READER PANEL

PROFILE

Eric Braeden

ON SOAP OPERA DIGEST AND WEEKLY ONLINE

SOAP STAR STATS

Eric Braeden (Victor, Y&R)

— CBS

Vital Statistics

Birthdate:: April 3, 1941
Marital Status:: Braeden has been married to his wife Dale since 1964
Children:: Christian (born Feb. 9, 1971)

THE 411

Eric Braeden was born Hans Gudegast on April 3 in Kiel, Germany. He emigrated to the United States in the late '50s and settled in Texas. Prior to beginning his acting career, Braeden worked in the University of Texas' medical school lab. He relocated to Los Angeles where he attended Santa Monica College. An avid soccer enthusiast, Braeden has played on many semi-professional and local teams. One of his teams, the Maccabees, won the 1972-'73 National Soccer Championship. Braeden's first film was the Colossus of Rhodes in 1957. Since then he has made many TV, film and theater appearances. Braeden is best known for his portrayal of Victor Newman on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. Braeden's awards include a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1998, a Soap Opera Digest Award for Lead Actor in 1997, and the 18th Annual People's Choice Award for Most Popular Daytime Actor. He has received four other Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1990, 1997, 1999 and 2000. He also received a 1999 nomination for the Soap Opera Digest Award for Lead Actor.

ET CETERA

—Eric is a family name, and Braeden is the name of his village in Germany
—Co-founded the German American Cultural Society (GACS)
—Awarded the Federal Medal of Honor in 1991 by then German President Richard von Weizsacker, whom he greatly admires for his "courage and moral leadership."

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

TV Roles
HOPE & FAITH (2003) (Lance Taylor) 14 May 2004
DIAGNOSIS MURDER (1993) (Himself) 28 April 1995
THE NANNY (1993) (Frank Bradley) 23 March 1994
MURDER SHE WROTE (Col. Gerhardt Brunner) 19 October 1986
A PERRY MASON MYSTERY: THE CASE OF THE WICKED WIVES (TV) (David Morrison)
LUCKY/CHANCES (1990) (mini) TV Series (Dimitri Stanislopolous)
Film Roles
Meet the Deedles (Elton Deedle) (1998)
Titanic (1997)(Col. John Jacob Astor IV)
The Ambulance (1990) (The Doctor)

MEMORABLE QUOTES

"I remember most clearly his teaching me how to drive early on. I was allowed to grab the steering wheel at the age of 5 or 6. By the time I was 10 I often took the car out secretly. My mother said she and the maid once saw our "driverless" car driving through the village, because I was barely big enough to look through the windshield."—on his father, Soap Opera Weekly, 6/12/01

"From the moment my wife became pregnant with him, he's become an unmitigated joy. Being the father to a boy — a man, now — has been the most fulfilling part of my life. I'm more deeply satisfied by his successes than I am by mine." — on his son Christian, Weekly, 5/23/00

"At the risk of sounding maudlin or whatever, I feel an enormous gratitude to the audience for showing me — in public appearances or just in meetings on the street — that what I do makes a difference. For that I am grateful to them." — on the fans, Weekly, 3/30/99