Brent Collins (October 31, 1941 – January 6, 1988) was an American actor who played the role of Mr. Big in the daytime 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 1982 to 1983, and Wallingford on '' Another World'', from 1984 until his death. On ''Another World'', the Wallingford character was a friend and confidante of

Felicia Gallant Felicia Gallant is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera '' Another World'', played by Linda Dano. The character debuted on the episode broadcast January 6, 1983, and stayed until the show's final episode on June 25, 1999. Dano won a Daytim ...

(

Linda Dano Linda Dano (born Linda Rae Wildermuth) is an American actress. She is well-known for her roles in daytime drama, in particular Rae Cummings on ''One Life to Live'' and Felicia Gallant on ''Another World (TV series), Another World''. Dano was no ...

) and Cass Winthrop (

Stephen Schnetzer Stephen Paul Schnetzer (born June 11, 1948) is an American actor. Life and career Schnetzer, who is of German descent, was born in Canton, Massachusetts, the son of Thomas A. Schnetzer. His mother was a war bride from Algeria. He attended Cath ...

). These three characters were given much screen time in the mid-1980s, and gave Collins the highest level of fame he experienced in his career. Originally scheduled to appear on the show for four weeks, the character's popularity resulted in a four-year stint that included a return from the dead. He also was a guest-star on shows such as '' Spenser: For Hire'', ''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty White ...

'', and ''

The Streets of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is a television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin, Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the ...

''. Collins, a

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

, was diagnosed with

Marfan syndrome Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a multi-systemic genetic disorder that affects the connective tissue. Those with the condition tend to be tall and thin, with long arms, legs, fingers, and toes. They also typically have exceptionally flexible joints a ...

, which typically causes above-average height. Late in 1987, Collins grew rapidly from his short stature, which led to his fatal

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. This situation is rare, and few cases have been documented in medical records. ''Another World'' acknowledged Collins's death by depicting Wallingford's funeral and by featuring Dano and Schnetzer speaking out-of-character about Collins and his death.

References

External links

* * American male soap opera actors 1941 births 1988 deaths People from Rooks County, Kansas 20th-century American male actors People with Marfan syndrome Actors with dwarfism {{US-tv-actor-1940s-stub