i have been an avid watcher of the young and the restless for years and years…my mother watched it when i was a babe, and i have very early memories of watching it with her.
recently i discovered that, in true soap opera fashion, a long dead character was returning to life. not only that but, in an unusual move, the actor that played the character 20 years ago would be doing so again.
the character? phillip chancellor the 3rd
the actor? thom bierdz
after i discovered this tidbit, i wondered what had happened to thom in the last 2 decades, and checked google. i ended up on his website, and made a few discoveries;
1) he is gay
2) he is an artist…a very very talented artist
3) just weeks after he left y&r in 1989, his mother was brutally murdered, by his brother
4) in 2000, his other brother committed suicide
5) he wrote a book about these events; Forgiving Troy – A True Story of Murder, Mental Illness and Recovery
6) he is still gorgeous
i felt a bit of a connection to thom, and decided to e-mail him. unlike john mayer…the only other celebrity i have e-mailed (someone pleeeease find me robert downey jr.’s e-mail addy) thom replied. he was very kind and gracious, and appreciated my interest (or pretended to politely, anyways).
so, i ordered the book. and it arrived. signed by thom (who also took it to the post office and signed the shipping slip himself, which i found pretty cool for some reason. i considered keeping the slip as a souvenir…but ended up recycling it)
i devoured it in two days
wow! just wow. obviously, it was quite a story. it feels wrong to enjoy someones tragedy, so i wont say i enjoyed the book…but i will say i was riveted. not only by the story, but by Thom’s excellent writing. he gives just the right amount of detail and description, builds interest, and…most of all…is brutally honest. his talent, strength, insight, and courage is truly inspiring.
i have read on some soap opera sites that some y&r fans feel thom is not such a great actor. while i personally disagree and enjoy his acting…after looking at his artwork and reading his book, i would say acting is the least of his talents.
i do, however, fear watching him on y&r (he is back now) will never be the same for me…
this posting was brought to you by my left hand and a nursing baby on my lap…
