Michael E. Knight Interview: 'All My Children' Star Thanks Fans for Tad Martin
Written by Melissa Parker, Posted in Actors
Daytime Emmy award winner Michael E. Knight is best known for his portrayal of Thaddeus (Tad) James Martin on the ABC soap All My Children. Knight’s first stint on the show ran from 1982-1986; he returned in 1988, left again in 1990, and has appeared continuously from 1992 to the present.
Other television appearances include Matlock, Sydney, Dear John, Murder, She Wrote, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, One Life to Live, and Hot in Cleveland. The actor also starred in the 1987 feature film Date with an Angel.
"In the old days, 20 years ago, there was a longer period of character development. They would bring characters along very slowly. As we went along there was less and less time for that. I noticed they would bring on major characters very quickly and characters that had only been on the canvas a short period of time would be handed major storylines very quickly."
The New Jersey native was honored with two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Younger Leading Actor in 1986 and 1987 and won the Supporting Actor trophy in 2001. He is one of the very few actors to be nominated in younger, supporting, and lead actor categories, all while playing the same character.
Knight was married from 1992 to 2006 to actress Catherine Hickland (Texas, Capitol, One Life to Live).
On April 14, 2011, ABC announced that All My Children was cancelled after 41 years on the air. The network has announced that the daytime drama will air its final episode on September 23, 2011.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): Michael, did you find out about the cancellation with the rest of the All My Children cast?

Michael E Knight (ABC/Yolanda Perez)
Michael E. Knight: Well, yes, they had a formal declaration. Brian Frons came down and did a thing in the studio. But it had definitely been on the rumor mill for about two years because of shrinking Nielsen ratings and budget cuts. You could really see it coming. I don’t think it took anybody by surprise. I think we thought it might go a little longer, but due to the bad economy and the effects the Internet has had on entertainment as a whole, we knew we were coming up on cancellation.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): Have you thought about joining another daytime drama or even an Internet soap?
Michael E. Knight: I don’t know. I’m very hopeful. I’ve been around for quite a while. My mom says: “God doesn’t bring you that far to drop you on your head.”
There is a very large industry out there of people, very trained in front of the camera and behind the camera that know the format. I can’t help but think that at some point the audience will get sick and tired of reality television and would want to go back to soap operas because they have had such a following for decades. Surely somebody out there is going to take a shot at it.
You might start seeing soap operas on three days a week or there’s the novella format which is six months limited run or a year. I’m kind of hopeful that if not AMC, somebody out there is trying to think of a way to keep this going without just shutting down the format entirely.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): There have certainly been rumors of other networks picking up the shows and a more recent rumor has been Netflix.
Michael E. Knight: Netflix … that would be interesting. If you know you sort of have the base audience out there estimated upwards of 2,000,000 people that like a show or like the format, there’s an audience out there getting to them. I think the waters have been muddied by a lot of things like SOAPnet.
My heart goes out to the major networks because they are still operating on the Nielsen rating model which has been dying across the board. I mean, if you start looking at it, soaps across the board have taken a 20% hit. I think it’s because people are getting their programming elsewhere or they’re DVRing it. It is wonderful to have had a run as long as we’ve had and as long as I’ve had. But as long as you’re still in the game, something else will happen. It always does.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): Would you answer if General Hospital or The Young and the Restless came calling?
Michael E. Knight: I’m sort of hopeful. I have wonderful representation and certainly would love to cast my net out there and see what happens, maybe even a sitcom or something like that, but I certainly wouldn’t turn up my nose if a cable outlet could afford to do the soaps. Of course, it would be at a reduced cost and reduced budget but they might start experimenting with it. I think it would be a great idea.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): I think you’d be great in a sitcom.
Michael E. Knight: I would hope so (laughs). We’ll see what happens.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): You are a funny guy. I’ve used the word “jinkies” more times than my husband can count.
Michael E. Knight: (laughs) Believe it or not, there was a radio commercial centuries ago in New York and it was just one of these guys with an overbearing voice saying the word “jinkies” so it stuck. That’s the thing about a soap character. You never know what little signature you can give him and what people are going to hook into. I think I throw a couple of “jinkies” in there two or three times a year.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): There are many people who think of soap characters as family members.
