Michael Nader struggled with addiction throughout his life and in 1997 he was even arrested for drinking and driving.
Michael Nader, the actor who was renowned for his roles in All My Children and Dynasty, passed away at the age of 76. In a statement to MFTV, Nader's wife of nearly two decades, Jodi Lister, said, "With heavy heart, I’m sharing the news of the passing of my beloved, Michael. We had 18 wonderful years together with the many dogs we fostered and adopted." The soap opera star passed away in his Northern California home with his wife and their rescue dog Storm by his side.
Nader played Dex Dexter, who was the third husband of Joan Collins' character Alexis Colby, in the soap opera Dynasty that ran from 1980 to 1989. The cast recently reunited for a viral fundraiser in March for research into the survivors of COVID-19 experiencing long-haul symptoms similar to Dynasty star Emma Samms.
"Recently, Michael was so thrilled to reconnect with his friends from the cast of Dynasty during Emma Samms virtual event to help raise funds for Long-Covid research," shared Lister. From 1991 to 2001, Nader was known for his role as Dimitri Marick, the husband of Erica Kane which was played by Susan Lucci, on ABC opera All My Children, per USA Today. He reprised his role on the show in 2013.
Born in 1945 in St. Louis, Nader was raised in California. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his career onscreen began in 1963 with William Asher’s comedy Beach Party.
This promoted many more appearances in beach-themed movies like Pajama Party and Bikini Beach. He was also popular for his role in the series Gidget, which starred Don Porter and Sally Field. As the World Turns and Magnum P.I. are two other television shows that he appeared in before bagging the role of Alexi Theophilus in the primetime soap series Bare Essence. He is also credited for playing parts in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and television movies like The Great Escape II: The Untold Story and Cold Case.
Nader struggled with addiction throughout his life and in 1997 he was even arrested for drinking and driving. At the time of the incident, his then 13-year-old daughter was in the car with him. Then in 2001, he was taken into custody for selling cocaine, reports Variety. "Michael was working on a book about his life and addiction at the time of his death. He was a beautiful and fascinating man with many talents and skills. I will miss him forever," expressed his wife Lister. Nader was married three times. His first wife was Robin Weiss, with whom he shares a daughter, Lindsay. Beth Windsor was his second and finally, he found the one in Lister. The actor is survived by Lister, daughter Lindsay, son-in-law Trevor, and granddaughter, Juniper.
References:
https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/michael-nader-dead-all-my-children-1235049197/
Cover image source: IMDb (L) Getty | Photo by Dave Kotinsky (R)