“All My Children” Actor James Mitchell Dies at 89
Actor James Mitchell died Friday at Cedars Medical Center in Los Angeles, E Online reports. The 89 year-old known as Palmer on ABC’s long-running soap All My Children died of pneumonia which he contracted while battling heart disease.
The actor spent nearly 30 years playing tough Palmer Cortland on show, including an appearance in its 40th anniversary episode this month. All My Children is the one soap I actually spent time watching, and I have to say that Palmer and his wife Opal were two of my favorites. They were the most “real” people of Pine Valley.
James, who was born in Sacramento, began his career dancing with the American Ballet Theater. He went on to star in Broadway musicals such as Brigadoon and Carousel before landing his regular role on All My Children in 1979. Over the years he was nominated for several Daytime Emmy Awards.
Although the aging art of the soap opera is struggling to keep audiences interested (CBS recently cancelled long-running soaps Guiding Light and As the World Turns), All My Childrenhasn’t given up quite yet. Production was recently moved from New York to Los Angeles, which gave a much-needed update to the show’s look. ABC also offers full episodes of the soap online.