Michael E. Knight: And some who tend to treat them as guilty pleasures, but you never know. It’s all over the world, too. I went to Italy with my wife Catherine. She’d been on a show called Capitol probably 25 years ago. I think it came on at night over there after work sometime. I was stunned walking around Rome and everybody chattering at Catherine in Italian. You just never know.

Michael E Knight (ABC/Yolanda Perez)
That’s another thing. Think about the programming slots. In the last 40 or 50 years soap operas have been on during the day. Well, we know that especially in a bad economy more people have to work. You have working mothers now so that whole sort of social model has changed. So you never know. A cable outlet may pick up All My Children or The Young and the Restless and say that the trick is to put them on in later time slots when people get home from work. Try 5:30 or 6:00 and see what happens.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): Michael, you left All My Children for a few years to pursue acting projects. Would you be open to giving the movies another chance?
Michael E. Knight: I’m open to anything. It’s sort of a blessing and a curse in a way. I’ve had a job for so long. It will just be another person making a transition in America, you know?
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): Cady McClain is returning to the show as Dixie Cooney Martin. Will this storyline give Tad/Dixie fans some closure?
Michael E. Knight: I think that’s going to be the way they’re looking at it. They’re also bringing back other characters, too, I think to sort of tie up … if it’s possible to tie up a 42 year run. I was lucky and the positioning was such that Cady could come back and reprise the role of Dixie. I certainly love working with her. She’s been a dear friend for a long time and is a wonderful actress.
They’re supposedly bringing her back from the dead (and we’re no stranger to that), but they’re bringing her back to have Tad and Dixie walk off in the proverbial sunset. I think that’s the way they’re looking at it. I always had such wonderful chemistry working with Cady. It will be nice to get a chance to do that. Other than that, I think they’re kind of struggling to give the audience some semblance of closure, bringing down the curtain as it were, but I think they’ll leave it open ended in case the show gets picked up somewhere else.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): They’re also bringing back the character of Zach Slater.
Michael E. Knight: Thorsten, yes, a wonderful guy.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): What are some memories from the show that stand out for you? One that comes to my mind right now is the tornado that hit Pine Valley and demolished the Martin house. That was definitely art imitating life.
Michael E. Knight: Oh gosh yes, especially nowadays. All you have to do today is turn on the 6:00 news and see that a tornado has hit somewhere.
I can’t really put my finger on many memories and say, “This was a high point.” I would say that it has been interesting to see the show kind of evolve, to be a part of something, and watch the show expand and do more. Things were so simple back when I started. You basically had very structured shows and now I think soaps try to compete more with nighttime and try to do things to thrill the audience.
God knows we always had these masked balls and weddings. There was the time they blew up the Crystal Ball. I remember when they built the set and there were actual special effects involved with explosions. I remember on One Life to Live that whole thing where a train gets turned upside down. It has been interesting to see how much we could get away with in such a limited time. The first producer I ever had compared soaps to summer stock because the production schedule is so intense and so non-stop.
In terms of memories I would say there have been the people that I’ve loved working with over the years. I’m so proud of that. I can’t think of particular moments but I can think of somebody like David Canary who I just thought was one of the most brilliant guys I ever worked with. To watch him do Stuart … he was the best person at doing split screens and doing two characters. There’s Julia Barr, Cady, Carmen Thomas, Walt Willey, Vincent Irizarry. I can’t say enough of what a wonderful person Susan is and has been to me over the years.
Soaps are kind of unique in that so much of the industry is temporary. Even in a hit show you maybe get 5 or 6 years except for Bonanza or Gunsmoke (laughs). I think you could look at All My Children as the “bonanza” of soap operas. One of the cool things about getting to work with someone like Cady McClain is that so much of soaps (because they’re so fast) is chemistry, a sort of chemistry that you have to figure out as you go along with your fellow actors and then they very quickly tune in on it.

