Scott Bryce, who was nominated for two Daytime Emmys in the 1980s for his role on As the World Turns, has died aged 68 after a cancer battle.
He featured on the CBS soap opera as Craig Montgomery, one of the two men in a love triangle involving the Meg Ryan character Betsy Stewart.
Sex and the City fans will remember him from the first season as Tim, a wealthy lothario who cheerfully refers to himself as ‘Toxic Bachelor Number One’ for wooing a woman with signs of commitment before suddenly vanishing from her life.
His death was announced by his friend Lucie Arnaz – the daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz – in a Facebook post that has since been deleted.
Bryce’s son Jackson, 18, shared on Instagram this Monday that ‘God called my dad home today,’ explaining that an illness that ‘began as stage three esophageal cancer eventually spread and became brain tumors that took his life away from him.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Bryce’s representative for comment.
Scott Bryce, who was nominated for two Daytime Emmys in the 1980s for his role on As the World Turns, has died aged 68 after a cancer battle
He featured on the CBS soap opera as Craig Montgomery, one of the two men in a love triangle involving the Meg Ryan character Betsy Stewart
Sex and the City fans will also remember him as the season one lothario Tim, who refers to himself as ‘Toxic Bachelor Number One’; pictured on the show with Sarah Wynter
Lucie Arnaz’s Facebook post was uploaded Monday and, although it was later removed, was quoted by reporter Michael Fairman.
Arnaz wrote emotionally about how much she would ‘miss his eyes, his smile, his wit, his brain, his intelligence, his talent, his bravery, his laugh and his hugs.’
Turning her attention to his widow Jodi Stevens and their son, she added that Bryce was ‘watching over you now from a place of pure joy and will always be your guide. But, I hate these goodbyes. Rest in peace you marvelous, magnificent man.’
Arnaz worked with Bryce on two projects, a 1991 short-lived TV dramedy called Sons and Daughters and the 2009 independent anti-smoking movie The Pack.
Bryce was initially diagnosed in October 2024 with stage three esophageal and stomach cancer, but later announced he was ‘on the mend’ following treatment.
It fell to his son Jackson to announce this Monday that the strenuous measures Bryce had taken to ensure his recovery had been unsuccessful.
‘Through radiation, chemo and immunotherapy, and every moment of pain, I watched my dad face it all with pride and courage, and an unshakable belief that somehow, everything would work out and he would win,’ wrote Jackson.
‘Even just a week before he passed, while battling brain tumors, slurred speech and blurry vision, he looked me in the eyes as clear as he could and told me he still believed he had a chance—and that he was willing to fight as hard as it took.’
Craig, as played by Bryce (right), competes with Frank Runyeon’s character Steve (left) for the affections of Meg Ryan’s Betsy (center)
Bryce’s son Jackson, 18, shared on Instagram this Monday that ‘God called my dad home today,’ hailing the ‘pride and courage’ with which he battled his illness
Bryce himself hailed from a showbiz family – his father Ed Bryce held a longstanding role on The Guiding Light, which like As the World Turns was a CBS soap opera, and his mother Dorothy Bryce spent decades acting on the stage.
He himself first rocketed to fame on As the World Turns as Craig, who competes with Frank Runyeon’s character Steve for the affections of Meg Ryan’s Betsy.
One of the show’s classic twists is when Betsy marries Craig on the belief that he has gotten her pregnant, only for the baby to later turn out to be Steve’s.
Bryce self-deprecatingly reflected that during the ‘Meg days, we were all kids, we didn’t know what we were doing,’ in a 2016 interview with Soap Opera Digest.
The longest-lasting of the four characters to play Craig, Bryce embodied the role first from 1982 until 1994, then returned to the part from 2007 to 2008.
Jackson, pictured with his father and mother Jodi, wrote: ‘I am endlessly grateful God chose him to be my father, and I am so proud to be his son’
He also guested shots on some of the most beloved shows of the past four decades, including The Facts of Life, The Golden Girls, Matlock, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, ER, Gossip Girl, Reba, 30 Rock and The Blacklist.
Jackson fondly recalled on Instagram this Monday: ‘When asked what he wanted people to remember about him, he said: “I was a one-take actor. Two takes, max.”’
When Bryce was at work on such Dick Wolf productions as the various Law & Order programs and Chicago PD, ‘directors would schedule him at the end of the day because they knew it wouldn’t take long,’ Jackson shared.
Sharing that his father ‘supported me as far as a father possibly could,’ Jackson wrote: ‘He is a part of everything I’ve done and everything I will do. I am endlessly grateful God chose him to be my father, and I am so proud to be his son.’
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