MICHAEL ZASLOW
NOVEMBER 1, 1944 - DECEMBER 6, 1998
Emmy Award winning actor, Michael Zaslow, had long been a favorite with TV audiences, creating daytime's ultimate villain, Roger Thorpe, on "Guiding Light" and the elusive, romantic composer and conductor David Renaldi on ABC's "One Life To Live". After his diagnosis of ALS in 1997, Michael returned to "One Life To Live" in his former role, this time as a man living with ALS.
Michael appeared in numerous Broadway plays and musicals including "Fiddler on the Roof" as Perchik, Brick in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", "Onward Victoria" and "Boccaccio". Off-Broadway and regional theatre credits include Henry in "Henry IV, Part I" for the New York Shakespeare Festival, the title role in "Macbeth" at the Alliance Theatre and Allen Squire in "The Petrified Forest" at the Berkshire Theatre Festival. Ironically, his last stage appearance was as the loquacious speech pathologist Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady" at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.
Michael was the recipient of the New York Chapter of the Academy of Arts and Sciences Silver Circle Award in 1997 and in September 1998 at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Awards he was honored with the Annie Glenn Award for serving as an inspiration to others with speech disabilities.
Michael was not only an actor, but also an accomplished pianist, songwriter and writer. His book, chronicling his life with ALS, will appear in the near future. He served on the National Board of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and, as a board member of The Creative Coalition, he campaigned for more effective health care. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate in political science from UCLA, Michael spent his life advocating for the rights of others, so it was only natural that when he learned he had ALS, his response was proactive: form ZazAngels, raise funds, find A CURE BY 2000.
Perhaps above all of these accomplishments, Michael excelled as a friend whose loyalty knew no bounds. He was a loving and involved father to his two daughters, Marika and Helena, and to Susan, his wife of 23 years, he was an ever supportive and intriguing spouse. Michael's zest for life was legendary. His laughter will be remembered by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.
