William Donald MacLaughlin (November 24, 1906 – May 28, 1986) was an American actor. The son of a doctor, MacLaughlin was born November 24, 1906, in
Webster, Iowa
Webster is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 94 at the time of the 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.
Demographics
2010 census
...
. He studied speech and English at
Iowa Wesleyan University
Iowa Wesleyan University is a private university in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. It is Iowa's first co-educational institution of higher learning and the oldest of its type west of the Mississippi River. The institution is affiliated with the United Met ...
,
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
, and the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
.
[ ]
Television
MacLaughlin originated the role of lawyer Chris Hughes 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 ...
'' in 1956, and played the role until his death in 1986. Contract negotiations kept him (and his on-screen wife
Helen Wagner
Helen Losee Wagner (September 3, 1918 – May 1, 2010) was an Emmy award winning American actress.HEVESI, DENNIS (May 3, 2010). "Helen Wagner, Longtime Actress on 'As the World Turns,' Dies at 91". ''New York Times''. Retrieved August 13, 2 ...
) off the soap for most of the early 1980s, but the show finally welcomed the two back in a big storyline with heavy uses of past clips from the show. In the story, Chris and his wife Nancy were celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. In real life, ''As the World Turns'' was celebrating its thirtieth anniversary on the air.
MacLaughlin also was a member of the cast of
Gang Busters
''Gang Busters'' is an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered on January 15, 1936, and was broadcast over 21 years through November 27, 1957.
Histo ...
.
Radio
Prior to TV, MacLaughlin was active on radio, beginning in 1933.
He starred as the title character on radio's ''
David Harding, Counterspy
''David Harding, Counterspy'' is a 1950 American film noir crime film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring Willard Parker. It was based on the radio series '' Counterspy''.
Plot
An American spy is killed under suspicious circumstances. His fri ...
'' in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1945, he joined the cast of ''
The Romance of Helen Trent
''The Romance of Helen Trent'' was a radio soap opera which aired on CBS from October 30, 1933 to June 24, 1960 for a total of 7,222 episodes. The show was created by Frank and Anne Hummert, who were among the most prolific producers during the r ...
'', in the role of Dwight Swanson, "a rancher who becomes interested in Helen Trent."
[ ] MacLaughlin's other roles on radio included those listed in the table below.
He was also in the cast of ''Buck Private and His Girl''.
Stage
MacLaughlin appeared in a 1948 Broadway production of
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'' — a ...
's play, ''
The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden
''The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden'' is a one act play by American novelist and playwright Thornton Wilder written in 1931. It was first published in ''The Long Christmas Dinner and Other Plays in One Act'' (New York: Coward-McCann, 1931) ...
'' and in ''Virginia Reel'' (1947) and ''The Fifth Column'' (1940).
Personal life
MacLaughlin married Mary Prugh, a newspaperwoman. They had three children.
Death
After a brief illness, Maclaughlin died on May 28, 1986, at his daughter's home in
Goshen, Connecticut
Goshen is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,150 at the 2020 census.
Geography
Goshen is in central Litchfield County and is bordered to the east by the city of Torrington. According to the United State ...
,
[ ] and is buried in
Dover, Vermont
Dover is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,798 at the 2020 census. It is famed for being the location of the Mount Snow ski area.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total a ...
.
References
External links
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1906 births
1986 deaths
20th-century American male actors
American male radio actors
American male soap opera actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
Male actors from Iowa
People from Keokuk County, Iowa
Burials in Vermont
Place of death missing
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