Photo: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Michael Levin, an actor best known for playing reporter Jack Fenelli on the ABC daytime soap operaRyan’s Hope, has died. He was 90.
Levin’s son, Jason Levin, confirmed toThe Hollywood Reporterthat the actor died on Jan. 6 at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York, due to natural causes.
The popular dramaRyan’s Hopefollowed characters Johnny and Maeve Ryan, who ran a bar called Ryan’s, along with their children in New York City. The show ran for 13 seasons from 1975 to 1989, andLevin appeared in 1,075 episodes, according to IMDB.
The role earned Levin threeDaytime Emmy nominationsfor outstanding actor in a daytime drama series in 1978, 1979 and 1980.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Levin was born in Minneapolis on Dec. 8, 1932, and later worked on his craft at Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater, where his son toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat he acted alongside Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy.
He eventually moved to California and attended acting classes withJack Nicholsonand Robert Blake, per IMDB. He also served two years in the U.S. Navy and had a penchant for woodworking.
Alongside his role inRyan’s Hope, Levin has also appeared in episodes of the daytime soapsAll My ChildrenandAs The World Turns, as well as primetime series includingLaw & Order,N.Y.P.D.andThe Equalizer.
He also starred in several Broadway shows such asThe Royal Hunt of the Sun,Sam Shepard’sOperation Sidewinder,Bertolt Brecht’sThe Good Woman of SetzuanandCamino Real, in which he starred withAl Pacino, perTHR.
Want to get the biggest stories fromPEOPLEevery weekday?Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.
“I am very happy acting, and I am very happy when I am working,” Levin said in 1978 to Rona Barrett’sDaytimers Magazine. “But that is only when I am working. I also find that about ninety percent of what is available for an actor isn’t all that good. I don’t like doing commercials, and I don’t like doing bad plays.”
source: people.com
