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Alan Dysert, ‘All My Children’ star, dies at 75

By Rebecca Cohen3 min readNBC News
Alan Dysert, ‘All My Children’ star, dies at 75Alan Dysert, ‘All My Children’ star, dies at 75
Alan Dysert and Gillian Spencer in "All My Children" in 1981.

Alan Dysert, the actor best known for his role in the television drama “All My Children,” has died, his wife said in a statement.

Alan Dysert, the actor best known for his role in the television drama “All My Children,” has died, his wife said in a statement.

He was 75 when he died on Friday.

“My heart is broken as I share that my beloved husband, Alan, passed away,” Michelle Dysert said in a Facebook post on her husband’s page. She added that, “While I am struggling to imagine life without him, I am forever grateful to have experienced what so many people spend their lives searching for — the love of a lifetime.”

His cause of death was not immediately clear.

Dysert previously wrote about his long-running battle with cancer in a 2023 memoir: “Lights, Camera, Cancer!”

According to Michelle Dysert’s post, her husband “faced more than his share of health challenges over the years,” but she did not detail what those health challenges were.

“He continued to approach life with determination, humor, and gratitude,” she added. “He fought hard for the life he loved, and I was honored to stand beside him through it all.”

All My Children
Alan Dysert and Taylor Miller in "All My Children".ABC Archives / Disney via Getty

In the Facebook post, Michelle Dysert described her husband’s “extraordinary life,” calling him “my partner, and my best friend.”

“From his humble beginnings as a farm boy in Illinois, he went on to become an actor, musician, writer, filmmaker, producer, and beloved acting teacher,” she wrote.

“Many knew him from his years on All My Children, while thousands of others knew him as the teacher and mentor who encouraged them to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams.”

Dysert played the devious yet humorous conman Sean Cudahy on ABC’s “All My Children” soap opera non-consecutively from 1980-1990. According to his IMDb page, Dysert appeared in 79 episodes.

He also appeared in the family comedy “Two Weeks” with actor Sally Field in 2006 and his most recent acting role was this year in the civil war movie, “The Legend of Van Dorn,” according to IMDb.

In recent years, Dysert mentored upcoming actors and professional speakers and was passionate in helping them to overcome their fears of speaking and performing in public.

Image: Alan Dysert
Alan Dysert.Alan Dysert / via Facebook

Michelle Dysert hailed her husband’s “incredible gift for storytelling, a wonderful sense of humor, an adventurous spirit, and a personality that could fill any room. His life was filled with remarkable experiences, fascinating people, and enough stories for several lifetimes.”

“Even after all our years together, life with Alan was never boring,” Michelle Dysert wrote.

His wife said that in his book, Dysert had wanted his family to celebrate his life rather than mourn his passing.

He “understood that life was an adventure, that tomorrow was never guaranteed, and that the greatest treasures weren’t things, but the people and experiences that made life meaningful,” she said.