo Slater until their divorce in 1976; their only child is actor

. Hawkins died in Los Angeles on November 14, 2022, at the age of 83.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1938 births 2022 deaths Male actors from New York (state) Male actors from Queens, New York American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors People from Manhasset, New York {{US-film-actor-1930s-stub