Thorsten Kaye (born Thorsten Ernst Kieselbach, 22 February 1966) is a German-British actor. His best known roles include Patrick Thornhart on One Life to Live, Dr. Ian Thornhart on Port Charles, Zach Slater on All My Children and Ridge Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful.

Thorsten Kaye
Born
Thorsten Ernst Kieselbach

(1966-02-22) 22 February 1966 (age 58)
Occupation(s)Actor, poet
Years active1991–present
PartnerSusan Haskell[1]
Children2

Acting career edit

Kaye was born in Frankfurt, Federal Republic of Germany. He appeared in many classical theater roles, including The Winter's Tale, Tartuffe, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Love's Labour's Lost, Twelfth Night, and The Taming of the Shrew, both in London and with the Hilberry Repertory Company in Detroit.

Kaye then moved to Los Angeles, where he acted in many television shows, including the miniseries, Sidney Sheldon's Nothing Lasts Forever, before moving to New York to play Patrick Thornhart on ABC's One Life to Live (1995–1997). The character gained quite a bit of popularity, and it is where he would meet his real life partner, Susan Haskell. After completing a two-year stint on OLTL, Thorsten did some guest starring work for other shows, as well as starring in a few feature films.

In April 2000, Thorsten accepted the role of the dedicated physician Ian Thornhart (Patrick's older brother) on the ABC daytime soap (and the spin-off show of General Hospital), Port Charles (2000–2003). He appeared on the soap until its run ended in October 2003. Thorsten received two Daytime Emmy Award Nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor for his portrayal of Ian in 2003 and 2004.

In April 2004, Thorsten returned to New York to join the cast of the ABC soap All My Children in the role of casino owner, Zach Slater. He was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards in 2006 and 2009. Thorsten portrayed Slater until December 2009. He returned three times in 2010, and again in 2011 to bring Zach's storyline to a close when AMC came to an end after 41 years, in September 2011.

Thorsten Kaye has one of the lead roles in a new psychological thriller (feature-length film) titled Occupant, which was released in the U.S and Canada in October 2011 on demand in many cable/satellite markets as well as on most digital platforms, including iTunes, Amazon, Blockbuster, and PlayStation.

In 2012, Kaye began appearing in the role of Nick, a recurring character on the NBC series Smash. In October 2013, it was announced that Kaye was cast to portray Ridge Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful, replacing originator Ronn Moss, who departed the series in 2012 after 25 years in the role.[2][3] On December 15, 2023, Kaye became the first German-British to win the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, which he won for his portrayal of Ridge Forrester.[4]

Personal life edit

When not working, Kaye enjoys music, literature and riding American motorcycles. He is a fan of the Miami Dolphins and the Detroit Red Wings.[5]

While appearing on One Life to Live, he met his partner, Susan Haskell, who played his on-show love interest (Margaret "Marty" Saybrooke). The two currently have two daughters, McKenna (born February 2003) and Marlowe (born January 2007).[5]

Kaye was an active blogger for the Detroit Red Wings at NHL.com during the 2008 and 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs.[6]

Filmography edit

Film roles
Year Title Role Notes
1996 The Silencers Jasper
2000 The Prophet's Game Joey Highsmith (adult)
2000 Shark Attack 2 Dr. Nick Harris Direct-to-video
2011 Occupant Joe
2014 Animal Carl
Television roles
Year Title Role Notes
1991 Deadly Desire Airport Agent TV film
1995 Nothing Lasts Forever Jury Foreman TV film
1995–1997 One Life to Live Patrick Thornhart Regular role
1998 Sliders Ralph Hackett Episode: "Asylum"
1999 Air America Sam Moon Episode: "Fear of Flying"
2000 Falcone Isadore Rechelko Episode: "Pilot"
2000–2003 Port Charles Dr. Ian Thornhart Regular role
2004–2011, 2013 All My Children Zach Slater Regular role
2012–2013 Smash Nick Felder Recurring role, 13 episodes
2013–present The Bold and the Beautiful Ridge Forrester Regular role
2016 Falling Water Javier Mendoza Episode: "Castles Made of Sand"

Awards and nominations edit

List of acting awards and nominations
Year Award Category Title Result Ref.
1993 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Male Newcomer One Life to Live Nominated
2001 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Hero Port Charles Nominated
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
2003 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actor Nominated
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
2005 Soap Opera Digest Award Favourite Return All My Children Nominated
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
2017
Soap Awards France Best Actor of the Year The Bold and the Beautiful Nominated
2017
Soap Awards France Best Couple of the Year – "Caroline and Ridge"
(shared with Linsey Godfrey)
Nominated
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
2020
Soap Hub Awards Favorite The Bold and the Beautiful Actor Nominated
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Won

References edit

  1. ^ "ICYMI - Thorsten Kaye Interview". 25 April 2018.
  2. ^ Logan, Michael (15 October 2013). "Exclusive: Thorsten Kaye Cast as the New Ridge on The Bold and the Beautiful". TV Guide. TVGuide.com. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  3. ^ SOD (15 October 2013). "Thorsten Kaye Is B&B's New Ridge". Soap Opera Digest. Soapoperadigest.com. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  4. ^ Lynette Rice (15 December 2023). "Daytime Emmy Awards: 'General Hospital' Wins Outstanding Drama; Kelly Clarkson Best Talk Show & Talk Show Host – Full Winners List". deadline.com. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Who, Where and Wow!". Soap Opera Weekly. 27 February 2007. p. 15.
  6. ^ Thorsten Kaye – Time to flip the switch – NHL.com
  7. ^ "Nominees for Daytime Emmys". USA Today. Tysons Corner, Virginia: Gannett Company. Associated Press. 12 March 2003. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  8. ^ "The 31st Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations" (PDF). New York: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 4 March 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  9. ^ "The 33rd Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award Nominations". New York: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 8 February 2006. Archived from the original on 19 May 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  10. ^ "The 36th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award Nominations". New York: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 14 May 2009. Archived from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Soap Awards France 2017 : Hélène Rollès, Les Mystères de l'amour, Ambroise Michel, Terre de passions, Eric Braeden... le palmarès complet". France: toutelatele.com and Médiamétrie. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  12. ^ "The 47th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Nominations" (PDF). New York: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  13. ^ Montgomery, Daniel (2 September 2020). "1st Annual Soap Hub Awards decided by fans honored 'Days of Our Lives,' Steve Burton, Sharon Case and more". Gold Derby. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  14. ^ "The 48th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Nominations". New York: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  15. ^ "The 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Nominations" (PDF). New York/Los Angeles: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.

External links edit