All My Children - Liza (Jamie Luner) sadly confided in Tad (Michael E. Knight) that her bonding with Bailey had Colby feeling left out (ABC/Lorenzo Bevilaqua)
In the old days, 20 years ago, there was a longer period of character development. They would bring characters along very slowly. As we went along there was less and less time for that. I noticed they would bring on major characters very quickly and characters that had only been on the canvas a short period of time would be handed major storylines very quickly. Sometimes the characters worked and sometimes they didn’t. The character would come on, work a lot, and then sort of disappear.
Some of the fondest things I remember are some of the character actors I thought were so wonderful; first and foremost being Jill Larson who plays Opal. I have a glowing respect for her. I go back to people like Billy Clyde Tuggle, Phoebe, Myrtle, and Langley. There was sort of a more rounded ensemble. That was when the budgets were bigger and you had room for character actors. As things have become leaner and meaner over the years basically there has been a stripping away of characters that drive story.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): Do the writers give you free rein when it comes to adlibbing?
Michael E. Knight: No, the writers have been pretty damn good to me (laughs). I’m not going to say that I don’t occasionally throw in a one-liner, but everything is so structured and the writers have been very good to me over the years, developing situations in which to put the character so that I could sort of come up with something … but I’d say we are pretty loose.
One of the people I love working with because he’s very similar in style is Ricky Paull Goldin who plays Jake. He is probably one of the most fluid actors I’ve ever worked with. He’s a thrill ride because you never know what you’re going to get (laughs). He’s so fun and inspiring to work with. I’d say over the last few years he’s been one of the bright spots on the docket for me for sure.
For a while there the Martins kept getting thinned out, then they brought Jake back and Ricky has such a wonderful presence on screen. He has a very unique and eccentric style that I think serves the overall canvas of the show really well.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): It does appear at times like your banter with Ricky is not exactly scripted.
Michael E. Knight: Oh, we love to throw curves at each other all of the time.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): Ricky is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor this year.
Michael E. Knight: I was really thrilled about that. I really wanted him to get it. As a matter of fact, I was upstairs when I cast my ballot to the associate producer and said, “Is there any way I can just vote for Ricky?” I’m thrilled that we got some nominations.
Michael Park had been a friend of mine and Catherine’s in New York and it was very touching to see him win the Best Actor Emmy the year the show (As the World Turns) was cancelled. It’s kind of a unique little curtain call. I’m hoping that happens for Ricky.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): Do you think that All My Children and One Life to Live will take home more Emmys because of the cancellations?
Michael E. Knight: Well, you wonder, especially with the legacy of 42 years if that’s not in the back of the minds of the people voting, but I don’t think it’s a deciding factor. It might have something to do with it, I don’t know. I never sat on a Blue Ribbon panel … well actually I was a voter a couple of years back.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): You recently celebrated a birthday so Happy Belated!
Michael E. Knight: Thank you very much.

All My Children - Tad (Michael E. Knight) and Erica (Susan Lucci) hear the jury find Adam not guilty on all counts due to diminished capacity (ABC/Jeff Neira)
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): Do you think with age comes wisdom?
Michael E. Knight: I think with age comes humility and with humility comes wisdom.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): And then comes the dying of the hair (laughs).
Michael E. Knight: I colored my hair for a while back in the 90s. I think if my fans are devoted enough to keep me on for 30 years they can handle a little snow on the roof (laughs).
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): I think it looks distinguished. Do you receive many marriage proposals from fans?
Michael E. Knight: (laughs) Not in a long time. But I’ve got to say I can’t say enough about the fans. They are so dynamic even with the slap in the face of the cancellation and the sad news. I was real honored to see the amount of energy the fans poured into the Internet, Twitter, and all of those things. You really do get a sense of how close they hold their beloved soaps. They’ve been amazing.
I’ve worked for many regimes over 30 years and the fact is more than a couple of them had been convinced that I’d reached my expiration date and that Tad wasn’t really doing too much for the canvas. The only thing (and I mean it came down to the wire a couple of times) that kept that from happening was the direct response from fans when they would do focus groups.
The audience fights hard for the people that they associate with Pine Valley, this place that was created so brilliantly by Agnes Nixon. You really have to push it back to the early days, the 70s and 80s. You have this small mythic town somewhere where people kept their back doors open at night and everybody knew everybody’s business.
