Some of actor Robert LuPone's first roles in television were on soap operas, beginning with "Ryan's Hope" in 1979 (via IMDb). He played Chester Wallace for only nine episodes on that ABC soap, but he graduated to a regular cast member when he joined NBC's "Search for Tomorrow" in 1983, playing Tom Bergman for 77 episodes. However, it was his role on "All My Children" in 1984 that would earn LuPone a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role, according to SoapHub. LuPone played a con man who seduced Pine Valley's wealthy Marion Colby Chandler (Jennifer Bassey), only to then blackmail her after learning her secrets. In good soap opera fashion, his character was then murdered, launching a whodunnit storyline that involved the show's biggest characters at the time.
LuPone didn't shy away from additional roles on soap operas after that, taking recurring parts on "Another World" and "Loving" in the 1990s, all of which likely prepared him for guest roles on primetime shows such as "Sex and the City," "Ally McBeal," and "Law & Order" before he eventually earned his famous role on "The Sopranos." Soap opera fans never forget their favorite stars, so of course, at least one fan on Twitter shared the actor's obit along with the comment, "Not Zach Grayson from All My Children and Neal Cory from Another World. D*mn!"
