‘The Young and the Restless’: Was Actor Quinn Redeker Married and Did He Have Kids?
On Dec. 20, 2022, the acting world lost a star whose career lasted over 50 years. Quinn K. Redeker was best known for his work on two big daytime dramas, One Life to Live and The Young and the Restless. However, his career was far more diverse than many realize. Although he was a celebrated actor, there were other things he did in Hollywood that meant even more to him. Here are some facts you may not know about Redeker and everything he achieved.
Quinn Redeker became a daytime drama star
According to Deadline, Quinn Redeker died of natural causes on Dec. 20, 2022, at the age of 86. His daughter, Arianne Raser, announced his death in January.
Redeker was most famous for his work on two soap operas. He played Alex Marshall on Days of Our Lives from 1979 to 1987. He described Alex as “a self-serving pig,” but he made the role his own, adding some comedy and even ad-libbing some of his lines.
“When Alex first came on, he killed a couple of people,” he said. “But [the producers] decided they kind of liked me, and they let me start doing the comedy. I started joking it up a bit.”
After briefly appearing as two other characters on The Young and the Restless, Redeker was cast as Rex Sterling, a wealthy businessman. He played Rex from 1987 to 1994. The role earned him a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 1989 and 1990.
However, although Redeker was well known for his time in daytime dramas, his career was much more than that.
Rederk was a versatile actor and writer
Quinn Redeker also appeared in many other popular TV series through the years, including That Girl, Bonanza, Ironside, Mannix, Mayberry R.F.D., The Bob Newhart Show, Cannon, Adam-12, Kojak, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Supernatural. He also acted in movies, with credits that include Where the Buffalo Roam, The Three Stooges Meet Hercules, The Candidate, The Electric Horseman, and Ordinary People.
Still, acting wasn’t his only skill. Entertainment Weekly reports that he also loved to write and once co-wrote a screenplay called The Man Who Came to Play with Louis A. Garfunkle. It was never made into a movie, but it was adapted, along with other material, to become the famous 1978 movie The Deer Hunter. His writing on the project earned him a story credit on the movie and a shared Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Rederl thought acting was ‘a great buck’
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Quinn Redeker was born in Woodstock, Illinois, on May 2, 1936. He spent his childhood in Seattle, living in a boarding house his mother established for divorced women.
He started his path to fame as a comedian before moving into acting. Although he spent most of his career acting, his true passion was writing. The best part of working in daytime dramas was the freedom to do what he loved.
“The soap opera is 20 minutes of work a day so I can spend the rest of the time writing 10 pages a day in my dressing room,” he said. “No, acting isn’t very fulfilling, but, gee, it’s a great buck.” After The Deer Hunter, he sold his following six scripts to Hollywood producers, but to his disappointment, none were ever made into films.
Redeker is survived by his children, Arianne, Brennen, Glaen, and Quinn Jr., as well as two grandchildren, Keihen and Quinn.
