somebody to care about you. A lot of
the stuff we did in the beginning was
about him always looking out for me,
and I never doubted him for a second.
When I was growing up, I always
wondered, "Does this person really
have my best interests in mind?" And
I've learned from Stephen and from
Stefan that he will always steer me in
the right direction."
-Tyler Christopher, Soaps In Depth
ABC edition September 22, 1998
"Milt, did I tell you about how everyone
on the set is just raving about Stephen
Nichols? I told Al {Al Rabin, a former
Days producer} he ought to beef up his
storyline. He's good and he knows it.
Any female on the set would love to
play opposite him. I know I would"
-Kristian Alfonso, circa 1985, quoted
in book "It's a Soap Opera Life" by
Elizabeth Simon
" What most people don't know about
Stephen, because he never talks or
boasts about it, is that he's a very giving
man. He always takes time out for
those who are down and out, his friends
and society. He's always got time for
people who aren't as lucky as him. I
don't want to get into specifics, because
that's his own personal business, but
I've seen him help people many, many
times."
-Marty Davich, August 22 1989
in Soap Opera Digest
- Soap Opera Digest (editors), June 3, 1986
-Avner Garbi, in Los Angeles Times 4/14/1991 (he first saw Stephen in the play "Delirious" and cast him as Jim Morrison in "The Lizard King")
-Soap Opera Digest, September 9, 1986
find a guy and use him 2 or 3 days and
we'll throw him in the river. And this
one (points to Stephen) shows up and
we decide we'll put a patch on him, do
the whole number, make him look really
lousy. And it was amazing because
after we saw him like twice, I went to
Al Rabin and said, 'This guy is the new
Tony Geary... "
-Thom Racina, soap opera/screen
writer (Days, GH, AW, Generations
among others) "Lunch with Patch" 1987
"Stephen himself began creating a character and we kind of fell in line with
him...I hadn't seen that happen anywhere except with Tony Geary when I did that"
-Thom Racina, "Lunch with Patch" 1987
"What I like best about Stephen is the way he smiles when he talks about his kids. He just shines. He's a real heartfelt man. There's so much tenderness inside him. He really cares. He's always there to listen, if you've got a problem. If you're crying, he'll hold you and comfort you. There are a lot of similarities between Stephen and Patch. They're both serious, but they've both got great, big giant hearts. Stephen's heart shows through more than Patch's. He's a wonderful man. I'm lucky I got to meet him, and especially glad I got to know him"
-Judi Evans (ex Adrienne, Days) Soap Opera Stars, May 1988
he hardly ever calls me Joy. He always
calls me Mama. I'll see him in the hall,
when I get to work and he'll say 'Morning Mama'. I'll say 'Morning Son'. It's a habit now. He's adorable. Stephen's got a wonderful sense of humor, too, but when he's working he's dead serious. He likes total concentration and doesn't go for any
messing around. A while back though,
we did have this dance scene. He
started whipping me around the floor,
and then he threw me into this dip.
Thank God I didn't have any lines to say because I was laughing so hard. The man's hysterical once he gets started"
-The late Joy Garrett (ex Jo, Days of
our Lives) Soap Opera Stars, May 1988
"The unique thing about Stephen is that
every time there's a holiday, he dresses
up as the resident Santa Claus, Easter
Bunny, or cupid. He even turned up as
the Statue of Liberty on the fourth of
July. He can be very entertaining. And,
I'd have to say that he's the hardest
working actor on the show"
-Charles Shaughnessy, (Ex Shane,
Days) Soap Opera Stars, May 1988
"Stephen really prepares for a scene -
mentally, emotionally, and bodily. If he
has to go into a scene where he's out
of breath or involved in some kind of
chaos, he gets ready by doing pushups
first. The cutest thing I ever saw was
one day when his son, Aaron, was on
the show. Stephen had Aaron right
there down on the floor with him. There
they were father and son doing pushups
together. Stephen's also a very giving
human being, but he does it in a very
quiet way. He doesn't have much
bravado. He doesn't look for applause,
attention or approval. He's self approved.
The man's got a lot of integrity, I admire
him. I'd stand on my head for Stephen!"
-Patsy Pease (Kimberly Brady, Days)
Soap Opera Stars, May 1988
in a scene with him is react. Unfortunately our paths don't cross al lthat much on the show. We do both play on the Days softball team. He's the pitcher. But there's this running joke on the team as to who runs slower, Stephen or me. We both tend to go at a snail's pace. We're lucky that's not a criteria for being a good actor.
