Nicolas Dwynn Coster (born December 3, 1933) is a British-American actor, most known for his work in daytime drama and as a

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

on nighttime television series, such as ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as bein ...

'', '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', '' T. J. Hooker'' and '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''.

Life and career

Coster was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

to an American mother and a New Zealand father who was a London theatre critic and marine commander. Coster was raised in the United States, primarily in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Coster returned to England to study acting at the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Art. He also studied acting with Lee Strasberg in New York City. Coster was in ''Twigs'' with Sada Thompson, '' Seesaw'' with Michele Lee, '' Otherwise Engaged'' with

Tom Courtenay Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay (; born 25 February 1937) is an English actor. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Courtenay achieved prominence in the 1960s with a series of acclaimed film roles, including ''The Loneliness of t ...

, and '' Little Foxes'' with

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

, which was staged on Broadway and the Victoria Theatre in London. Coster appeared in the NBC soap opera ''

Young Doctor Malone ''Young Doctor Malone'' (a.k.a. ''Young Dr. Malone'') is an American soap opera, created by Irna Phillips, which had a long run on radio and television from 1939 to 1963. The producer was Betty Corday (1912–1987), who also produced ''Pepper You ...

''. He created the role of Professor Paul Britton on '' The Secret Storm'', a role he played in 1964 and from 1967 to 1968. He played John Eldridge in the primetime serialized drama ''

Our Private World Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulato ...

'' and on '' As the World Turns''. His first appearance on television was an episode of '' The U.S. Steel Hour'' in 1959. Coster has appeared more than 80 times on 36 television shows, notably in the role of David Warner, the father of character

Blair Warner This is a list of characters from the NBC sitcom '' The Facts of Life''. Characters table Edna Garrett Edna Ann Garrett Gaines, known as Mrs. Garrett or Mrs. G, was played by the actress Charlotte Rae from 1978 to 1986. Garrett was the you ...

, on the sitcom '' The Facts of Life''. Coster created the role of Robert Delaney on ''

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'' in March 1970 and later moved to '' Another World'' playing the same character. He played gangster-turned-informant Anthony Makana on ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

,'' but left that series to create the role of

Lionel Lockridge '' Santa Barbara'' is an American television soap opera that aired on NBC from July 30, 1984, to January 15, 1993. The show initially revolved around the lives of four families; the wealthy Capwell family, rivals the Lockridge family, and the mor ...

on '' Santa Barbara''. He played kidnapper Steve Andrews on the ABC soap opera ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...

'' and returned to ''Another World'' for its 25th anniversary in 1989. He returned to his role on ''Santa Barbara'' in 1990 until the show was canceled in January 1993. He appeared on '' As the World Turns'' from 1993–1995.

Personal life

Coster is a scuba diving instructor and maintains a foundation that organizes sailing trips and teaches scuba diving for people who are disabled. Coster has a captain's license. Coster married actress Candace Hilligoss (divorced 1981), with whom he has two children.

Selected film roles

* ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...

'' (1953) - Seaman (uncredited) * ''

The Desert Rats The 7th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army that saw distinguished active service during the Second World War, where its exploits in the Western Desert Campaign gained it the ''Desert Rats'' nickname. After the ...

'' (1953) - Medic (uncredited) * ''

Sea of Lost Ships ''Sea of Lost Ships'' is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Joseph Kane and starring John Derek, Wanda Hendrix and Walter Brennan. It is a tribute to the US Coast Guard. Plot The son of a deceased Coast Guard hero is raised by a Coast Gua ...

'' (1953) - Cadet Wilson (uncredited) * '' The Outcast'' (1954) - Asa Polsen * '' The Black Shield of Falworth'' (1954) - Humphrey, Young Squire (uncredited) * ''

The Eternal Sea ''The Eternal Sea'' (aka ''The Admiral Hoskins Story'') is a 1955 American war film directed by John H. Auer and starring Sterling Hayden, Alexis Smith and Ben Cooper. After an American naval officer loses his leg at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, he ...

'' (1955) - Student (uncredited) * '' City of Shadows'' (1955) - Roy Fellows * ''Light Fantastic'' (1964) * '' My Blood Runs Cold'' (1965) - Harry Lindsay * ''

The Sporting Club ''The Sporting Club'' is the 1968 debut novel of author Thomas McGuane. Plot summary ''The Sporting Club'' chronicles the friendship and rivalry of Vernor Stanton, an unstable patrician iconoclast, and the protagonist, Stanton's lifelong friend, J ...

