Latest news with #VicksFormula44
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Chris Robinson, ‘General Hospital' actor who famously played a doctor on TV, dies at 86
Chris Robinson, the actor who played Dr. Rick Webber on 'General Hospital' and also introduced America to a classic turn of phrase in a commercial for cough syrup, has died of heart failure. He was 86. Robinson died in his sleep just after midnight on Monday at home in Sedona, Ariz., according to filmmaker MJ Allen, who posted the news on Facebook. 'Jacquie (Chris' wife) just called me a bit ago and informed me that my good friend and collaborator Hollywood legend Chris Robinson has passed away,' the filmmaker, whose full name is Michael Jason Allen, wrote Monday afternoon. 'We knew this was coming, but it always sucks.' Though Robinson had 100 TV and film acting credits, according to IMDb, his most famous role might be one many people don't realize they are referencing: He was the actor in a Vicks Formula 44 cough syrup commercial who first spoke the words, 'I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV.' That phrase from 1984 was uttered again two years later in a second Vicks Formula 44 ad featuring Peter Bergman, 'The Young and the Restless' actor who at the time played Dr. Cliff Warner on 'All My Children.' The rest was pop-culture history. Born in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 5, 1938, Robinson appeared in more than 1,000 'General Hospital' episodes between 1978 and 1986, then returned for about 20 episodes in 2002 and one in April 2013. He was also in almost 250 episodes as Jack Hamilton on 'The Bold and the Beautiful,' mostly in the early 1990s but continuing into the early 2000s, and had 20 episodes as Jason Frame on 'Another World' in 1988 to 1989. He was a regular in the pages of Soap Opera Digest and acted with John Stamos, Rick Springfield and Richard Dean Anderson when their careers were just beginning. His episodic TV credits began in the 1960s and included 'The Donna Reed Show,' 'Gunsmoke,' 'Wagon Train,' 'Perry Mason' and 'Hogan's Heroes,' to name a few. Robinson starred in films alongside Mickey Rooney, Charlton Heston, Dick Clark, Bruce Dern, Ted Cassidy and Yvonne De Carlo and directed film and TV including episodes of 'Baretta,' 'Cannon' and 'Barnaby Jones.' He wrote, starred in and directed the 1977 movie 'The Great Balloon Race' with Frank Gifford, Phyllis Diller, Cab Calloway and Bert Parks. Robinson appeared in three films directed by Allen: 'Just for a Week,' 'Barely Dreaming' and 'Yancey McCord: The Killer That Arizona Forgot About.' In 1985, the actor — then living in Glendale, Calif. — pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges and could have faced two years in prison for filing false tax returns on $490,000 in income from 1980 to 1981. He managed to avoid a sentence that would have forced him to leave 'General Hospital' by serving his time on nights and weekends to remain available for daytime taping. He was also ordered to pay all back taxes and interest. In more recent years, Robinson enjoyed time on his ranch with his artist wife of 14 years, Jacquie Shane-Robinson. 'We spent a few holidays together, staying out at his ranch having buffets by the creek, and him and Jacquie coming to my house to discuss projects were always a treat,' Allen wrote on Facebook. 'Good times. ... RIP, good friend and legend. Respect to Jacquie and the fam.' Rhonda Robinson, one of the actor's ex-wives, posted a vintage photo of a 1980s Daytime TV Yearbook on Monday showing Chris Robinson and their young sons, writing, 'Seems like a lifetime ago. When we got married I was sure it would last forever, but unfortunately it did not. But we did create the best sons. They will miss you. RIP Chris.' Robinson is survived by his wife Jacquie as well as sons Shane, Coby, Christian, Taylor, Christopher, Christopher Lance and Robb Walker from his numerous previous marriages. He had five grandchildren.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
General Hospital and WWII series star dies after long health battle
Chris Robinson has died at the age of 86. The star of General Hospital and WWII series 12 O'Clock High died in his sleep, a friend confirmed in a sad update on social media. Just For A Week co-star and friend MJ Allen wrote on Facebook : "Prolific Hollywood actor Chris Robinson has passed away at the age of 86. He peacefully passed in his sleep at his ranch near Sedona, Arizona at 12:30am on June 9, 2025. He had been in heart failure for some time, and is his official cause of death. "His more than 100 roles in television and feature film span from 1957-2022. Most notably, his longtime role as "Dr. Rick Webber" on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital made him a worldwide television star. While on the show, Chris launched the careers of John Stamos, Rick Springfield, and Richard Dean Anderson." Chris was known for his roles in huge shows like General Hospital, where he played Dr. Rick Webber for 11 years. He made his return to the show back in 2002 but his character was killed after being bludgeoned to death by a candlestick. He also starred as Jack Hamilton in The Bold and the Beautiful from 1992-2002 and made a final appearance three years later. His role in General Hospital kept him in the spotlight in the infamous Vicks Formula 44 cough syrup advert. "I'm not a doctor, but I do play one on TV," he said in the ad. He was eventually replaced by Peter Bergman, an actor who played a doctor on All My Children after Chris faced some legal headaches with income tax evasion. He pleaded guilty to federal income tax evasion in 1985 but was allowed to serve his sentence on nights and weekends and thus continued in his acting role. His son, also called Chris, said he was "conceived in [his dad's] dressing room in General Hospital" and also claimed that his father had "practically had as many relationships in his real life as he's had in the movies". In his documentary, B*****d: An Illegitimate Film, Chris said of his siblings and half siblings: "No matter how we came to be, all of us are connected. And when our father is gone, even as some of us don't even consider him to be their father, we'll still have each other to look to for love and support. It might not be normal, but it's certainly a hell of a lot more interesting."
