Robin Wright began her career 40 years ago.
After a very short role in ‘The Yellow Rose’, it comes Robin Wright’s first big role on TV: Kelly Capwell on soap opera ‘Santa Barbara’ from 1984 to 1988, and almost 1000 episodes.
Many of us became a fan of her thanks to this TV Series.
Sadly, many of the Santa Barbara Stars have passed away in these last 4 decades. But they will forever remain alive in our hearts and memories.
For this reason, in this page, I want to commemorate all the Santa Barbara Stars that said goodbye to us. Their souls will be forever with us.
DAVID HASKELL (June 4, 1948- August 30, 2000) | 52 years old
David Haskell played the photographer Nick Hartley, the love interest of Kelly Capwell (Robin Wright), from episode 194 (April 30, 1985) to episode 566 (October 17, 1986).
He died of brain cancer in 2000, aged 52, in Woodland Hills, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
Here you can watch David Haskell on an episode of soap opera ‘Santa Barbara’:
DAME JUDITH ANDERSON (February 10, 1897 – January 3, 1992) | 94 years old
Dame Judith Anderson played the character of Minx Lockridge from episode 1 (July 30, 1984) to episode 730 (June 10, 1987).
Judith Anderson was an Australian actress who had a successful career in stage, film and television. She won two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award and was also nominated for a Grammy Award and an Academy Award for Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca (1940).
Dame Judith Anderson spent much of her life in Santa Barbara, California, where she died of pneumonia in 1992, aged 94.
Here you can watch Dame Judith Anderson on an episode of soap opera ‘Santa Barbara’:
BEN PIAZZA (July 30, 1933 – September 7, 1991) | 58 years old
Ben Piazza played the evil psychiatrist Dr. Rawlings who tormented Kelly (Robin Wright) in the asylum from episode 465 (May 26, 1986) to episode 530 (August 28, 1986).
Ben Piazza was gay, although he was married to actress Dolores Dorn from 1967 to 1979.
In 1973, Ben Piazza began a relationship with a man named Wayne Tripp that lasted 18 years until Ben died in 1991 of AIDS-related cancer at the age of 58.
Here you can watch Ben Piazza in an exciting episode of soap opera ‘Santa Barbara’:
JOEL CROTHERS (January 28, 1941 – November 6, 1985) | 44 years old
Joel Crothers played the characters of Jack Lee and his twin cousin Jerry Cooper from episode 180 (April 10, 1985) to episode 284 (September 5, 1985).
Crothers was openly gay among co-stars and others in the entertainment industry, but was closeted publicly and was even engaged to his good friend, actress Veleka Gray, at the time of his death. They became close friends on the set when she joined the final season of ‘Somerset’, where they played the lovers Julian Cannell and Vicki Paisley.
During his last appearances on ‘Santa Barbara’, he was by then growing very ill. On November 6, 1985, Crothers died from AIDS-related lymphoma in Los Angeles at the age of 44. His remains were cremated and scattered in Lake George, New York.
Here you can watch the first and last episode of Joel Crothers in soap opera ‘Santa Barbara’:
