by Linda Alexander

Created on: July 10, 2008

From General Hospital to American History X . . . and beyond

Ever heard of John Martinuzzi? Unless you're a real soap opera fan from waaay back in the 1980s, you've probably not heard of him. Ever heard of John Morrissey? Unless you're an aficionado of film and know who produced which topnotch film of this or that year, you've probably not heard of him, either.

In fact, as a consumer of TV and movie entertainment, you're likely not any more familiar, by name, with Mr. Morrissey than you are with Mr. Martinuzzi. Yet if you're a regular consumer of TV and movie entertainment, be assured, you are aware of the products put out under these names.

In 1982, John Martinuzzi originated the role of the deliciously-evil Stavros Cassadine on ABC's General Hospital, and went on in 1984 to play David Preston on CBS' The Guiding Light. John Morrissey is the established producer of recognized and celebrated films, namely the critically-acclaimed American History X, among others both for the big screen and television.

What makes this interesting is that Martinuzzi and Morrissey is the same man. Actor, producer, writer, photographer, clothing designerthese are his professions in just the first 50 or so years.

It's in the transition from one name to the other, one form of visibility to another, that the meat of the story is revealed. For all practical purposes to anyone who may have followed his screen work, John Martinuzzi seemed to disappear from the face of the earth, and at that time, his just-growing "fan base"as John Martinuzzi aka Stavroswas left wondering if he, like Stavros, had passed away . . . or at very least, dropped out of the industry to become, say, a car salesman.

What did happen?

John Martinuzzi, the man, is alive and well, living in Los Angeles, but the name is no more.

Using Martinuzzi as his last name, the actor came to public light in 1983 as Stavros Cassadine on General Hospital, a part which he had no way of knowing would live on in soap history. And though Stavros reportedly died during Martinuzzi's tenure, the character was eventually resurrected, with another actor in the role. This is when John Martinuzzi slowly began to morph into oblivion or so it appeared to the general public who'd come to enjoy his compelling portrayal of such a complicated character. Though Martinuzzi took on another nationally-known role on The Guiding Light a few years later, that character never grabbed viewers in the same way. Thenhe was gone to daily visibility. No more John Martinuzzi.

It

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