Michael Hawkins
Born
Thomas Knight Slater

(1938-12-26)December 26, 1938
New York City, U.S.
DiedNovember 14, 2022(2022-11-14) (aged 83)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesMichael Gainsborough
OccupationActor
Years active1951–1988
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1966; div. 1976)​
ChildrenChristian Slater
RelativesBill Slater (uncle)

Thomas Knight Slater[1] (December 26, 1938 – November 14, 2022), known professionally as Michael Hawkins and credited sometimes as Michael D. Gainsborough, was an American actor. He is known for playing Frank Ryan on the soap opera Ryan's Hope (1975–1976). He was the father of actor Christian Slater.

Life and career

Thomas Knight Slater was born in Queens, New York on December 26, 1938,[2] the son of Helen Margaret (Knight) and Thomas G. Slater.[3] He would later also use the stage name Michael Gainsborough. His uncle was radio personality Bill Slater.[4]

Hawkins spent the early part of his childhood in Forest Hills section of Queens, as well as in Texas and Tennessee. Later in the 1940s, he lived in the Strathmore section of Manhasset, Long Island. He was athletic and was one of the faster boys at his grade school, Munsey Park School, and started his acting and singing career in a fourth-grade production of the Gilbert Sullivan operetta, HMS Pinafore, as Captain Corcoran. His family left Manhasset in 1950. It is not clear where he was raised after that point.[5] After a small role on the CBS soap opera Search for Tomorrow, he played Dr. Paul Stewart #4 on another CBS soap opera, As the World Turns. He later replaced David Birney as Mark Elliott on another CBS show, Love is a Many Splendored Thing. He later played Larry Kirby #2 on the NBC soap opera How to Survive a Marriage.

Hawkins later created the role of Frank Ryan on the ABC soap opera Ryan's Hope but was fired from the role at the end of the show's first year reportedly due to his alcoholism and inability to memorize lines correctly. He was asked back, but replaced with actor Andrew Robinson later that year. At the time she was cast in Ryan's Hope, Helen Gallagher, who played matriarch Maeve Ryan, taught singing in her home three times a week. Hawkins was one of her students.[6]

Hawkins was married to casting director Mary Jo Slater until their divorce in 1976; their only child is actor Christian Slater.[7]

Hawkins died in Los Angeles on November 14, 2022, at the age of 83.[8][9]

Filmography

Film and television roles
Year Title Role Notes
1951Search for TomorrowSteve HaskinsTV series
1968As the World TurnsDr. Paul StewartTV series
1970–1971Love is a Many Splendored ThingMark ElliottTV series
1974The DoctorsOfficer BurnettTV series (4 episodes)
1975–1976Ryan's HopeFrank RyanTV series (213 episodes)
1975Trucker's WomanMike Kelly
1975How to Survive a MarriageLarry KirbyTV series (Episode #1.325)
1979The Amityville HorrorNew York State Trooper
1980The Black MarbleCaptain Jack PackertonCredited as Michael Gainsborough
1981Mommie DearestPepsi Executive #2Credited as Michael D. Gainsborough
1981LookerSenator Robert HarrisonCredited as Michael Gainsborough
1987Crime StoryDanforthTV series (Episode: "Mig 21"); credited as Michael D. Gainsborough
1988Midnight RunFBI Surveillance Agent #1Final film role; credited as Michael D. Gainsborough

References

  1. ↑ Dillon, Nancy (February 24, 2016). "Christian Slater sued for allegedly ruining his dad's acting career". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Thomas Knight Slater birth reference". FamilySearch.org. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Search or browse our".
  4. ↑ Lewis, John (November 22, 2011). Radio Master. Publish Green. ISBN 9781936183869.
  5. ↑ "For Michael Hawkins, Suddenly – Happy Days". Soap Opera People Magazine. September 1976.
  6. ↑ Wilson, Earl (July 16, 1975). "Helen Gallagher Slips into Soaps". The Milwaukee Sentinel.
  7. ↑ Andriakos, Jacqueline (June 11, 2015). "Christian Slater Opens Up About Reconnecting with His 'Manic-Depressive' Father: 'We Were Able to Begin to Build a Better Bridge for the Both of Us'". People. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Thomas Knight Slater". Legacy. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Magazine Fall/Winter 2023". SAG-AFTRA. p. 61. Retrieved December 3, 2023.


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