I know that personally I can never repay what I owe to the loyal viewers that watch the show that really kept Tad there because for a long time for a few years, it could have gone either way. If I’m around, it’s directly because of the people who watch the show.
I’ll be interested to see if the people who have been so wonderful to watch for 42 years are going to be looking for a new soap or if in fact, when you break that cycle they say, “No, I was married once and that was enough for me and I had my one soap.” But I know I want to send a major thank you and a lot of love out to people who watch the show. Thanks for Tad because if it weren’t for them I certainly would not be here now.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): You have to have the talent to last also, Michael.
Michael E. Knight: Well a lot of people have talent. You never know what’s going to click. It’s really very strange because I’ve known wonderful actors who have come through the doors and revolved out. It’s sort of this magic that happens. You never know what’s going to happen. I’ve got to say that this was one of the luckiest things that ever happened to me.
I was a wallflower growing up and all of a sudden at 22 years old I’m playing this kid who is sleeping with both the girl down the street and her mother and the audience is just eating it up. I’m on the sidelines thinking, “Well this is surreal.” But everything around me came together. I was working with just amazing people like Marcy Walker, Kim Delaney, and Dorothy Lyman. These were really the glory days for me on All My Children.
It was like lightning in a bottle and I just happened to be in the right place. It made enough of a social imprint or cultural imprint that I was able to surf the wave for 30 years. It was luck. You do have to have talent, you’ve got to get your foot in the door, but you still never know. I’ve been lucky.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): I’ve spoken with many actors who praise daytime television as being a training ground for their craft.
Michael E. Knight: Well, again it’s a blessing and a curse because you learn to work very quickly and you learn to trust working on your feet. There was a wonderful man I worked with for 10 years in New York called Alan Savage who sort of turned me around because if you get used to working so quickly you tend to become kind of presentational.
There is nothing more interesting than watching two people trying to negotiate their way out of a problem either in plot, character, or relationship. So you do get good at thinking on your feet, but at the same time you are doing a storyline. You may get handed a lot of pages in a day but the story you’re working on makes its own kind of psychological imprint on you. When they develop the story it’s like you’re not starting from scratch, whereas if you walk into a play or movie or episodic thing on TV you’re starting from scratch so you’re basically sort of creating the scene in your mind from the ground up.
In soaps you’re part of a storyline that’s moving forward. So it’s not as daunting as you would think. It can be taxing at times. You walk in and get 60 pages in a day and it’s going to be tough, but then again you’re doing a storyline you know and you’re working with actors that you know so you develop on the job skills.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): Will you be taping through August?
Michael E. Knight: I believe our last tape date is September 2. As to whether or not we go through that, I don’t know.
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): It has to be a weird feeling to know that there will be a last day. How do you and the other actors handle that on a daily basis?
Michael E. Knight: We’re working really hard because we have a 3-week hiatus in July so the work schedule is very intense here in California. It’s in the back of your mind, though. It will be surreal for many people as the day approaches.
I think in that last week of August a lot of people really aren’t going to know how to deal, but right now we’re just busy trying to keep it going, you know what I’m saying? We know it’s there. We got the announcement and it was like, “Okay, I’ll deal with that later because I have so much to do first.”
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): Michael, how would you describe your overall experience at All My Children?
Michael E. Knight: Good question … God has really been good to me. You know, it’s always easier to see your faults with 20/20 hindsight. I don’t mean to get spiritual on you, but I think we’re here basically to do something. We’re here to learn some kind of lesson. I tend to be a spiritual person. I come from a spiritual background, my parents were spiritual and I believe we are here to learn a lesson or series of lessons.
I came into this industry with certain ideas and certain expectations. Everybody in life, if you’re lucky enough to be on the planet long enough, reach some sort of personal crisis. You get to a point where you think, “Is this it or am I missing something? Have I done everything I wanted to?”
I had a marriage to a very dear woman who is one of my greatest friends in the world. I think what makes life interesting is not the things that do work but the things that don’t work. I have had this blessing under me. It has been like working with a circus net. I don’t know how to describe it. I’ve either gone through parts where everything was sunshine and rainbows or parts that were not so good and were very challenging.
