On Wednesday, September 18 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, pay tribute to the 15th anniversary of the final episode of Guiding Light with one of the show’s stars — Frank Dicopoulos, who played Frank Cooper from 1987-2009, will be appearing live with host Alan Locher on The Locher Room.
A Guiding Light Tribute
After studying psychology, art and drama at Kenyon College in his native Ohio, where he was also active in athletics and set a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III track record in high hurdles, Dicopoulos moved to Texas, dabbling in modeling and doing TV commercials. He entered a nationwide talent search in Dallas, and while he did not win, he did land a small film role, and ultimately moved to Los Angeles in 1984. As he carved out his acting career, he booked memorable prime-time appearances on Falcon Crest, Who’s the Boss?, Dynasty and Hotel, to name but a few of the series on which he appeared. He also had bit parts on several California-based soaps, such as Young and Restless and General Hospital.
His life changed dramatically in 1987, when he joined the Springfield ranks as Frank. Over the course of his 22-year run, Frank became one of the hearts of Springfield, anchoring the Cooper family alongside sister Harley and mother Nadine, and later his father, Buzz. The character operated the family diner and later became the chief of police, had a long-time marriage to Eleni that produced daughter Marina, and went on to have another daughter, Francesca, with Natalia. In real life, Dicopolous has been married to actress/writer Teja Anderson since 1990, and they have two adult children, Jaden and Olivia.
After Guiding Light went off the air, he appeared in the film Chuck — about heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner and his bout with Muhammad Ali (that inspired the film Rocky) and starred acting heavyweights like Liev Schreiber, Elisabeth Moss, Ron Perlman and Naomi Watts. He played Mike Douglas in the project. Currently, he lends his voice to Andrew Rutledge in the final season of the audio drama Forever and a Day, along with former GL co-star and on-screen brother John Driscoll (ex-Henry “Coop” Bradshaw; ex-Phillip “Chance” Chancellor IV, Young and Restless).
Expect Dicopoulos to look back on his remarkable journey on the CBS soap, dive into his experiences on other projects and discuss what he’s been up to since the show’s final curtain 15 years ago.
Don’t miss this chance to remember Guiding Light‘s wonderful writing, acting and directing and pay tribute to the much-missed soap, celebrate Frank Dicopoulos’s incredible career and hear his behind-the-scenes stories.
To participate in the livestream interview, click here.
