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Wally Kurth

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Wally Kurth
Born
Wallace Kurth

(1958-07-31) July 31, 1958 (age 66)
Billings, Montana, U.S.
Alma materUCLA
Occupation(s)Actor, Musician
Years active1981–present
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1990⁠–⁠1993)​
​
(m. 1995⁠–⁠1997)​
Debra Yuhasz
​
(m. 2003)​
Children3

Wallace "Wally" Kurth (born July 31, 1958)[1] is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing the roles of Justin Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives (1987 to 1991, 2009 to present) and Ned Quartermaine on General Hospital (1991 to 2007, 2013 to present). He has received one Daytime Emmy Award nomination for his work on General Hospital and three nominations for his work on Days of Our Lives.

He is also a guitarist and vocalist for the musical groups Kurth and Taylor and The Day Players Band. Kurth and Taylor won a 2002 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song, "Barefoot Ballet," which was heard on General Hospital.

Early life

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Kurth was born and raised in Billings, Montana. He is the youngest of five children.[2] His father was a lawyer and his mother ran a cattle company, inherited from his grandfather. He became interested in acting at ten years old, when he saw the film Oliver! A year later, he won the role of The Artful Dodger in a local production.[3]

He attended Loretto Heights College in Denver, Colorado and also UCLA, where he received a bachelor's degree in 1985.[3][2]

Career

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He played The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance on Broadway, debuting January 8, 1981 at the Uris Theatre.[4] He had previously played the role in a touring production of the musical.[3]

Kurth joined the cast of Days of Our Lives, playing Justin Kiriakis from 1987 to 1991. After leaving Days due to lack of storyline, he began playing Ned Quartermaine (then Ashton) on General Hospital in 1991.[1]

His television work includes a guest starring role on Oh, Grow Up and the TV movie, The Stepsister. He has appeared in the films Final Embrace, I Love You, Don't Touch Me!, and Amy's Orgasm.[2][5] From 2004 to 2007, he hosted a SOAPnet series, 1 Day With..., where he would spend the day with a fellow soap star, including many of his GH castmates.[6]

He was taken off contract at General Hospital in February 2005, but continued to air on a recurring basis until July 2007.[7][6] In late 2007 and early 2008, he appeared on As the World Turns as Sam Hutchins.[6][2]

In 2008, Kurth produced and narrated a documentary, Class C: The Only Game in Town, which tells the story of life in Montana small towns through the lens of five girls' basketball teams. The film won two regional Emmy awards.[8] In June 2009, he announced that he would be returning to Days of Our Lives as Justin Kiriakis.[6]

Kurth made guest-starring appearances on Law & Order: LA in 2011 and Hot in Cleveland in 2015.[9][10] In 2014, he starred in a short film, Blue Skies.[11] Kurth appeared on the web series Ladies of the Lake, based on a novel by Days of Our Lives producer Ken Corday.[12]

He returned to General Hospital as Ned Quartermaine in 2013 and since 2020, continues to appear on both GH and Days of Our Lives.[13][14][15] He received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2018 for his role on General Hospital, then was nominated in the same category for his work on Days of Our Lives in 2020 and 2024. He was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor for Days of Our Lives in 2021.[16]

He is the lead vocalist and guitarist for the band Kurth and Taylor. The group has performed on and produced songs for General Hospital.[2] Their song, "Barefoot Ballet", won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2002 for Outstanding Original Song.[17] They have released two albums, Kurth & Taylor and Half & Half.[1] Kurth is also a vocalist and guitarist in the Day Players Band, a music group formed with his Days of Our Lives castmates Brandon Barash, Carson Boatman, and Eric Martsolf.[18]

In 2020, he starred in the independent film More Beautiful for Having Been Broken.[19] He also appeared in the 2021 film A Bride's Nightmare.[20] In 2022, Kurth co-starred with Kassie DePaiva in a short film, Common as Red Hair.[21]

Personal life

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He is the father of actress Meghann Kurth, who was born in 1985.[2] Kurth has said that his relationship with her mother had ended before he learned they were expecting a child together.[3]

Kurth met actress Cynthia Ettinger when they were in college. They were friends for years before beginning a relationship.[3] They dated for a year and a half before marrying in May 1990.[22] They divorced in 1993.

Kurth married his General Hospital co-star, Rena Sofer, in 1995.[2] They have a daughter, artist Rosabel Rosalind Kurth-Sofer, who was born in September 1996.[23] They divorced in 1997.