Stephen's also great with stand-up
comedy. There's a lot of humor in him.
I'm very impressed with his dedication
to his acting, his family and the rest of
the world in general. He really cares"
-Frank Parker (Shawn Brady, Days of
our Lives), Soap Opera Stars, May 1988
"As you can tell from his work, Stephen
Nichols is a very serious actor- always
running lines, re-writing scenes, and
rehearsing. But there's also a zany,
unpredictable side to him. I remember
last year at Christmas this man showed
up at the studio dressed up as Santa
Claus. It took the whole day before we
realized the guy in the red suit was Stephen. "
-Peggy Mckay (Caroline, Days)
Soap Opera Stars, May 1988
"What I like best about Stephen is his
sense of humor. He's got this great, little
dance he does for us in the make-up
room, and he also does this great imitation of James Dean"
-Billy Warlock (ex-Frankie, Days; AJ, GH)Soap Opera Stars, May 1988
In Daytime TV's January 1988 issue, Frances
Reid (Alice, Days)
is asked what other role appeals to her:
"Patch is the character that most appeals to me. It would be a challenge to see how it feels wearing that eye patch all day. It must be so different to view the world that way. Stephen Nichols makes Patch look good. He has the guts to play such an emotionally complicated character. Most actors lean towards simpler roles."
we used to, but I always enjoyed doing
scenes with Stephen. He's a thinking
actor. I realize that's shop talk, but so
many actors don't think, and it's so
important. Stephen's mind is always
going before, during and even after a
scene"
-John Aniston (Victor, Days of our
Lives) Soap Opera Stars, May 1988
"I'd have to say that Stephen is one of
my best friends on the show. I like to sit
and chat with him during the day. He's
such a funny guy. He's always teasing
me and really knows how to make me
laugh"
-Charlotte Ross (Ex-Eve, Days)
Soap Opera Stars, May 1988
"Stephen Nichols has an incredible
loyalty to and knowledge about his
character, so much so that we rely on
his input in the writing and development of Patch. "
-Shelley Curtis, Soap Opera Digest,
Aug. 22 1989
"Most actors give 99 percent to their
work. Stephen gives 150 percent"
-Shelley Curtis, Soap Opera Digest,
August 22 1989
"...when he first came on the show he
was supposed to only be there for two
weeks. There weren't many men on the
show at that time, and when I started
working with him, I said 'this guy is
great'. I went to the producers and said,
'Hey can we keep him?' "
-Peter Reckell (Bo Brady, Days of our
Lives) in Soap Opera Update
best of what this profession can offer.
In spite of his popularity and notoriety
he still works his hardest every day.
He's the first one to say, 'Let's work
this scene. Let's make it better.' He's
not at all the type who sits on his
laurels. He's always working. I keep my
eye on him all the time because I know
I can learn a lot from him. He's a master"
-Karen Moncrieff (ex- Gabrielle, Days)
Soap Opera Stars, May 1988
"Stephen is a great actor, and a great person. I've learned a lot from him- he's my mentor"
-Wally Kurth, Soap Opera Update, February 8, 1988
-Los Angeles Times Review of "The Lizard King", May 29, 1991
"Cant Get Enough of: Stephen Nichols
as Stefan on General Hospital. To think
this is the same man who played the dashing, heroic Patch on Days- he is
truly what range is all about. (And he
even looks better now than he did a decade ago. How does he do that?)"
-Soap Opera Digest's Alan Carter in
"Its Only My Opinion" (October 13,
year - either 97 or 98)
"Nichols could be the work ethic poster
boy. Obviously taking nothing for granted-ever-about Stefan. He molds, chisels, refines in every scene and never disappoints, even when his character's actions and reactions have lacked consistency or clarity."
-Dec, 1998 Soap Opera Weekly Editors.
In the article "For Your Consideration", their recommendations for the year's
Lead Actor Emmy nominations.
"Stephen's been in my life for a long
time- he's like my big brother. We say
things to each other that we don't with anyone else. Sometimes he's so serious
and I'm not. But I always know how to
make him laugh. I nicknamed him 'Stuffy' because he plays such a serious character."
~Nancy Grahn (Alexis, GH) in Soaps In Depth Magazine
Upon leaving GH, Tyler Christopher
said that among the many things he will
miss is working with Stephen Nichols.
