John Reilly

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SOAP STAR STATS

John Reilly (Alistair, PASSIONS)

Vital Statistics

The 411

With acting far from his mind, John Reilly attended St. Mary's College in Wynona, Minnesota, and received a business degree. He became an account executive for a packaging firm for about 10 years in the Chicago area, where he grew up. His professional life switched gears when a friend asked Reilly to replace an actor in a play he was producing at the prestigious Ivanhoe Theater. Sans acting experience, Reilly was hesitant, but went for it, and ended up receiving glowing reviews. While still working his 9-to-5 job, Reilly (who was going through a divorce) decided to pursue acting full-time.

After starring in about 30 plays in Chicago, Reilly relocated to the Big Apple, where he signed with a talent agency and appeared in commercials. Soon after, he headed to Hollywood for film and television projects. After turning down roles on THE DOCTORS and DAYS OF OUR LIVES, Reilly officially entered the world of soaps with a two-and-a-half year stint as ATWT master surgeon Dan Stewart. Several guest-starring gigs were added to Reilly's resumé before he returned to soapdom in 1983, portraying Jay on ABC's THE HAMPTONS. The series was short-lived, but it led to a memorable 10-year gig for Reilly. Gloria Monty (the late producer of THE HAMPTONS; former executive producer of GH), created the role of GH super spy Sean Donely for the actor. "Sean Donely is a man's man and a woman's man," he said in 1985. "He loves the idea of life, he loves the idea of adventure, and he loves the idea of trying to outfox people." In turn, Reilly loved the role, and had fun ad-libbing with co-star/pal Tristan Rogers (Scorpio). But in 1994, GH fans saw the last of Donely (at least for a while). Fortunately, the end of his days in Port Chuck wasn't the last of Reilly's soap career. He briefly appeared on Fox's PACIFIC PALISADES (which only lasted one season), then NBC's SUNSET BEACH. In 1997, Reilly put a face to Kelly's criminal pop, Bill Taylor, on the '90s phenomenon, BEVERLY HILLS, 90210. January 21, 2005 marked the vet's return to the Peacock Network, where he played PASSIONS's dastardly Alistair Crane — a guy Donely would've loved to put behind bars! Reilly initially wrapped up his stint in Harmony with a "bang" in July 2006, but the wily Alistair made a comeback in 2007.

Et Cetera

—No relation to PASSIONS Creator/Head Writer/Consulting Producer James E. Reilly.
—Dated then-co-star Marie Masters (Susan, ATWT) in the 1970s.
—Met wife Liz in a dermatologist's office. "The door opened and out came a pair of legs that stopped me dead," he said in 1985. "I would have followed her anywhere."
—Recognize the name? This is John Henry Reilly, whereas actor John C. Reilly has appeared in such movies as The Aviator (Noah), Boogie Nights (Reed) and Chicago (Amos).

