Original Y&R Cast Member James Houghton Dead at 75
Actor and Daytime Emmy Award-winning writer James Houghton has passed away at the age of 75 from peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare cancer that affects the lining of the abdominal cavity. Houghton passed away on Aug. 27 of last year at his home in Encino, CA; however, his wife shared with The Hollywood Reporter that she had not wanted to discuss his death until now.
Born on Nov. 7, 1948, in Los Angeles, CA, Houghton was raised in a showbiz family: His father, Buck Houghton, was a well-known producer and writer who worked for Paramount, RKO, and MGM before helming the first three seasons of The Twilight Zone.
As one of the original cast members on The Young & The Restless, Houghton played Greg Foster, Jill’s adoptive brother, from 1973-76. After leaving daytime, he went on to star in the short-lived CBS action series Code R with Martin Kove in 1977, but the show that Houghton was perhaps best known for is Knots Landing.
During the first four seasons of the primetime soap (1979-1983), Houghton played Kenny Ward, husband of Kim Lankford’s Ginger, and one of the “core four” families of the Seaview Circle cul-de-sac. His extensive television credits also include playing Cash Cassidy during the 1986-87 season of The Colbys and guest spots on ’80s hits such as The Love Boat, Remington Steele, Hotel, Fantasy Island, and Trauma Center. He can also be seen in several films, including More American Graffiti, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, and Superstition. He also played Lt. Ambrose Pell in the television miniseries North & South: Book 2, Love & War.
Houghton, here with TV sister Jess Walton (Jill), reprised his role for two episodes in 2003.Jesse Grant/JPI
In addition to his acting career, Houghton began working as a television writer in the ’80s. After a short stint as a scriptwriter on Days of Our Lives in 1981, he and his sister, Mona Houghton, penned three episodes of Knots Landing in 1982, and he wrote three episodes of the horror anthology series Tales From the Darkside. Houghton returned to daytime in 1991 as a scriptwriter for Y&R and The Bold & The Beautiful.
As part of Y&R’s writing team until 2006, Houghton earned 13 Daytime Emmy Awards nominations, taking home the honor four times, as well as two Writers Guild Awards. He briefly returned to work in front of the camera on the soap in 2003, reprising his role for two episodes when Jill’s mother, Liz, finally told her daughter that she had been adopted.
Houghton is survived by his wife, Karen, his sister Mona, his mother, Wanda, children Daniel and Alisa, son-in-law Jim, and grandson Milo. Please join us in sending our condolences to his family during this difficult time.
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