"He's been a true father figure to me.
We care a lot about each other, other
than just our work. I'm going to miss
that intimate relationship that we had"
~Tyler Christopher Soap Opera Weekly, July 6, 1999
"The scenes he played when he revealed he was my father really brought us together as people. When you reach
out for somebody like that, even in a
scene, it's just so emotionally bonding.
Not only has Stephen become a friend,
but he's truly like a father figure to me"
-Tyler Christopher upon leaving GH
Soaps In Depth (ABC edition, August
10,1999)
"Steve's got the best legs on
Days...He's an excellent actor.
Everyone really respects him"
-Michael T. Weiss (ex-Mike, Days of
our Lives; ex- star of "The
Pretender")
"...And Stephen Nichols is the man of
my dreams. He's a fabulous actor, a
creative genius, and wonderful on his
feet. Stephen is just brilliant"
-Deidre Hall, Soap Opera Digest,
June 3, 1986
"He's very spiritual and has a lot going
on underneath the surface, which is
always there. He's always perceptive
and insightful, and aware of things that
aren't necessarily spoken"
-Sydney Penny (ex- Julia, All My
Children; ex-BJ, Santa Barbara) in
Soap Opera Update
"I don't think I've ever worked with a
better actor in my life. And not only
that, he's a wonderful person. Very
caring, very loving, and wonderfully
stable. He's a very centered actor and
person who knows where he's going
and how to get there and he's just doing
it. It's really neat meeting someone like
that and I get to work with him"
-Judi Evans (Paulina, Another World;
ex-Adrienne, Days of our Lives)
Soap Opera Digest 8/25/87
"He's a serious, sensitive man. He loves
blues music, street musicians, that sort
of thing. When he knows you, he opens
up and can be even silly at times. But he
hides that under a serious veneer....He
hides his real self sometimes"
-Richard Biggs in Soap Opera Digest
(Aug.22, 1989)
"Dedicated. He's very serious as far as
acting is concerned. Every moment
counts. Every moment is important"
-Richard Biggs in Soap Opera Update
"I find him to be a very giving actor. He
works hard. He puts everything into his
scenes. Some actors feel like soap
work is the lowest form of acting on the
totem pole. They think soap acting is a
breeze. Not Stephen. Every day and
every performance counts with him"
-Matthew Ashford (Tom, General
Hospital; ex-Jack, Days of our Lives) in Daytime TV magazine
-Connie Passalacqua
(a.k.a Soap Opera Weekly's "Marlena De LaCroix")
Newsday, 12-30-1996, pp B21
-Stephen on Stephen, Soaps In Depth Magazine
October 26 99
which comes across in his work. He
never does anything half heartedly. He
puts his full body, heart and soul into
everything he does. That's why, as an
actor, he is very powerful and
interesting to watch"
-Jackie Zeman (Bobbie, General
Hospital), Soap Opera Magazine 1997
"Stephen is a great guy. Even though he
plays such a serious character, he's very loose, very funny and always
joking around. I love him"
-Tyler Christopher in Soap Opera Digest
"He is so strangely, hysterically, funny, and I emphasize strangely. Even better than that, he is an incredibly devoted parent. He's an A+ in my book"
-Nancy Grahn (Alexis, GH)
Soap Opera Digest 1/25/00
"Stephen is a consummate actor. A joy to work with. Right there all the time"
Constance Towers, Soap City Chat
6/22/00
with here, so I sort of consider him my mentor. We work well together. We have great chemistry, which makes who we are and the relationship between our characters believable. I love the intensity he brings to the screen."
-Tyler Christopher (Nikolas, General
Hospital), Soap Opera Magazine 1997
"...Stephen Nichols does such brave
work."
-Emmy winning actor Peter Bergman
(Jack, Y and R) in a Soap Opera
Digest article about the Daytime Emmy
Awards (Stephen is among the people
he thinks get overlooked in the nominations)
"I know this doesn't sound right, but
he's--goofy. He's really goofy and funny."
-Brad Maule (Tony, GH) in Soap Opera Update
"I like working with Stephen a lot. He is a good guy and a whole lot of fun to work with."
Kristian Alfonso (Hope, Days)
Daytime TV - June 1986
-Tyler Christopher, (Nikolas #1, GH)
TV GUIDE ONLINE CHAT -May 12, 2000
"He is so fantastic. He is a great actor and a very giving actor. He's been a
real peach to work with. I've got a tremendous amount of respect for him."
