Dane Witherspoon (December 27, 1957 – March 29, 2014) was an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

who appeared in daytime TV

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 ...

s '' Santa Barbara'' as Joe Perkins in 1984, and in ''

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

'' as Tyler McCandless from 1985 to 1986.

Early life and career

At age 19, he was the youngest student ever accepted by the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, appearing in productions from

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

. He performed one season at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. After getting his acting degree from ACT, Witherspoon went to Hollywood where he landed small roles in ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book ''Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 film ...

'' and ''

Eight Is Enough ''Eight Is Enough'' is an American television comedy-drama series that ran on ABC from March 15, 1977, until May 23, 1981. The show was modeled on the life of syndicated newspaper columnist Tom Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who ...

''. In 1984, he made his soap opera debut as the original

Joe Perkins Joe Perkins (born December 1, 1935) was an American singer whose song, "Little Eeefin' Annie", was a minor hit in 1963, reaching number 76 on the '' Billboard'' chart. The song featured eefer Jimmie Riddle. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee ...

on '' Santa Barbara''. Three months later, Dane was replaced by Mark Arnold. Dane soon returned to daytime as Tyler McCandless on ''

''; he played this part from 1985 to 1986. His film credits include "Chameleons" in 1989, the part of Brad Yates in the movie

Seedpeople ''Seedpeople'' is a 1992 film, executive produced by Charles Band (who originated the basic plot) and directed by Peter Manoogian. It stars Sam Hennings, Dane Witherspoon, Anne Betancourt and Andrea Roth. Plot Seed pods from space land in the ar ...

in 1992, and in 1997 he played a part in the TV movie "Asteroid".

Personal life

He met actress

Robin Wright Robin Gayle Wright (born April 8, 1966) is an American actress. She has won a Golden Globe Award and a Satellite Award, and has received eleven Emmy Award nominations for her work in television. Wright first gained attention for her role in t ...

when they auditioned for ''Santa Barbara''. The two were married from 1986 to 1988. Witherspoon had two sons with his second wife, actress / playwright Tracy Shaffer.

Retirement and death

Although he continued to work as an actor for a few more years, Witherspoon eventually retired from the profession and lived in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, where he died at age 56.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Witherspoon, Dane 1957 births 2014 deaths American Conservatory Theater alumni American male soap opera actors American male television actors Male actors from Denver Male actors from Texas People from Denton, Texas