Career Highlights

Other Soap Roles
AS THE WORLD TURNS (Dan, 1974-'76)
THE HAMPTONS (Jay, 1983)
DALLAS (Roy, 1983)
DYNASTY (guest star J.J., 1984)
PAPER DOLLS (guest star Jake, 1984)
COVER UP (guest star Alex, 1984)
GENERAL HOSPITAL (Sean, 1984-94)
PACIFIC PALISADES (guest star Preston, 1997)
SUNSET BEACH (Del, 1997, 1998, 1999)
BEVERLY HILLS, 90210 (guest star Bill, 1997-1998)
MELROSE PLACE (Mack, 1999)
DAYS OF OUR LIVES (guest star Marquis Of La Cienega, 2001)
TV Roles
DEATH VALLEY DAYS (guest star, 1965)
BEWITCHED (guest star Boy, 1965)
THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (guest star Captain Hogan, 1965)
A MAN CALLED SHENANDOAH (guest star Jamie, 1966)
THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW (guest star Billy, 1966)
THE BRADY BUNCH (guest star Dick, 1972)
APPLE'S WAY (guest star Mr. Shea, 1974)
GUNSMOKE (guest star Ike; guest star Orlo, 1974)
KOJAK (guest star Special Prosecutor Whelan, 1976)
MARY TYLER MOORE (guest star Jake, 1977)
THE BIONIC WOMAN (guest star Hober, 1977; guest star Sam, 1978)
BARNABY JONES (guest star Steve, 1977)
HAWAII FIVE-O (guest star Kelly, 1978)
WONDER WOMAN (guest star Skye, 1978)
HOW THE WEST WAS WON (Jeremiah, 1978)
SECRETS OF THREE HUNGRY WIVES (Harry, 1978)
LASSIE: A NEW BEGINNING (Stuart, 1978)
THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY OF DOCTOR MEG LAUREL (Thom, 1979)
A MAN CALLED SLOANE (guest star David, 1979)
THE INCREDIBLE HULK (guest star Steve, 1980)
THE LOVE BOAT (guest star Bill, 1980)
THE SECRET WAR OF JACKIE'S GIRLS (Russ, 1980)
NUMBER 96 (Chick, 1980)
CHARLIE AND THE GREAT BALLOON CHASE (Wes, 1981)
THE PATRICIA NEAL STORY (Farrell, 1981)
HART TO HART (guest star Jess, 1981; guest star Billingsley, 1982)
NERO WOLFE (guest star, 1981)
QUINCY (guest star, 1981)
HERE'S BOOMER (guest star Frank, 1982)
THE POWERS OF MATTHEW STAR (guest star Simon, 1982)
SILVER SPOONS (guest star Bob, 1982, 1983)
UNCOMMON VALOR (Fireman, 1983)
MISSING PIECES (Sam, 1983)
WISHMAN (Sam, 1983)
AFTER GEORGE (Walt, 1983)
REMINGTON STEELE (guest star Russell, 1983)
TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY (guest star Truman, 1983)
NEWHART (guest star John, 1983; guest star David, 1984)
THREE'S COMPANY (guest star Malcolm, 1983)
MIKE HAMMER (guest star, 1984)
SIMON & SIMON (guest star Brian, 1984)
WHIZ KIDS (guest star, 1984)
CAGNEY & LACEY (guest star Jeremy, 1984)
FALLEN ANGELS (guest star Martin, 1993)
EMPTY NEST (guest star Adam, 1994, 1995)
MAYBE THIS TIME (guest star Flint, 1995)
MR. & MRS. SMITH (guest star Elway, 1996)
DIAGNOSIS MURDER (guest star Preston, 1996)
THE NAKED TRUTH (guest star King, 1997)
CAROLINE IN THE CITY (guest star King, 1997)
MORTAL KOMBAT: CONQUEST (guest star Baron, 1998)
SON OF THE BEACH (guest star J.P., 2000)
ARLI$$ (guest star Mike, 1997, 2000, 2002)
JUDGING AMY (guest star Bill, 2002)
BOOK OF DAYS (2003)
SHE SPIES (guest star Karl, 2003)
Film Roles
The Great Waldo Pepper (Western Star, 1975)
The Main Event (Alan, 1979)
Gorp (Don, 1980)
Deal of the Century (Swain, 1983)
Doin' Time (Governor, 1985)
Touch and Go (Jerry, 1986)
Cityscrapes: Los Angeles (Manager, 1994)
Fallout (General Abrams, 1998)

Memorable Quotes

"When an actor runs across a role that's well-written and well-conceived, you're a damn fool if you don't do it." — Soap Opera Digest, 4/9/85

"In this town, you begin to wonder at times whether or not your life is over after 20, because talent a lot of times is not necessarily a criteria for success. It has to do with your age and whether or not you have blond hair or blue eyes — whether or not you're a hunk. Nothing against those guys, God love them, but there are other people." — Digest, 12/17/85

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