Throughout it all I was able to make a living. I was able to go to work with people that respected me (not all but most of them), people that I loved, and got to play a character that seemed to matter. I just can’t help but feel that somebody was looking out after me for a long time because I had something that most people on the planet don’t. I had this thing that I could rely on with a constant that was a source of affirmation, a source of appreciation, a source of respect.
I started out thinking, “Oh, it’s just a soap.” But looking back I’m thinking that I’m the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet just to have been a part of this thing. It really was a cultural phenomenon and you see it changing now because the world is changing, we’re changing, and so is television, networks, and production.
I think it sounds ridiculous to hear myself say this, but to be part of the golden era of daytime television has really been a singular experience. If you had told me when I was 22 years old and was cast that I would be doing the same character now at this age … well, all I can say is, “Gee, these people are willing to pay me for what I love doing.”
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): At 22 years old, who showed you the ropes at All My Children?
Michael E. Knight: Dorothy Lyman was a major figure in my life when I started out. I was just amazed at how creative and fearless she was with her character. She said, “Honey, there ain’t no reruns on this thing. It’s a soap opera. If you’ve got some, bring it!” So she challenged me a little bit.
I always thought David Canary was one of the most dignified people I’d ever known. I used to look up to him when I was young and think that if I could carry myself with that kind of dignity and purpose and grace 20 or 30 years down the road I’d be satisfied. I don’t know if I have done that, but I do have the hair (laughs).
Melissa Parker (Smashing Interviews Magazine): Michael, are you settled in LA now or would you like to move back to New York?
Michael E. Knight: I don’t know. I’ve counted on a job for so long I don’t know where the future will take me but I’m amenable. We’ll see. I think that if I’m going to be out of work it’s better to be out here. It’s kind of like, “Okay, the show is going down, but you’re still in LA.” We’ll see what happens.
© 2011 Smashing Interviews Magazine. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written consent of the publisher.
Very nice interview with Michael. It was nice to be able to hears his memories and views.
Michael knight would be perfect for Regis. He has the right mix of intelligence and humor.
Great suggestion.
I totally agree with noah. I miss seeing Michael every week-day. I love Kelly Rippa and would love to see those two co-host together.
Wonderful interview. I was so happy he mentioned my best friend of 32 years Matthew Cowles who played Billy Clyde Tuggle. I know Matthew thinks a lot of Michael E. Knight. I remember very well Dec. 1990 when Billy Clyde fell to his death after he and Tad fight on the bridge. Matthew told me about that. How he and Michael sat and watched the stunt people finish up the stunts. So cool. So many wonderful memories. I wish Michael E. Knight all the success in the world.
Please Michael apply for Regis's position. You would be perfect for this spot and we still would see you five times a week. "Live with Micheal and Kelly" sounds Great!
All the best to you. You have always been my favorite character on AMC and have watched over 30 years.
I think that Michael would make an EXCELLENT replacement for Regis!
DEFINITELY! Micheal, this was such a great interview. I have been a fan of yours since the eighties. Keep on keepin on!
"Live with Michael and Kelly" sounds fantastic. And a great coup for All My Children. I might decide to watch ABC again if he is Regis' replacement.
Go for it Michael!!!!!!!
Great Idea! Michael is the reason I started watching AMC 28 years ago. I don't think he likes to be that public with his personal life for the LIVE show though. But would love it if he were the cohost!
I so agree!!! He would be perfect for the spot!!
He has my vote !! I would watch every day for that !!
I just recently became a viewer of All My Children again with the addition of Lindsay Hartley to the cast, having only watched AMC for a few months in 2009. I remembered liking Michael E. Knight's character at the time, and I've become a big fan all over again! Even though I don't know much about his history as Tad on the show, I just love his chemistry with Lindsay Hartley and have been thrilled with the Tad/Cara/Jake storyline. Thanks so much for this terrific interview with Michael. I wish him all the best, and I sure hope it's not that long a time before he's on the screen again somewhere.
To MEK if he should see this.
