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Thom Christopher Dies: Actor Best Known For Villainous Role On ‘One Life to Live’ Was 84

Thom Christopher, the actor best known for playing mobster Carlo Hessler on ABC’s One Life to Live, died Thursday in New York after a lengthy illness. He was 84.

His death was confirmed by his former OLTL co-star Anthony Crivello on Facebook, who posted pictures of their time together on the soap. Crivello played his son.

“It was a wonderful time, difficult hours and long days, but joyful each minute,” wrote Crivello.

Born on October 5, 1940, in Queens, Christopher got his start in the soaps in the 50s by playing Noel Douglas on The Edge of Night. He went on to become a journeyman actor in TV with roles in Cannon, Kojak, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, T.J. Hooker, Hunter, Murder, She Wrote and Simon & Simon.

In 1990, he signed on to ABC’s OLTL as the mobster Carlo Hessler. The character was killed off two years later, but the work didn’t end for Christopher; he then began playing Mortimer Bern, Carlo’s twin, on and off between 1996 and 2008.

Christopher’s memorable time on the sudser earned him a Daytime Emmy.

Christopher went on to play Dante Partou on Loving from 1993-94. He also had an arc as Col. Dax on Guiding Light at the start of the aughts.

He was preceded in death by his wife Judith Leverone, who died in 2019.

“May Thom fly on wings of angels to be beside his beloved Judith, and may they enjoy each other’s company once again, beside the pearly gates of heaven,” Crivello wrote on Facebook.