Hall of Fame: Don Hastings

Don Hastings
2009 Soap Opera Hall of Fame Inductee

• The Video Ranger, Captain Video and His Video Rangers
• Unknown Role, A Date With Life
• Unknown Role, Modern Romances
• Jack Lane, The Edge of Night
• Bob Hughes, As The World Turns
• Bob Hughes, Our Private World
• Writer, The Guiding Light
• Writer, As The World Turns

Television's first teen idol, Donald Francis Hastings was born April 1, 1934 in Brooklyn, New York.

Don started his show business career at the age of six when he accompanied his older brother Bob Hastings to the children's radio program in which Bob sang. When the producer heard that Don could sing too, he had Don audition for the program, Coast to Coast on the Bus. The exposure that Don received led to a part in the national company of Life With Father in 1941. Don toured with the company for three years and has acted ever since.

Don made his Broadway debut in the 1944 production of I Remember Mama.

After working sporadically in theater and television, Don turned to television full time in 1944, landing his first big role in 1949 at the age of 15. He played Captain Video's teenaged sidekick, The Video Ranger in the DuMont television series Captain Video and His Video Rangers, which ran from 1949 to 1955. In this role, he played one of television's first superheroes designed to appeal to young children. For every youngster lucky enough to have a TV in the early 50s, Don Hastings and The Video Ranger becamse their idol for six years.

He guest starred in a number of television series including Studio One and daytime dramas A Date with Life and Modern Romances.

From 1956 to 1960, he played the role of Jack Lane on the soap opera The Edge of Night, speaking the shows opening line on April 1, 1956. Since October 7, 1960, he has portrayed Bob Hughes on As the World Turns. In perhaps the most difficult role in daytime television, that of the sturdy, saintlike matinee idol, the actor has always infused the part with a brisk playing style and refreshing good humor.

Hastings currently holds the record for longest continuous actor in the history of television serials; he is second in line to co-star Helen Wagner in having the distinction of playing the same role for the longest period of time on television. William Roache, who plays Ken Barlow on the British soap Coronation Street is widely believed to be the record-holder for males, but Don Hastings has portrayed Bob Hughes for two months longer than Roache has played Ken. Neither actor has taken a break during their respective tenures. The Guinness Book of Records states that the non-continuous record is held by Helen Wagner, who has played Nancy Hughes on the same soap opera, As the World Turns, since April 1956. Wagner left between 1981 and 1985.

In 1971, under tutelage of Irna Phillips, Hastings began to moonlight as a dialogue writer for ATWT and later contributed scripts to The Guiding Light as well. He used the pseudonym J.J. Matthew, which combined the names of his children: Julie, Jennifer and Matthew.

In 1977, Don toured with co-star Kathryn Hays in the musical concert act, Hastings and Hayes on Love and later they both were cast members of an off-Broadway production of Algonquin Sampler.

Possessing a strong vocal talent, Hastings has performed on television on the shows Chevrolet on Broadway and The Ed Sullivan Show, as well as recording material for Columbia records.

In 1980, soon after a 1978 storyline in which Bob romanced Karen Peters on the series, Don married actress Leslie Denniston, the actress who had played the mysterious Karen. They live in New York state with their daughter, Katharine Scott Hastings (b. 9/23/82). Don also has two daughters, Jennifer and Julie, plus a son, Matthew, from a previous marriage. Don's hobbies include travel and golf.

Active in show business (on television) since 1949. In 2009, he celebrates two big milestones, his 75th birthday and 60 years on television.

In honor of his long years on As The World Turns and daytime, he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daytime Emmys in 2005. He was given the Silver Circle Award, given by the Academy of Television Arts & Science, in 1993 for his many years of achievement in the television industry. Sadly he has never been nominated for a Daytime Emmy award.