Robert
Christian (December 27, 1939[1]
- January 27, 1983)[2]
was an American actor. He won an Obie Award in 1976 for his performance in
Athol Fugard's Blood Knot at the Manhattan Theater Club.[3]
Robert
Christian (December 27, 1939[1]
- January 27, 1983)[2]
was an American actor. He won an Obie Award in 1976 for his performance in
Athol Fugard's Blood Knot at the Manhattan Theater Club.[3]
Robert (sometimes known as 'Bob') Christian acted in various roles from the 1960s to the early 1980s. His stage work included a revival of "Mary Stuart" (in 1971), "Twelfth Night" (in 1972), and "Piaf" (in 1981). Christian appeared in films such as Airborne, The Patsy, Funny Girl, ...And Justice for All, and Bustin' Loose. In Justice, Christian had a memorable role as a drag queen named Ralph that Al Pacino's lawyer character is defending. His TV work probably brought him his greatest recognition; including Sea Hunt, All My Children, Search for Tomorrow, King (a mini-series), Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry (a TV movie), Another World (as Lt. Bob Morgan), and his last role as Marcel in the TV movie version of Piaf, which actually aired after his death.
His biggest soap role was as Bob Morgan on Another World. He played Bob from January to December in 1982. Bob was married to Henrietta but fell in love with Quinn. He died of a gunshot wound at the video arcade. Christian last aired a month before he passed away from AIDS-related pneumonia. Christian was 43 years old.
Christian's friend, Bonnie Greer, remembered him in the September 2002 issue of In The Family magazine: "In the role of the Black drag queen whom Pacino helps, is my first friend who died from AIDS, the actor Robert Christian. Bobby was one of those New York actors who could play anything. He lived hard, partied hard, and did all the big roles. One day I got a call from a friend saying that Bobby was in hospital with pneumonia. We all thought it was strange. I expected to see him very soon, being his same crazy self, only, maybe a bit weaker from the illness. Bobby died two weeks after being admitted. No one could understand it. He had gone so quickly, so without warning. It was impossible to imagine the New York theatre world or life without him. I had had a massive crush on him, until I met his gorgeous boyfriend, and to be honest, even he didn’t completely erase my feelings for the handsomest Black man I had ever seen. But it didn’t end there."
The actress who played Christian's Another World love interest, Petronia Paley, spoke about her former co-star in a recent interview with WE LOVE SOAPS TV: "I guess the story that is most memorable to me, and most touching to me, is such a sad story. The first love interest I had on the show was Robert Christian [who played Lt. Bob Morgan], and he was a wonderful, wonderful actor, and we got along so beautifully. He died tragically, from AIDS, and it was working on that show that I learned about it. In fact, he was one of the first people diagnosed, so it was a sad and tragic time. I had this lovely person who I loved working with, and we had such a great time, and yet it was such a tragic end for him."
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