Jerry Douglas (born November 12, 1932) is an American television and
film actor. For 25 years Jerry Douglas reigned in fictional Genoa City
as patriarch John Abbott on the daytime television serial The Young
and the Restless. In 2006, his character was killed off. However, he
has made special appearances since then.Douglas was born Gerald
Rubenstein in Chelsea, Massachusetts to Jewish immigrants from Eastern
Europe. Raised in Chelsea, Massachusetts, he attended Brandeis
University in pursuit of an economics degree. Eight months into law
school in Boston, he gave up the books and began auditioning for
acting roles. However, his lack of training frustrated him, and he
eventually moved to California. There he met his first wife, Arlene
Martel, who had a young son by the name of Adam Palmer. Douglas went
on to have two children with Ms. Martel, Avra Douglas and Jod Douglas
(AKA Jod Kaftan).Settling in the San Fernando Valley, Douglas sold
insurance by day and took acting classes at night. Although he still
struggled, he received encouragement after appearing in the play John
Brown's Body.For several years, Douglas appeared on such TV shows as
Mission: Impossible and The Feather and Father Gang, often portraying
villains. At the same time, Martel decided to move herself and their
two children, Avra and Jod, to Carmel. They eventually divorced. He
remarried, to Kymberly Bankier, whom he met at a Muscular Dystrophy
Association event. They have been married since April 6, 1985, and
have a son, Hunter.
film actor. For 25 years Jerry Douglas reigned in fictional Genoa City
as patriarch John Abbott on the daytime television serial The Young
and the Restless. In 2006, his character was killed off. However, he
has made special appearances since then.Douglas was born Gerald
Rubenstein in Chelsea, Massachusetts to Jewish immigrants from Eastern
Europe. Raised in Chelsea, Massachusetts, he attended Brandeis
University in pursuit of an economics degree. Eight months into law
school in Boston, he gave up the books and began auditioning for
acting roles. However, his lack of training frustrated him, and he
eventually moved to California. There he met his first wife, Arlene
Martel, who had a young son by the name of Adam Palmer. Douglas went
on to have two children with Ms. Martel, Avra Douglas and Jod Douglas
(AKA Jod Kaftan).Settling in the San Fernando Valley, Douglas sold
insurance by day and took acting classes at night. Although he still
struggled, he received encouragement after appearing in the play John
Brown's Body.For several years, Douglas appeared on such TV shows as
Mission: Impossible and The Feather and Father Gang, often portraying
villains. At the same time, Martel decided to move herself and their
two children, Avra and Jod, to Carmel. They eventually divorced. He
remarried, to Kymberly Bankier, whom he met at a Muscular Dystrophy
Association event. They have been married since April 6, 1985, and
have a son, Hunter.
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