Daily Times

Hollywood has lost a veteran TV star. Mark Withers, best known for roles on shows such as the original ’80s series Dynasty, has died. He was 77.

The actor passed away after battling pancreatic cancer, his daughter Jessie Withers told Variety in comments published Dec. 6. “He confronted his illness with the same strength and dignity he brought to his craft,” she said in a statement to the outlet, “to creating a legacy of warmth, humor, and dedication, along with his remarkable ability to make every role unforgettable.”

Jessie continued, “Mark’s enduring talent and commitment to the industry will be fondly remembered by colleagues, friends, and fans alike.” Mark, a native of Binghamton, New York, began his onscreen acting career in the 1970s, landing parts in commercials and shows such as How the West Was Won, Kaz and Wonder Woman. In 1981, he made his debut on Dynasty playing Ted Dinard, his breakout role, which he played on several episodes. The character was the gay lover of Steven Carrington, played by Al Corley. The two were among the first LGBTQ+ characters featured on U.S. television without “sensationalism,” as Withers put it, and on the show’s first season, no less.

Throughout the 1980s, Withers went on to appear on episodes of shows such as Magnum, P.I., The Dukes of Hazzard, Remington Steele, Hillstreet Blues, Days of Our Lives and Dallas-another primetime soap that preceded Dynasty.

After taking an acting break that lasted most of the 1990s, he went on to score parts on sitcoms such as Frasier and The King of Queens in the early aughts. Over the past decade, Withers appeared on shows such as Drop Dead Diva, True Blood, Castle as well as the ’80s-themed series Stranger Things, in which he played Gary, a coroner at the morgue in the town of Hawkins. Withers looked back on his mostly TV acting career fondly. “I guess you could go for the million-dollar stuff. Me, I didn’t,” he said on the podcast. “I guess I would have liked to be a little more famous, but the reality is that when I look back on it and I see all the wonderful people I worked with, I’m just, wow. I’m a pretty lucky actor, I really am.”