Leonard was the second actor to play Hart and also a fan favorite! His brooding good looks made him a favorite to many of the female viewers and the male audience as well. Leonard played a much darker Hart who had found out many things about his Father Roger Thorpe. Leonard was fantastic in the role and very much loved by his fellow cast and crew.
An unfortunate gliding accident in 1993 left Leonard with multiple injuries and brain damage. He had a very long road ahead of him in his recovery. His fellow cast members did many benefits for him to help raise money for all of his medical expenses! Michael Zaslow (Roger) was very close with Leonard, but after Michael's untimely death in 1998, no one knew what became of Leonard.
Earlier this year, my good friend Marshall Hilliard (4th Hart) and I set out to find Leonard and we did! Leonard is doing great and living in California with his caretaker. He is able to walk and talk, but unfortunetly, the brain damage will always be there. Leonard faces some challenges, but he is doing very good and is very happy!
Marshall and I have some things in the works to help raise some money for Leonard for his ongoing medical care. Please check Marshall's fan page on Facebook, where we will be announcing some things shortly!
I am including a picture taken a couple of weeks ago of Marshall and Leonard at one of Marshall's football games. Leonard is a huge football fan and The California Tide (Marshall's Team) made Leonard an honorary member of the team! Leonard had a great time hanging out with all the players that night as you can tell by the smile on his face!
Oh my gosh, I started watching guiding light back in the 80s. Loved the character of Hart Jessup and Leonard was my favorite. I knew he was in a terrible accident and have often thought about him even to this day. What a handsome man and great actor. So glad I found this article. So happy he is alive and well. Tell him so please....
ReplyDeleteI actually witnessed the accident that left leonard injured. I always wondered what became of him. Glad he has some quality of life.
ReplyDeleteI met Leonard at a charity softball game just a week before the accident. I was lucky enough to get his autograph and have my picture taken with him. He was very sweet and down to earth. I was so shocked and saddened when I heard about the accident. I am glad to hear that he is doing well and I hope he knows how much his fans will always care about him and how much we miss him. I wish him all of the best.
ReplyDeleteI have thought about Leonard so often and am very happy to find out he's doing well
ReplyDeleteI was one of Leonard's care-givers early on(in CT). I continue to work with TBI survivors, and have thought about Leonard through the years. I don't expect him to remember me, but I'm amazed at how far Leonard has come in his recovery. I'm something of an 'expert' in this field. If he would ever like to correspond i would be happy to oblige. Best regards, Greg.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this update on Leonard. I recently was wondering how he was doing. It was so sad when he had the accident. I worked on Guiding Light at that time and have often thought of Leonard's situation in an Icarus like metaphor. He reached so high, but he got burned. I'm glad to hear he is happy.
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