Wally Kurth
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Wallace "Wally" Kurth (born July 31, 1958)<ref name="about" /> is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing the roles of Justin Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives (1987 to 1991, 2009 to present) and Ned Quartermaine on General Hospital (1991 to 2007, 2013 to present). He has received one Daytime Emmy Award nomination for his work on General Hospital and three nominations for his work on Days of Our Lives.
He is also a guitarist and vocalist for the musical groups Kurth and Taylor and The Day Players Band. Kurth and Taylor won a 2002 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song, "Barefoot Ballet," which was heard on General Hospital.
Early life
Kurth was born and raised in Billings, Montana.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He is the youngest of five children.<ref name="kurth" /> His father was a lawyer and his mother ran a cattle company, inherited from his grandfather. He became interested in acting at ten years old, when he saw the film Oliver! A year later, he won the role of The Artful Dodger in a local production.<ref name="digest92">Template:Cite journal</ref>
He attended Loretto Heights College in Denver, Colorado and also UCLA, where he received a bachelor's degree in 1985.<ref name="digest92" /><ref name="kurth" />
Career
He played The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance on Broadway, debuting January 8, 1981 at the Uris Theatre.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He had previously played the role in a touring production of the musical.<ref name="digest92" />
Kurth joined the cast of Days of Our Lives, playing Justin Kiriakis from 1987 to 1991. After leaving Days due to lack of storyline, he began playing Ned Quartermaine (then Ashton) on General Hospital in 1991.<ref name="about">Template:Cite web</ref>
His television work includes a guest starring role on Oh, Grow Up and the TV movie, The Stepsister. He has appeared in the films Final Embrace, I Love You, Don't Touch Me!, and Amy's Orgasm.<ref name="kurth" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From 2004 to 2007, he hosted a SOAPnet series, 1 Day With..., where he would spend the day with a fellow soap star, including many of his GH castmates.<ref name="soapcentral2009" />
He was taken off contract at General Hospital in February 2005, but continued to air on a recurring basis until July 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="soapcentral2009">Template:Cite web</ref> In late 2007 and early 2008, he appeared on As the World Turns as Sam Hutchins.<ref name="soapcentral2009" /><ref name="kurth">Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2008, Kurth produced and narrated a documentary, Class C: The Only Game in Town, which tells the story of life in Montana small towns through the lens of five girls' basketball teams. The film won two regional Emmy awards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In June 2009, he announced that he would be returning to Days of Our Lives as Justin Kiriakis.<ref name="soapcentral2009" />
Kurth made guest-starring appearances on Law & Order: LA in 2011 and Hot in Cleveland in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2014, he starred in a short film, Blue Skies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kurth appeared on the web series Ladies of the Lake, based on a novel by Days of Our Lives producer Ken Corday.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
He returned to General Hospital as Ned Quartermaine in 2013 and since 2020, continues to appear on both GH and Days of Our Lives.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2018 for his role on General Hospital, then was nominated in the same category for his work on Days of Our Lives in 2020 and 2024. He was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor for Days of Our Lives in 2021.<ref name="emmy24">Template:Cite web</ref>
He is the lead vocalist and guitarist for the band Kurth and Taylor. The group has performed on and produced songs for General Hospital.<ref name="kurth" /> Their song, "Barefoot Ballet", won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2002 for Outstanding Original Song.<ref name="fivefacts">Template:Cite web</ref> They have released two albums, Kurth & Taylor and Half & Half.<ref name="about" /> Kurth is also a vocalist and guitarist in the Day Players Band, a music group formed with his Days of Our Lives castmates Brandon Barash, Carson Boatman, and Eric Martsolf.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2020, he starred in the independent film More Beautiful for Having Been Broken.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also appeared in the 2021 film A Bride's Nightmare.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2022, Kurth co-starred with Kassie DePaiva in a short film, Common as Red Hair.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
He is the father of actress Meghann Kurth, who was born in 1985.<ref name="kurth" /> Kurth has said that his relationship with her mother had ended before he learned they were expecting a child together.<ref name="digest92" />
Kurth met actress Cynthia Ettinger when they were in college. They were friends for years before beginning a relationship.<ref name="digest92" /> They dated for a year and a half before marrying in May 1990.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> They divorced in 1993.
