Stephen Earl Nichols (born February 19, 1951) is an American actor, recognized for his roles on American daytime soap operas. He has portrayed the beloved role of Steve Johnson on NBC's '' Days of Our Lives'' on and off since 1985. In 1996, he joined the cast of
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, ...
''.
Career
After turning down an art scholarship to
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
, he traveled west, studied
yoga
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...
and lived as a monk while preparing
vegetarian
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Vegetariani ...
meals for the monks and nuns in a Hollywood ashram.
After three years of celibacy, a steady diet of
ice cream
Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...
and the films of Truffaut and Bergman, he landed at the Theater Academy of
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campu ...
where he studied for two years. Nichols went on to study with
Stella Adler
Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher. ''
Jack Colvin
Jack Colvin (October 13, 1934 – December 1, 2005) was an American character actor of theatre, film and TV. He is best known for the role of the tabloid reporter Jack McGee in ''The Incredible Hulk'' television franchise (1977–82).
Ear ...
and Harry Mastrorgeorge.
For his stage work, Nichols has been honored with three Drama-Logue Awards and two
LA Weekly Theater Award
LA Weekly Theater Award was an annual critics' award system established in 1979, organized by the '' LA Weekly'' for outstanding achievements in small theatre productions in Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal ...
s for his performances in such notable productions as ''Pieces of Time'' (for his portrayal of real-life killer, Donald Bashor), for ''Delirious'' (directed by Ron Link), and as
Jim Morrison
James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredictable and err ...
in the last thirty-six hours of his life in ''The Lizard King''. Nichols also appeared at LATC in Rick Clutchey's ''The Cage,'' in the award-winning production of
Michael Cristofer
Michael Cristofer (born January 22, 1945) is an American actor, playwright and filmmaker. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play for '' The Shadow Box'' in 1977. From 2015 to 2019, he played the role of Phillip ...
's ''The Shadow Box'' at Theater East and ''Love Letters'', during its initial run at the Canon Theater.
Most recently, Nichols appeared in ''He Hunts'' at the Geffen Playhouse and was seen in the U.S. première of Joe Pintaro's ''The Dead Boy'', for which Nichols received a Maddy Award.
''Days of Our Lives''
His original portrayal of Steve "Patch" Johnson (1985–90) earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role and five ''
Soap Opera Digest
''Soap Opera Digest'' is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional in ...
Mary Beth Evans
Mary Beth Evans (born March 7, 1961) is an American television actress, known for her role as Kayla Brady on the NBC daytime soap '' Days of Our Lives'', and her role as Sierra Estaban on the CBS daytime soap ''As the World Turns''.
Career
Evan ...
) remain one of the most popular couples, and the most-covered, on ''Days of our Lives'' ever. Nichols talked about one of their favorite storylines and shared, “Mary Beth likes Emily and Gideon. It was a fantasy, it wasn’t really us, but we were reading this beautiful diary, in the old mansion, and then it would flash to the characters.”
Nichols returned to the role of Steve (Patch) Johnson on '' Days of Our Lives'' in 2006, and played the role until 2009.
On April 17, 2015, it was reported that Nichols would return as reprise the role of Steve "Patch" Johnson of
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 are l ...
's ''Days of Our Lives'' and Nichols second return air date on September 15. He continues to play the role as of December 2020.
From December 2019-January 2020, Nichols played the role of Stefano DiMera as part of a storyline where Dr. Wilhelm Rolf implanted a chip into Steve Johnson's brain that turned him into "the new Stefano DiMera".
Other work
Nichols also portrayed Stefan Cassadine on the soap ''General Hospital'' (1996–2003). This role reunited him with Evans, while his character was later paired with Laura Spencer, played by
Genie Francis
Eugenie Ann Francis (born May 26, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Laura Spencer on the television soap opera ''General Hospital'' from 1977 to present, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2007.
Fran ...
.
Other TV appearances have included '' Matlock'', ''
L.A. Law
''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994.
Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...
The Nanny
''The Nanny'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, New York, who becomes the nanny of three ch ...
