'All My Children' actor Alan Dysert dies at 75 after battling rare cancer

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KiMi Robinson, USA TODAYMon, October 26, 2026 at 7:31 PM UTC

Alan Dysert, who played conman Sean Cudahy on "All My Children" in the '80s, has died. He was 75.

His wife, Michele Dysert, announced his death in a post shared on his Facebook page Oct. 25.

"My heart is broken as I share that my beloved husband, Alan, passed away on October 23, 2026," she wrote. "While I am struggling to imagine life without him, I am forever grateful to have experienced what so many people spend their lives searching for — the love of a lifetime."

She honored his "extraordinary life" that began as a farm boy in Illinois and saw him eventually becoming an "actor, musician, writer, filmmaker, producer, and beloved acting teacher." He "was a life changer" through his work with The Actor's School in Franklin, Tennessee, she wrote.

"Alan faced more than his share of health challenges over the years, yet he continued to approach life with determination, humor, and gratitude," she added. "He fought hard for the life he loved, and I was honored to stand beside him through it all."

Alan Dysert's 2023 autobiography, "Lights, Camera, Cancer!" detailed his commitment to teaching and acting during a battle "against a rare, aggressive, and incurable cancer" for which he received a diagnosis more than a decade prior. By the time the book published, he had undergone several surgeries and "many rounds of chemotherapy" and experienced a recurrence.

His wife noted that he "wanted his children, grandchildren, family, and friends to celebrate his life rather than mourn his passing" and hoped his community and his sons, Cody and Cooper, would "remember Alan with a smile, share a favorite story, and celebrate the joy he brought into this world."

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USA TODAY has reached out to Alan Dysert's representative for more information.

Who did Alan Dysert play on 'All My Children?'

Over a five-year period that spanned 1980-81 and 1988-90, Alan Dysert played Sean Cudahy, who was convicted in the murder of a nurse he had been dating, Sybil Thorne. Sean returned to the show in the late '80s after being released from prison and soon returned to his grifting ways.

Speaking with The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 1995 – at which time he had already started teaching acting classes in the Nashville area – he opened up about the fame of a soap actor.

"You'll have the people who come up to you who are what people think is the typical soap audience," Alan Dysert said.

"But I've had people running for president come up to me in the airport lounge and ask me for an autograph for their kids," he continued. "Whole teams on some of the professional sports teams watch the show in the locker rooms and want to come on the set when they're in New York. Entertainers are big fans."

Alan Dysert's most recent acting credit was the 2026 independent film "The Legend of Van Dorn," which he produced and filmed in Tennessee.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'All My Children' actor Alan Dysert dies at 75 after battling rare cancer

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