Michael Nader (February 19, 1945 – August 23, 2021) was an American actor, known for his roles as
Dex Dexter on the
ABC primetime
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
'' from 1983 to 1989, and
Dimitri Marick on the ABC daytime soap opera ''
All My Children
''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...
'' from 1991 to 2001, and in 2013. He also starred as Kevin Thompson on the 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 soa ...
'' from 1975 to 1978.
Early life
Nader was born on February 19, 1945, in
St. Louis,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
.
He was of German and Yugoslavian descent. Nader was a nephew of actor
George Nader
George Garfield Nader, Jr. (October 19, 1921 – February 4, 2002) was an American actor and writer. He appeared in a variety of films from 1950 to 1974, including ''Sins of Jezebel'' (1953), ''Congo Crossing'' (1956), and ''The Female Animal'' ...
.
His parents split a few months after his birth.
At the age of six, he was hit by a drunk driver, which left him with a visible facial scar.
Nader accompanied his mother, Minette, when she moved to Los Angeles to pursue an entertainment career.
At 16, Nader was one of three young surfers featured in a September 1961 ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
'' photo with
George Jones
George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...
spread accompanying the article "The Mad, Happy Surfers: A Way of Life on the Wavetops".
He graduated from
Palisades Charter High School
Palisades Charter High School (usually colloquially known as Pali or Pali High and abbreviated as PCHS) is an independent charter secondary school in Los Angeles, United States. The high school serves the neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades, ...
in 1963.
Career
Nader began his acting career in 1963 with small roles in several of
American International Pictures
American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fil ...
''
Beach Party
''Beach Party'' is a 1963 American film and the first of seven beach party films from American International Pictures (AIP) aimed at a teen audience.Smith, Gary A. Smith (2009) ''The American International Pictures Video Guide'', McFarland p.2 ...
'' films, then billed as "Mike Nader".
He later appeared in the recurring role of Siddo in the 1965–66 TV series ''
Gidget
Gidget () is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner (based on his teenaged daughter, Kathy) in his 1957 novel, ''Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas''. The novel follows the adventures of a teenaged girl and her surfing fr ...
'',
and had a small role in the 1968 film ''
Blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...
''.
Nader's first
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
role was playing Kevin Thompson on ''
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 soa ...
'' from 1975 to 1978. In 1983, he appeared in the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
prime time soap opera ''
Bare Essence'' as Alexi Theopolis.
Nader won the role of
Farnsworth "Dex" Dexter, the eventual third husband of
Alexis Colby
Alexis Carrington Colby (; formerly Dexter and Rowan) is a fictional character on the American TV series ''Dynasty''. She is the ex-wife of Blake Carrington ( John Forsythe) whose schemes cause one problem after another for him and their childre ...
(
Joan Collins
Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime ...
), on the prime time soap opera ''
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
'' in 1983.
He remained on the series until its cancellation in 1989.
Nader appeared as
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...
officer Burchhardt in the 1988 television film ''
The Great Escape II: The Untold Story''. The same year, he co-starred as Nick Scalfone in the TV movie ''Lady Mobster''. In 1990, he appeared as
Enzio Bonnatti
The ''Santangelo'' novels are a series of novels written by Jackie Collins, which focus on the Santangelo family, particularly Gino Santangelo, an Italian-American former gangster, and his daughter Lucky. The novels, which take place from the ...
in the
miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...
''
Lucky Chances''.
Nader returned to soap operas in 1991, portraying
Dimitri Marick, the husband of
Erica Kane
Erica Kane is a fictional character from the American ABC Daytime soap opera ''All My Children''. The character was portrayed by actress Susan Lucci from her debut on January 16, 1970, until the last broadcast television episode on September 23, ...
(Nader's ''Lady Mobster'' costar
Susan Lucci), on the daytime drama ''
All My Children
''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...
''.
He played the role from 1991 to 1999 and from 2000 to 2001.
Nader returned for ''All My Children'' online revival in 2013.
Nader also appeared in episodes of other television series, including ''
The Flash'' (1991), ''
Law And Order: SVU'' (2002), and ''
Cold Case
A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...
'' (2009).
Personal life
Nader dated actress Ellen Barber for ten years, with the relationship ending around the same time as his role on ''As the World Turns''.
Nader married Robin Weiss in June 1984, and a month later they had a daughter.
He was married to Jodi Lister at the time of his death, with the couple having been together for 18 years.
In 1984, Nader admitted to previously having drug and drinking problems, which prompted him to become sober in 1980. He was charged with drunk driving in 1997, and in 2001 was arrested for attempting to sell
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...
to an undercover police officer.
Nader was let go from his role on ''All My Children'' soon after, with a statement from ABC that if he resolved his issues they would rehire him. They never did, and Nader sued the network, alleging that they never intended to bring him back to the show at all.
Nader died on August 23, 2021, at the age of 76 at his home, ten days after being diagnosed with an untreatable form of cancer.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nader, Michael
1945 births
2021 deaths
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male soap opera actors
American male television actors
Male actors from St. Louis
Deaths from cancer in California