Soap Opera Veteran Roscoe Born Passes Away

We give our deepest condolences on the passing of soap opera veteran, Roscoe Born, who passed away on March 3, 2020, at the age of 69.  May he rest in peace!

Roscoe Born (November 24, 1950 – March 3, 2020) was an American actor and songwriter. He is best known for his roles on various television soap operas, most notably as archvillain Mitch Laurence on One Life to Live in six stints between 1985 and 2012.

Career

Born has appeared most often in daytime television, first appearing on Ryan's Hope as troubled mob heir Joe Novak from 1981 to 1983 and again in 1988.  He next portrayed villain Mitch Laurence on One Life to Live from 1985 to 1987 then again from 2002 to 2003, reprising the role once again starting in November 2009.  Born appeared on Santa Barbara in his best-known roles Robert Barr (1989–1991) and his twin Quinn Armitage (1990–1991), a role that earned him an Emmy Award-nomination. He was also a regular on the primetime soap Paper Dolls as Mark Bailey in 1984. From April 2005 to January 2006 and again in March 2009, Born was on The Young and the Restless in the critically acclaimed role of the evil Tom Fisher. Many of his daytime roles showcased him in evil roles, with the exception of Nick Rivers on the 1995-1997 ABC series The City. Nick was a grizzled musician, allowing Born the opportunity to perform his own material. He can be seen performing some of his more recent songs on YouTube.com: "Bob Dylan's Pepsi Blues"; "Blue State Mind, Red State Soul"; "Soldier On", a salute to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan; and "If It Don't Stink, Don't Stir the Pot", a response to the Boy Scouts of America sex abuse scandal. In February 2017, Born released two singles on iTunes via Chowderhead Records, "Let the Road Lead" and "Crazy is as Crazy Does".

In the 1980s, he also guest-starred in such primetime shows as Murder, She Wrote and Midnight Caller and starred in the TV movies The Haunting of Sarah Hardy and Lady Mobster. In 1989, he had a featured role in the film Pow Wow Highway. 1970s TV appearances include The Incredible Hulk, The Six Million Dollar Man, two episodes of The Rockford Files and the TV movie Fast Friends.

Around this time Born played the dastardly Jim Thomasen on All My Children. In late 1997, he abruptly left the role and did not appear on daytime for the next several years (save bit parts on As the World Turns and Guiding Light). Born was working outside of the industry when One Life to Live rehired him from 2002 to 2003 to reprise the role of Mitch. Born portrayed an evil prison warden on Passions in 2007, and played the contract role of Dean Trent Robbins on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives from May 29, 2008, to September 26, 2008.

Born acted for decades off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, and in regional theaters.

Personal life and death

From 1985 to 1990, Born was married to fellow Ryan's Hope actress Randall Edwards. He was married to fellow Santa Barbara co-star Roberta Weiss from 1994 to 1997 and they had a daughter, Alberta.  He graduated from Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Maryland, in 1968.

Born died on March 3, 2020, at the age of 69.

Filmography

1976       Joe Forrester     unknown             1 episode

1977       End of the World              Bob       

Jailbait Babysitter             Robert

1979       Fast Friends        Ben Lakeman    

Dear Detective unknown             1 episode

The Rockford Files           TV Commentator/Tallafero         2 episodes

1981       Ryan's Hope       Joe Novak           1981–1983

1988

The Incredible Hulk         Sheldon               1 episode

1984       Paper Dolls         Mark Bailey        10 episodes

1985       One Life to Live                Mitch Laurence                1985-1987

2002-2003

2009-2010

2012

1988       Lady Mobster    Robert Castle    

1989       Midnight Caller                 Sawyer                 1 episode

The Haunting of Sarah Hardy      Allen deVineyn                

Powwow Highway           Agent Jack Novall            

Santa Barbara    Robert Barr         1989–1991

1990       Santa Barbara    Quinn Armitage               1990–1991

Murder, She Wrote        Langston 'Lanny' Douglas              1 episode

1993       Family Passions                 Kyle McDeere  

1995       The City               Nick Rivers        

1997       All My Children                Jim Thomasen  

2001       As the World Turns         Det. Adamski     1 episode

Guiding Light     Peter Vreeland                 1 episode

Days of Our Lives             Trent Robbins

Baron Coe           2001; 2008

2005       The Young and the Restless        Tom Fisher         2005-2006

2009

2007       Passions              Warden              

2008       Indie Jonesin for the Kingdom of Crystal Ice        Neighbor