Benjamin Hendrickson of "As the World Turns" Found Dead of a Suicide
07-06-06, 01:12 PM
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Benjamin Hendrickson of "As the World Turns" Found Dead of a Suicide
| Benjamin Hendrickson, the Emmy Award-winning actor who played the role of police chief Hal Munson on CBS's "As the World Turns," has been found dead of an apparent suicide. The New York Post reports that Hendrickson, 55, had been depressed since the death of his mother in 2003. He shot himself in the head and was found in his Huntington, N.Y., home on Saturday. Cast members told the Post that he was most recently filming scenes for "As the World Turns" in which his TV daughter was dying. They thought this might have triggered the suicidal thoughts. It is not known if he left a note. "He was a marvelous and gifted man," cast member Ellen Dolan, who plays Margo Hughes, told the Post. "I just know him to be a wonderful man with a big heart. We are all part of a tight family here. I am just heartbroken." Hendrickson has played the role of the police chief since 1985. He won an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in 2003. Hendrickson, who is balding, joked in the speech that the awards always go to the actors with the best hair. He dedicated the Emmy to his mother. "To my mom, who scrimped and saved to send me to Juilliard to study the classics. I'm sorry," he joked. Kevin Kline and Patti LuPone were in his Juilliard graduating class. "Benjamin always joked that he was hired for one day. Then, before he knew it, he'd impregnated the leading lady and had to sign a contract," executive producer Christopher Goutman told the Post. "How lucky for us and the fans we had him for 21 years." | Dead of a Suicide  |
