What can one say about the incredible soap opera actor Stephen Nichols? His legendary daytime drama career spans over three decades and he’s worked on shows like The Young and the Restless (Y&R), General Hospital (GH), and of course, Days of Our Lives (DOOL). There is so much more to Nichols than meets the eye. Below is a list of things you may not know about Stephen Nichols.
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10. Monk Life
Sounds more like a soap opera storyline, but Nichols lived like a monk for years after high school. He ended up turning an Ohio State University art scholarship down and instead headed west. He landed at the Hollywood ashram where he prepped vegetarian meals for nuns and monks and studied yoga. He was celibate for about three years and apparently lived on ice cream.
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9. Studied Theatre
During his monk years, Nichols ended up at the Theatre Academy of LA City College. He studied there for about two years and bumped elbows with the likes of Jack Colvin, Harry Mastrogeorge, as well as Stella Adler. These experiences were clearly getting him ready for the incredible acting career he would embark on in the future.
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8. Movie Career
While Nichols is best known for his work on the soaps, moreover his DOOL Steve “Patch” Johnson role, Nichols has had some success with movie roles in the past as well. He’s been in the following films: Soapdish, Witchboard, Phoenix, Cover Me, and Heaven’s Tears. Nichols also co-starred with Demi Moore in the film Choices.
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7. Prime Time Stints
To add to his film credits, Nichols has also earned some guest roles on prime time shows over the years. Fans of Stephen may remember seeing him on episodes of Diagnosis: Murder, Second Chances, Empty Nest, Sisters, LA Law, and Matlock. Interestingly enough, he also made an appearance on the television comedy, The Nanny, which starred his former DOOL colleague Charles Shaugnessy (Days’ Shane Donovan and more recently, GH‘s Victor Cassadine).
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6. Stephen Loves Mary Beth
One only has to mention the name Patch and DOOL fans instantly think of his super couple sidekick, Kayla. These two have had tremendous onscreen chemistry over the years and it shows daily. But, what is their secret? Nichols and co-star Mary Beth Evans (Kayla Brady) have a beautiful friendship. When asked about Kay and Patch’s chemistry, Nichols revealed in a GlobalTV.com interview that they simply “love each other and have since the beginning.”
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5. Favorite DOOL Storyline
In that very same interview, Stephen relayed his favorite Days storyline to date. His response? The recent reunion of Steve and Kayla. As Nichols noted, Johnson had to fight to win Kayla back. Nichols enjoyed all the bumps that came along that road, thanks to Ava’s return to Salem.
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4. Had A Nice Connection To Jeanne Cooper
As many are familiar with, Nichols played Tucker McCall on Y&R from 2010 to 2013 and shared a special relationship with onscreen mom, Jeanne Cooper. In a February 2017 interview, Stephen recalled his first day on the Y&R set, and just how welcoming she was. As he puts it, they had a strong connection.
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3. Passion?
Well, aside from his grandkids (Stephen is one proud granddad), Nichols loves making things. Moreover, he is quite into woodworking; so much so, he made toys for his grandchildren’s first birthdays. Not only were they handmade, but hand-painted as well. He’s also into painting and has created a couple of portraits to boot. Who knew Nichols was so good with his hands!
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2. Just A Boy Named Patch
While counterpart Mary Beth Evans constantly gets stopped and is humbled when moms tell her that they’ve named their daughter after her DOOL Kayla character, this isn’t something that usually happens to Nichols, until three years ago. During a DOOL book tour, a mom came up to Stephen and informed him that she named her son after his Days character – and no, she didn’t name the little boy Steve. In fact, she decided to call him Patch. Pretty interesting name… and Nichols relays that this was the first time any fan had ever told him that a child of theirs was named after his character.
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1. Scariest Moment In His Life
Nichols’ character has seen some dangerous and terrifying things during his adventures in (and out) of Salem. Stephen relayed his most terrifying moment in a 2008 People interview. Nichols and his wife enjoyed home-births for all three of their children and when his son Aaron was born, the midwife did not make it to their house in time, leaving Stephen all alone to get the job done. Well, with Aaron now 37 years old, seems like Nichols did a pretty fine job when all was said and done.