The lucky ones are us the fans, you have brought laughter, tears, and just plain happiness to us everytime you have graced the screen. I have watched AMC since it's first show and I have never missed one. I hated it while you were gone, but all was right again when you returned. I pray that someone picks up AMC and everyone can stay. There are so many of us who are hanging in there with hope. We just can't imagine our day without all of you. Brian Frons is wrong, reality tv isn't what we want. And the younger set don't want it either. It's like a desease, it is everywhere and you can't get rid of it. He needs to read the comments on Soap Central. Cheaper doesn't mean better. You get what you pay for. I agree with you that the rating process is outdated. People have to DVR for many reasons. It doesn't mean we aren't watching. Even if AMC went to cable and we had to pay for it, we would.
We wish each and everyone with the show from the actors to the crew the very best and pray that something good works out.
What ever or where ever Mikey goes or does from here on out will be FANTASTIC as GOD has truly blessed this talanted man with a very special gift of entertaining people with his whole heart. Many many blessing to you Mikey now and forever you will always remain in my heart!
xoxoxx
Carla Kujawa #1 OREGON FAN!
Michael is truly a class act. I wish him well in the future and I will really miss having Tad Martin on my screen.
SO SAD TO HEAR THAT MY SOAP AMC IS BEING CANCELLED.
MIKEY YOU ARE NOW, AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MY FAVORITE…SINCE YOU DECLARE YOU HAVE BEEN ON THE SHOW 42 YEARS, AND I AM NOW 75… THAT MEANS THAT I HAVE BEEN WATCHING SINCE I WAS 34! I WISH YOU ONLY THE BEST MY CHILD. MAY YOU BE BLESSED TO HAVE AS MANY MORE GOOD YEARS THAT YOU DESERVE.
omg, Michael, you have got to be so many different ppl's absolute Fav Character on AMC. This interview made me cry, as to me you have kept this show alive with your crazy antics and busting wit!
I personally remember meeting you and Dack Rambo (aka Steve Jacoby) at Geauga Lake (ohio amusement park) back in the 80's and my friend and i were so impressed. We had bumped into you before the show and you talked to us as if you just met 2 ladies at the mall or something, had us laughing at your quick wit and great sense of humor.
I wish you nothing but the best and please dont stay away from our television screens, there would be too much "taddy withdrawal" to handle……….Love and Luck…….your No 1 fan in Cleveland
Tad has always been my favorite actor on AMC since I was 5. I used to have a crush on him when I was really young. He really is such a big part of the show and it wouldn't have been the same without him. I hope that another network or cable station will step up and see the millions of fans that would watch AMC wherever it goes. Great interview! Sad to think of it ending and especially a slap in the face to a show like The Chew. That is such an insult to the cast, crew and viewers.
THIS IS REALLY SAD AND I CAN'T EVEN DEAL WITH THE THOUGHT OF NOT TURNING NO ALL MY CHILDREN AT THE END OF MY CRAZY DAYS (DVR) AND WATCH MY FAVORITE SHOW. IT IS MY ESCAPE FROM EVERYTHING AND THE ONLY SHOW THAT MAKES ME FORGET ALL THE STRESS IN LIFE. I AM SO SAD FOR ALL THE RETIRED, SENIORS, DISABLED AND PEOPLE THAT ARE IN A POSITION WHERE TV IS THERE MAIN JOY AND THOSE WHO DEDICATED 40+ YEARS TO THIS SHOW. IT BREAKS MY HEART TO SEE MY PARENT AND GRANDPARENTS BE UPSET. I HATE HEARING ON THE FACEBOOK BLOGS HOW PEOPLE ARE STUCK IN BED WITH MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEMS AND THEY LOOK FORWARD EVERYDAY TO THEIR SOAPS. I AM HEARTBROKEN BUT FEEL EVEN WORSE FOR SOME OTHERS. I REALLY FEEL THIS WAS ALL A CORPORATE GREED ISSUE AND MIKE BEING A GREAT GUY KEPT HIMSELF REFRAINED FROM SOME OF THE THINGS I'M SURE HE WOULD LOVE TO SAY. THE NEILSON RATINGS ARE WRONG AND IF WE ALL WERE COUNTED THIS WOULDN'T BE HAPPENING. I THINK IF THE NETWORKS WANTED TO KNOW THE REAL TRUTH THAN THEY WOULD KNOW THE REAL RATINGS BUT THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO FOOL SPONSORS SO THEY CAN POCKET THEIR MONEY WHILE PAYING FOR CHEAP GARBAGE TV. I WILL NOT BE WATCHING ABC/DISNEY ANYMORE THE DAY AMC ENDS. I ONLY WATCH IT NOW BUT I DO SUPPORT THE OTHER TWO SHOWS IN SUPPORT OF THOSE VIEWERS BUT MY HEART IS WITH AMC. IT IS WHY I AM FIGHTING TO KEEP THE SOAPS. THE FANS WON'T GIVE UP ON AMC.