On July 4, 2003, he married Debra Yuhasz. They have a son, who was born in November 2004.[24] Their son is on the autism spectrum.[25]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1992 Final Embrace Devon
1994 Pom Poko Tamasaburo (voice, English version)
1997 I Love You, Don't Touch Me! David Barclay
2001 Amy's Orgasm Beautiful Guy
2008 Class C: The Only Game in Town Narrator Documentary

Also producer

2014 Blue Skies Tom Hammond Short film
2019 More Beautiful for Having Been Broken Bud
2021 A Bride's Nightmare Hank
2022 Common as Red Hair Will Short film

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1987–1991, 2009–present Days of Our Lives Justin Kiriakis Contract role;

Recurring role

1991–2007, 2012–present General Hospital Ned Quartermaine Contract role;

Recurring role

1997 The Stepsister Man Holding Baby Television film, uncredited
1999 Oh, Grow Up Lewis Morris Jr. Episode: "Clods and Monsters"
2004 Higglytown Heroes Eye Doctor Hero (voice) Episode: "Star Struck"
2004-2007 1 Day With... Self (Host)
2007–2008 As the World Turns Sam Hutchins Recurring role
2010–2013 Generator Rex Agent Six; Captain Callan (voice) Main cast

46 episodes

2011 Law & Order: LA Gordon Ralston Episode: "Zuma Canyon"
2013 Hot in Cleveland Mark Episode: "Pony Up"

Web series

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Year Title Role Notes
2016 Ladies of the Lake Hudson Montgomery Episode: "Montgomery"

Awards and nominations

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List of awards and nominations
Year Award Category Title Result Ref.
2002 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Original Song ("Barefoot Ballet", shared with Christian Taylor and Debra Cochran) General Hospital Won [17]
2018 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Nominated [26]
2020 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Days of Our Lives Nominated [27]
2021 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Days of Our Lives Nominated [28]
2024 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Days of Our Lives Nominated [16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "About the Actors". Soap Central. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Wally Kurth Bio". Soap Opera Digest. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e Byron, Ellen (March 3, 1992). "Dances with Quartermaines". Soap Opera Digest. 17 (5): 66–70.
  4. ^ "Broadway Roles: Wally Kurth". Playbill. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  5. ^ "I Love You...Don't Touch Me!". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d Kroll, Dan J. (June 16, 2009). "Wallace Kurth set to reprise role as Justin Kiriakis". Soap Central. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  7. ^ Kroll, Dan J. (February 17, 2005). "Wallace Kurth taken off contract". Soap Central. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  8. ^ "'Class C' wins regional Emmys". Montana State University. June 11, 2009. Archived from the original on December 17, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  9. ^ "Wally Kurth in Prime-Time". Soap Opera Digest. April 11, 2011. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  10. ^ Bowe, Jillian (March 17, 2015). "General Hospital and Days of Our Lives' Star Wally Kurth Gets 'Hot In Cleveland'". Daytime Confidential. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  11. ^ Sweeney, Cynthia (June 23, 2014). "St. Helenan submits film to the Napa Valley Film Festival". Napa Valley Register. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  12. ^ "Ladies of the Lake Cast Unveiled". Soap Opera Digest. April 5, 2016. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  13. ^ Kroll, Dan J. (March 12, 2014). "Wallace Kurth returning to Port Charles". Soap Central. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  14. ^ Kroll, Dan J. (March 5, 2020). "Wallace Kurth clarifies status at Days of Our Lives". Soap Central. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  15. ^ Clifford, Kambra (March 13, 2020). "Wally Kurth chats juggling his General Hospital and Days of our Lives roles". Soap Central. United States. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  16. ^ a b "Wally Kurth Talks on His DAYS Daytime Emmy Nomination, His Emotional Scenes, and Remembering John Aniston". Michael Fairman TV. April 24, 2024. Archived from the original on April 27, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Five Fast Facts About Veteran Soap Star Wally Kurth". Soap Hub. August 26, 2019. Archived from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  18. ^ Lewis, Errol (November 16, 2023). "The Day Players Band Announce 2024 Tour Dates with Performances in Florida, Illinois and Michigan". Soap Opera Network. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "Wally Kurth In New Film". Soap Opera Digest. United States: American Media, Inc. May 8, 2020. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  20. ^ "A Bride's Nightmare - Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  21. ^ Smith, Sherrie (May 1, 2024). "Days/GH Star Wally Kurth Tackles Difficult Subject in New Film". Soap Opera Digest. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  22. ^ "Status Chart of Off Screen Happenings". Soap Opera Digest. 15 (11): 80. May 29, 1990.
  23. ^ "Late Breaking News: Rena Sofer Quits GH". Soap Opera Digest. 21 (21): 4. October 8, 1996.
  24. ^ Parkerton, Michelle (July 6, 2023). "Wally Kurth Celebrates His Wedding Anniversary!". Soaps in Depth. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  25. ^ Moro Parkerton, Michelle (April 21, 2022). "Wally Kurth Opens Up About GH's Autism Storyline". Soaps in Depth. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  26. ^ "The 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Nominations" (PDF). New York: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  27. ^ Rice, Lynette (May 21, 2020). "General Hospital, Days of Our Lives lead 2020 Daytime Emmy nominations". Entertainment Weekly. United States: Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  28. ^ "The 48th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Nominations". New York: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
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