Kurth married his General Hospital co-star, Rena Sofer, in 1995.<ref name="kurth" /> They have a daughter, artist Rosabel Rosalind Kurth-Sofer, who was born in September 1996.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> They divorced in 1997.
On July 4, 2003, he married Debra Yuhasz. They have a son, who was born in November 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Their son is on the autism spectrum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Final Embrace | Devon | |
| 1994 | Pom Poko | Tamasaburo (voice, English version) | |
| 1997 | I Love You, Don't Touch Me! | David Barclay | |
| 2001 | Amy's Orgasm | Beautiful Guy | |
| 2008 | Class C: The Only Game in Town | Narrator | Documentary
Also producer |
| 2014 | Blue Skies | Tom Hammond | Short film |
| 2019 | More Beautiful for Having Been Broken | Bud | |
| 2021 | A Bride's Nightmare | Hank | |
| 2022 | Common as Red Hair | Will | Short film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–1991, 2009–present | Days of Our Lives | Justin Kiriakis | Contract role;
Recurring role |
| 1991–2007, 2012–present | General Hospital | Ned Quartermaine | Contract role;
Recurring role |
| 1997 | The Stepsister | Man Holding Baby | Television film, uncredited |
| 1999 | Oh, Grow Up | Lewis Morris Jr. | Episode: "Clods and Monsters" |
| 2004 | Higglytown Heroes | Eye Doctor Hero (voice) | Episode: "Star Struck" |
| 2004-2007 | 1 Day With... | Self (Host) | |
| 2007–2008 | As the World Turns | Sam Hutchins | Recurring role |
| 2010–2013 | Generator Rex | Agent Six, Captain Callan (voice) | Main cast
46 episodes |
| 2011 | Law & Order: LA | Gordon Ralston | Episode: "Zuma Canyon" |
| 2013 | Hot in Cleveland | Mark | Episode: "Pony Up" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall | Agent Six | |
| 2011 | Generator Rex: Agent of Providence | Agent Six, Captain Callan |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Ladies of the Lake | Hudson Montgomery | Episode: "Montgomery" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | Template:Abbr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Original Song ("Barefoot Ballet", shared with Christian Taylor and Debra Cochran) | General Hospital | Template:Won | <ref name="fivefacts" /> |
| 2018 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | General Hospital | Template:Nom | <ref name="NATAS 2018">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2020 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Days of Our Lives | Template:Nom | <ref name="2020nominations">Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
| 2021 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Days of Our Lives | Template:Nom | <ref name="NATAS 2021">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2024 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Days of Our Lives | Template:Nom | <ref name="emmy24" /> |
References
External links
- Ned Ashton character profile on SoapCentral
- Justin Kiriakis character profile on SoapCentral
- [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 475986
| name/{{#if:{{#invoke:ustring|match|1=475986|2=^nm}}
| Template:Trim/
| nm0475986/
}}
| {{#if: {{#property:P345}}
| name/Template:First word/
| find?q=%7B%7B%23if%3A+Wally+Kurth%0A++++++%7C+Wally+Kurth%0A++++++%7C+%5B%5B%3ATemplate%3APAGENAMEBASE%5D%5D%0A++++++%7D%7D&s=nm
}}
}}{{#if: 475986 {{#property:P345}} | {{#switch:
| award | awards = awards Awards for | biography | bio = bio Biography for
}}}} {{#if: Wally Kurth
| Wally Kurth
| Template:PAGENAMEBASE
}}] at IMDb{{#if: 475986{{#property:P345}}
| Template:EditAtWikidata
| Template:Main other
}}{{#switch:{{#invoke:string2|matchAny|^nm.........|^nm.......|nm|.........|source=475986|plain=false}}
| 1 | 3 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning | 4 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning
}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:IMDb name with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|showblankpositional=1| 1 | 2 | id | name | section }}
- 1958 births
- Living people
- American male film actors
- American male soap opera actors
- American male television actors
- American male video game actors
- American male voice actors
- Daytime Emmy Award winners
- Male actors from Montana
- Musicians from Montana
- People from Billings, Montana
- University of California, Los Angeles alumni
- American male stage actors
- American people of German descent
- Actors from Billings, Montana
- Male actors from Billings, Montana