Great interview…I've watched every AMC episode and will miss all the characters. Michael can count me in as someone who will watch and support anything he does.
Michael I watched you grow as an actor and as a child into a man. it started when Joe and Ruth found you in the park, your wild ways as a teenager, your deep love of Dixie , to your closeness with Cara. You will truly be missed
I wanted to ask you Who's a Better Wife Cara Dixie or Krystal or Both Actor's That PLayed Liza Colby. Oh Happy Father's Day to all The Father's on AMC & Were Going to Miss you all after Jan. But We Has Fan Ever Going to Give Up!
Speaking of chemistry . . .Michael with Susan Pratt (Barbara Montgomery). Don't think I've ever laughed so hard and so often when they had onscreen time. Someone said it was too much like "Moonlighting" to keep the two together, but fanTAStic while it lasted. Maybe he'll do more stage work: his "Wrong Turn at Lungfish" off-Broadway (with Calista Flockhart) and the Broadway play he did with Linda Lavin were superb!! Continued great success, Michael. You'll be incredible in anything you do!! A Fan since 1975!!
OMG! What are we going to do without AMC & OLTL? And all of the Actors and Actresses we grew to Love?
They became a big part of my life and I'm sure as with everyone else.
I still think it's a big, HUGE mistake but no one listens to the fans…. 🙁
I'm seriously thinking of switching TV stations when they close our favorite Soaps…..In fact, I'm going to be so beside myself that I know I will not watch ABC again….
I always said that Soap Stars have the hardest jobs of all.
A sitcom is usually once a week, so they learn their lines and the show goes on.
A movie is approx. 2 hours long, so you tape that and then release it.
BUT, Soap Stars? Have a situation that calls for every day acting (5 days a week) and even though they are taped too, They have the hardest Jobs of all because it is constant and sort of around the clock year after year of the same thing, where that isn't the case for the Sitcoms and Movies.
I have and give the Highest Admiration to Soap STARS…..: )
They are just the BEST….
I LOVE you all for your fantastic Talent and your years of the highest pleasurable entertainment there is….
In my Book, There is nothing like a Soap and nothing will ever come remotely near it.
God Bless all of you for entertaining all of us….
BTW, The Writers of these soaps must also get every bit of recognition & Admiration for their outstanding Job.
It's going to be so very hard to deal with this after being a Huge part of our lives….
sorry u r taking all my children off. U would be better off getting rid of david hayward,amanda marting, J R chandler and get rid of the story line with the fake Erica. Let the hospital go back to greenlee. Lose the girl that gave up her baby and let angie and jessie hubbard keep the baby with out having to look over their shoulder all the time. bring dixie back once and for all. let cara go with jake. get rid of liza. put krystal with cortlandt. palmers nephew deffinitely keep AMC on the air. Lots of people watch the show and enjoy it. Let Kendall get together with the new doctor who is cara's brother.
Lovely man, lovely article. He's made me adore Tad over and over throughout the years. I hope that the show does survive and thrive online so that maybe it can make the move back to TV one day. I think Michael's idea of 6pm dramas is very interesting also–let's see if the networks are doing any active listing out there. . .
I read today that Michael is leaning towards not contiuing on AMC when it goes on the net. He has and always will be my fave character, I will be heartbroken to lose my almost daily dose of him. I met him at Super Soap Weekend a few years ago and I was SO thrilled, he truly is a great guy. I have watched AMC since '79-'80 and can't imagine life without it.