'' (1971) - James Quinn * '' 1776'' (1972) - South Carolina Delegate (uncredited) * '' All the President's Men'' (1976) - Markham * '' Ebony, Ivory & Jade'' (1976) - Linderman * '' MacArthur'' (1977) - Colonel Huff * ''The Court-Martial George Armstrong Custer'' (1977) - Gen. Philip Sheridan * '' The Big Fix'' (1978) - Spitzler * ''

Slow Dancing in the Big City ''Slow Dancing in the Big City'' is a 1978 American romantic drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and starring Paul Sorvino and Anne Ditchburn. This was the first film made by Avildsen after 1976's ''Rocky'' won Academy Awards for Best Picture ...

'' (1978) - David Fillmore * '' The Word'' (1978, TV Mini-Series) - Peter Ajemian * '' A Fire in the Sky'' (1978, TV Movie) - Governor * ''The Solitary Man'' (1979 TV Movie) - Bud Henson * '' Goldengirl'' (1979) - US Olympic Team Doctor * ''

Just You and Me, Kid ''Just You and Me, Kid'' is a 1979 American comedy film starring George Burns, Brooke Shields, Lorraine Gary, Ray Bolger, Leon Ames, Carl Ballantine, Keye Luke and Burl Ives. It was directed by Leonard B. Stern and was released in July 1979 by ...

'' (1979) - Harris * '' The Concorde ... Airport '79'' (1979) - Dr. Stone * '' The Electric Horseman'' (1979) - Fitzgerald * '' Little Darlings'' (1980) - Mr. Whitney * '' The Hunter'' (1980) - Poker Player (uncredited) * ''

Why Would I Lie? ''Why Would I Lie?'' is a 1980 American comedy-drama film about a compulsive liar named Cletus (Treat Williams). The film, which was directed by Larry Peerce and shot in Spokane, Washington, is based on the novel ''The Fabricator'' by Hollis Hod ...

'' (1980) - Walter * '' Stir Crazy'' (1980) - Warden Henry Sampson * '' The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper'' (1981) - Avery * '' Reds'' (1981) - Paul Trullinger * ''The Day the Bubble Burst'' (1982 TV Movie) * ''M.A.D.D.: Mother Against Drunk Drivers'' (1983 TV Movie) - Maurice Carver * ''

Princess Daisy is a fictional character in the ''Mario'' series of video games. She debuted in 1989's ''Super Mario Land'' as the ruler of Sarasaland. Described as a tomboy, she used to be rumored to be Luigi's love interest, similarly to Princess Peach ...

'' (1983 TV Movie) - Matty Firestone * '' Beverly Hills Madam'' (1986) - Uncle Edgar * ''

Big Business Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly ...

'' (1988) - Hunt Shelton * '' How I Got into College'' (1989) - Dr. Phillip Jellinak, Sr. * ''Incident at Dark River'' (1989 TV Movie) - Mr. Gorman * ''

Betsy's Wedding ''Betsy's Wedding'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Alan Alda. The film stars Alda, Joey Bishop, Madeline Kahn, Catherine O'Hara, Joe Pesci, Ally Sheedy, Bibi Besch, Burt Young, and Molly Ringwald. It was theatric ...

'' (1990) - Harry Lovell * '' By Dawn's Early Light'' (1990 TV Movie) - General Renning * ''Natural Selection'' (1994) * ''Full Circle'' (1996 TV Movie) - Arthur * ''Hearts Adrift'' (1996 TV Movie) - Harry Winslow * ''Freedom Strike'' (1998) - Adm. Torrance * '' Love Happens'' (1999) - Charles * ''Blood Type'' (1999) - Bum Joe * '' The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood'' (2000, TV Movie) - Ezra Bushmaster * ''Plot 7'' (2007) - Mr. Stewart * '' Race'' (2008) - Jack Gibson * ''Family of Four'' (2009) - Dr. Wallace * ''Flower Girl'' (2009 TV Movie) - Gavin Green * '' Cold Turkey'' (2013) - Steve Utley * ''Dancing on a Dry Salt Lake'' (2013) - Dr. Woodley * ''The Southside'' (2015) - Mr. Bradshaw * ''Chemical Cut'' (2016) - Veteran * '' A Winter Rose'' (2016) - Drunk * '' The Deep Ones'' (2020) - Bob Finley

References

External links

* *
Nicolas Coster and Challenge Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coster, Nicolas Living people 1933 births Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors American people of New Zealand descent English male film actors English male soap opera actors Male actors from California Male actors from London