-Tava Smiley (Chloe, GH) in Yahoo!/Soap City Online Chat 12/7/00
"Right off the bat, Stephen Nichols was so cool. We bonded right away. "
-Coltin Scott (Nikolas #2, GH)
The NY DAILY NEWS, December 24, 1999
-Ken Corday, Days Producer, in Soap Opera Magazine
"Stephen is just so kooky and wild."
-Tava Smiley (Chloe, GH) in Yahoo/Soap City Online Chat 12/7/00
"Stephen is a lot of fun, and he's a good friend. I would like the opportunity
to work with Stephen and to have a chance to rekindle some of our old magic.
To this day, whenever we run into each other, we still call each other
'Patch' and 'Frankie.'
- Billy Warlock (Answering Fan Questions on his official web site: BillyWarlock.fanspace.com 2/2/01)
-Jackie Zeman (Bobbie, GH)
ABC Soaps In Depth
April 17, 2001
"Stephen Nichols is the least like Stefan Cassadine because Stefan is a serious,
serious man, and Stephen is just a goofball."
-Soap Opera Digest, March 6, 2001
-Tava Smiley (ex-Chloe, GH) upon her exit from GH
ABC Soaps In Depth, October 2, 2001
- Stephen Nichols
From SoapCity's coverage of the LAMEC event
It took a few weeks after joining the GH cast before Newman
connected the dots. "I looked at him and it just clicked. I said, 'Did
you play Patch on Days? Because I had such a crush on
you,'" Jamie relates with a grin. "Stephen just looked at me and said, 'Yeah, you and every other 12 year old girl at that time.'"
- Jamie Ray Newman (Kristina, GH)
Soap Opera Weekly
November 27, 2001
"I laugh so much with him! He’s a really, really nice guy"
Tamara Braun (Ava, Days) on what it's like to work with
Stephen
Canada's TV Guide Online
April 15, 2008
-Jennifer Bassey (Marian, AMC) when asked "Who is the sexiest man on daytime
(who isn't on your show)?"
Soap Opera Digest, April 30, 2002
"Stephen Nichols doubled as a father figure to me, because I didn't have
any family here in Los Angeles, and it's nerve wracking enough for a new
actor to come into a huge show like General Hospital. I remember sitting
in my dressing room and having Stephen come in and run the scene with me.
And we finished the scene and he said, you got it, that's exactly what the
scene needs to be. It gave us an immediate connection that really transcended
to the show...because in the beginning that was the whole story, both positive
and negative, with Laura, Lucky, Stefan, Helena. The personal connection
that Stephen and I established with each other really carried over into the
story, and I think that's why it worked so well."
~Tyler Christopher, During SoapNet's "Prince
Nikolas Marathon"
11/26/04
Stephen is going to be greatly missed.
Stephen was the funniest guy I ever met in my life. He was the joke of jokes
on set but when that tape rolled, boy, whew he was ready to work. He was
probably more serious about his work than anybody on our show. I mean just
the way he put into it off the stage. He's such a well trained actor, and
he loves theater and he just loved working. And that was one thing I really
admired.
-Coltin Scott Martines (Nik #2, GH) on
Soap Net's "Soap Talk" (talk show) 6/24/02
"Stephen is so nice and fun and dedicated to the work."
Tamara Braun, TV Soap (Australia) June 2008
I adore Stephen. He's one of the finest actors I've ever worked with. He's right there in every moment, and he's a lovely man to work with...He has a lot of style and nobility about him.
-Constance Towers, TV Guide Online Interview
Tuesday, November 26, 2002
" ...I had no self esteem until I was on that stage doing that scene and I knew in that moment 'By God, I can do something. I am worth something. I can give to people. I have a talent. That was a profound moment that I've always carried with me"
-Stephen in Soap Opera Magazine, 1997
"I think my fans are intelligent
and intuitive people who like good theater. They just want to
see something that is compelling and moving."
-Stephen on his fans
Soap Opera Update, August 2001
-Stephen Nichols, Soap Opera Weekly, November 9, 1999
*Notable Quotables Page 1
(Quotes By & About Stephen and Mary Beth)
*Notable Quotables Page 3
(Quotes About Mary Beth Evans)
Notable
Quotables Page 4: Steve and Kayla
Quotes
*
Stephen Nichols and Mary Beth Evans Scrapbook Index
*The Written Word
(Articles Index)