Veteran soap actor Mark Dobies, who played Dr. Noah Chase on Guiding Light and Daniel Colson on One Life to Live, has died. He was 65.
According to a local New Jersey obituary, Dobies passed away on Tuesday, March 11. A cause of death has not been revealed at this time.
“Mark’s warmth, generosity, and adventurous spirit will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him,” his obit reads. “His legacy lives on in the lives he touched and the love he gave so freely. May he fly high like his Birds off to heaven.”
Born on April 3, 1959, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dobies played football in college before embarking on a career in acting, landing his first on-screen role in the drama series Fame L.A. in 1997. From there, he appeared in episodes of Just Shoot Me, Home Improvement, Melrose Place, Nash Bridges, and Everybody Loves Raymond.
His first major role came in 2000 when he starred in 14 episodes of the soap opera Guiding Light as Noah Chase, a doctor who became romantically involved with Kim Zimmer‘s Reva Shayne.
After his short stint on Guiding Light, Dobies went on to appear in episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and All My Children before landing a memorable role as district attorney/serial killer Daniel Colson on One Life to Live.
Dobies’ One Life to Live character was married to fan favorite Nora Buchanan (Hillary B. Smith) but was having an affair with a man, Mark Soloman (Matt Cavenaugh), and murdering those who discovered his secret. His character killed Paul Cramer (David Tom) and Jen Rappaport (Jessica Morris) in an effort to hide his affair.
The storyline drew controversy and protests from GLAAD for portraying a gay man as a murderer and reinforcing negative stereotypes. At the time, the show’s then-executive producer, Frank Valentini, stood by the storyline, saying, “This is a story about the harsher side of intolerance and about one man not being true to himself.”
Dobies other credits include CSI: Miami, Fringe, Gossip Girl, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He also starred in the 2004 Off-Broadway revival of Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, playing the role of Bruce Niles.
Guiding Light’s former show publicist, Alan Locher, shared news of Dobies passing on Instagram, writing, “I hate to be sharing this really sad and unexpected news. Mark Dobies passed away on March 11th at 65 —far, far too young.”
He added, “I was lucky to work with Mark at Guiding Light and always knew him as a genuinely good guy. I also feel very lucky that I got to see his performance in The Normal Heart… Please keep his family in your thoughts during this difficult time. Rest in peace, Mark. You will be missed!”
Dobies is survived by his three children, Francesca (27), Olivia (24), and Robert (21), as well as his mother, Suzanne, his brother, Paul, and his sister, Sandy.