'' (with former ''Days of our Lives'' co-star
Charles Shaughnessy
Charles George Patrick Shaughnessy, 5th Baron Shaughnessy (born 9 February 1955) is a French actor. He is known for his roles on American television, including Shane Donovan on the soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'', and Maxwell Sheffield on th ...
), ''Second Chances'',
Sisters
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...
, a recurring role on ''
Empty Nest
''Empty Nest'' is an American television sitcom that aired for seven seasons on NBC from October 8, 1988, to April 29, 1995. The series, which was created as a spin-off of ''The Golden Girls'' by creator and producer Susan Harris, starred Ri ...
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 are l ...
mini-series ''
Around the World in 80 Days
''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...
''.
Nichols has appeared in several feature films, first co-starring with
Demi Moore
Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After making her film debut in 1981, Moore appeared on the soap opera '' General Hospital'' (1982–1984) and subsequently gained recognition as a member of the Br ...
in ''Choices''. He was also in '' Witchboard''; ''
Soapdish
''Soapdish'' is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Michael Hoffman, from a screenplay by Robert Harling and Andrew Bergman. The film was produced by Aaron Spelling and Alan Greisman, and executive produced by Herbert Ross.
The film tells ...
Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
Paul Sorvino
Paul Anthony Sorvino (, ; April 13, 1939 – July 25, 2022) was an American actor. He often portrayed authority figures on both the criminal and the law enforcement sides of the law.
Sorvino was particularly known for his roles as Lucchese cri ...
; ''Phoenix'' with
Brad Dourif
Bradford Claude Dourif (; born March 18, 1950) is an American actor. He was nominated for an Oscar, and won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for his film debut role as Billy Bibbit in ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975). He is also kno ...
and
William Sanderson
William Sanderson (born January 10, 1944) is an American retired actor. He played J. F. Sebastian in the feature film ''Blade Runner'' (1982), and had regular roles on several television series such as Larry on ''Newhart'' (1982–1990), E. B ...
; and the
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
short ''A Hard Rain'' with
John Mahoney
Charles John Mahoney (June 20, 1940 – February 4, 2018) was an English-born American actor. He was known for playing Martin Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' (1993–2004), and won a Screen Actors Guild Award for the role in 2000. Mahone ...
, which earned best film honors at the British Film Festival for director Dennie Gordon.
Nichols has directed several stage productions, including ''Sixty Minutes from L.A.'', a presentation pilot for television, ''Wild Horses'' (co-director) and most recently, wrote and directed the dramatic short film ''Get the Dime'' starring Daniel Bess and
Robert Picardo
Robert Alphonse Picardo (born October 27, 1953) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the Cowboy in '' Innerspace'', Coach Cutlip on '' The Wonder Years'', Captain Dick Richard on the ABC series ''China Beach'', the Doctor on '' S ...
. ''Get the Dime'' was a director's pick at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films. Upcoming, Nichols will direct the feature films ''Eau de L.A.'' and ''Fear of Falling''.
On December 17, 2009, it was reported on stephennichols.net and cbs.com that he had joined the cast of CBS's ''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, ...
William Russ
William Russ (born October 20, 1950) is an American actor and television director. He played Alan Matthews on the sitcom '' Boy Meets World'' (1993–2000) and appeared in the television series '' Wiseguy'', the soap operas '' Another World'' an ...
. Nichols's first air date was January 27, 2010. On ''Y&R'', he would later be reunited with ''General Hospital'' counterpart Genie Francis, who played
Genevieve Atkinson
Genevieve Atkinson is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. Created by former head writer Maria Arena Bell as the mother of Cane Ashby ( Daniel Goddard), the role was portrayed by Genie Francis, w ...
on the show. Nichols's last day on ''Y&R'' was January 29, 2013.
Personal life
Stephen Nichols’ has three children: Vanessa, Aaron, and Dylan. Nichols married Lisa Gordon in 1984. All three children have had small parts on ''Days of Our Lives''. Nichols’ son, Aaron, played young Steve Johnson. Nichols’ daughter, Dylan, has a burgeoning music career. Nichols has two grandchildren.