Thom Christopher, 'One Life to Live' Daytime Emmy Winner, Dies at 84

Thom Christopher, best known for his work on "One Life to Live," died Thursday at 84.

THR reports the actor had suffered from a long illness.

The native New Yorker was born October 5, 1940. He appeared on Broadway many times, including in "Emperor Henry IV" (1973), "Noël Coward in Two Keys" (1974), and "Caesar and Cleopatra" (1977).

He made his TV debut on the soap "The Edge of Night" in 1974 and was also on the soap "Love of Life" in 1977.

After guest appearances on shows including "Cannon" (1975), "The Rookies" (1976), and "Kojak" (1976), he memorably played birdman Hawk on 11 episodes of "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" (1981).

In 1990, he was cast as as mafioso Carlo Hesser — and eventually also played his twin Mortimer Bern — on "One Life to Live." On the show until 2008, he scored one Daytime Emmy nomination and one win.

He was also on the soaps "Loving" (1993-1994), which brought him another Daytime Emmy nomination, and "Guiding Light" (2001-2002).

When his "One Life to Live" gig ended, he mostly retired.

Christopher was preceded in death by his wife of nearly 50 years Judith Leverone in 2019.