SOAP ALUM RETURNS TO DAYTIME

■ Before appearing on Y&R as

Esther’s potential paramour,

Dwight, on May 23, character actor Sam Mcmurray had already appeared on soaps. “My first real paying job was on EDGE OF NIGHT in 1974, when it was still live,” he shares. “And a few years later,

I came back and the show was live-to-tape, which was still hard work. I had a little more of an extended run that time and played

Francis Fisher’s [ex-deborah] kidnapper. At one point, the director came down and asked, ‘Are you Richard Mcmurray’s son?’ because my dad had been the main villain [ex-casey] on the show in the early ’60s.”

Mcmurray’s other parents were daytime vets, as well: His mother, Jane Hoffman, played Molly on EON, and stepmother

Lesley Woods appeared on many soaps, including as the Logan girls’ Grandma Helen on B&B. As Mcmurray’s career was taking off, he took on two more soap roles. “I did two six-month stints on THE DOCTORS, which was entering its final phase,” he explains.

“David Canary [ex-far Wind; ex-adam/stuart, ALL MY CHILDREN et al] and I were bad guys killing off the regulars, so when the actors would see me on the set, they’d run for the pink pages in case they’d been terminated. On RYAN’S HOPE, I played this gadfly named Wes Leonard. The writing was good and the actors were all terrific, including the late Nancy Addison [ex-jillian], who I always had a crush on.”

Mcmurray branched off to do stage, movies and voice-over work, and became a regular fixture in prime-time television with both recurring roles (THE KING OF QUEENS, SCANDAL, THE FOSTERS) and guest appearances (GREY’S ANATOMY, NCIS, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES). Through contacts, Mcmurray landed the role of Y&R’S Dwight without having to audition. “I had a great time,” he declares. “I like how fast it moves and Kate [Linder, Esther] was very lovely. I can’t believe she’s been playing the same character for 40 years. That’s amazing. It was a very enjoyable experience.” And he would welcome the opportunity to reprise the role. “They can always call me back,” he smiles. “I’m happy to do another day.”