Loved the interview with Michael. He has been my favorite character for 40 years. When I was working I always kept up by recording every episode. It's interesting and rewarding to see his character grow and become such a good guy, like his screen father, Joe. It's made me love him all the more. All My Children has always been my other family, where I could retreat and enjoy the joys and problems of the lives. I'll truly miss them. Here's hoping someone with deep pockets will grab the show and keep it going.
Great interview with Michael Knight. He must be very much like his character, Tad Martin. I have watched AMC from the very firt show and am sick to know that ABC is ending it's run. What a HUGE, HUGE MISTAKE FOR ABC! It is just unimaginable to think of not following the AMC story lines as they have evolved into so many peoples relatable lives. Michael is such a fan favorite. I have loved him thru all his many changes – his love/hate relationship with the original Liza Colby, his affair with Marion, his devotion to his sister, Jenny, played by Kim Delaney. I so related to his relationship with Jenny as I have the same closeness with my brother, who has just been diagnosed with stage four cancer. Michael is a fantastic actor, although I feel his character in real life has the same wonderful qualities that make him so loveable, crazy funny and just a warm-hearted sweetie. No one can "act" that good! It is ironic that many other characters have been replaced by other actors but NO ONE ON EARTH COULD EVER REPLACE MICHAEL E. KNIGHT AS TAD MARTIN. I was so hoping that Oprah would continue AMC on the OWN network. She has always been a fan and I remember well her quest appearance on AMC and have seen every show she has done with many of the AMC actors. Such a great cast of characters. I can not mention AMC without singing the praises of Susan Luci. Erica Cain is the other irreplaceable icon from AMC. There are just not words to describe Susan Luci's acting career throughtout the years. Her many Emmy nominations with only one win blew my mind. I take it that there must be many people in the industry who are green with envy over a character actress who, from the beginning, has made AMC the show it is today. She is an amazing petite powerhouse who just never seems to age! My 89 year old Mother loves Susan Luci's energy and contributes her forever young persona to her zest for life and the smile she always seems to have – even in the face of adversity. It is obvious that rating polls need an overhaul with all the millions of AMC fans who are outraged by this decision. If their were call-in votes, like the infamous American Idol(of which I am a big fan), ABC might wake up to the true number of devoted fan of this show and its cast! I want to say thank you with all my heart to every cast member to ever grace the AMC stage throughout the years, the talented Agnes Nixon and everyone ever associated with AMC. GREAT DEDICATION AND HARD WORK IS APPRECIATED! You are so respected and loved. I just pray someone has the good insight to continue the AMC saga. Many hearts are breaking. You are taping your last show on Sept.2, my 55th birthday. If I could have two wishes granted me, it would be that God would heal my brother and let him live. He is such a funny, kind, wonderful and caring person – so much like Michael Knights character, Tad Martin. Having lost my father at 38 to cancer when I was just 18 months old, it is heartbreaking to think that I will loose my only brother who has so much to give to the world in the kindness and goodness born in his soul. Wake up ABC and realize that life, love and family are more important than money and ratings. AMC is more than just a soap opera to those who watch it everyday. We are inspired by it's characters and uplifted by their storylines. It's relatable – what more reality does TV NEED!!
Michael…Should you have the time to read all these messages (and I hope you don't cause you are so busy getting fitted for Regis Philbin's chair next to Kelly) be aware this will serve as a warning/promise – you are on the radar big guy. Your fans will be bugging the powers that be to see this happen. Seriously, who would be better to make Kelly laugh and know what to say as a comeback to her bantering? Regis, bless his heart, never quite knows where she is heading with something/anything and you, dear heart, could zing the ball right back across the net to her!! Believe me, we did the same thing when Kelly tried out for the show – see what happened there!
Think it over….NYC is still the greatest, even with the weather – that's what big vacations written into the contract are all about. Hope you get to see this, cause there will be lots more from lots more people who know what they like on television and that is where you come in. No bs – I'm just stating a fact. Pack your bags and come on home. I'm not ready to see Tad the Cad on the back burner…I'm ready to see MEK flying high and keeping his pack of happy women glowing!! Love Ya always….
I've been watching since the beginning! I cannot believe that you are taking this great show off of the air! What in God's name are you thinking! That we need one more reality show or talk show or game show is ridiculous!
Whomever the executive is who made this decision should be evaluated! I am sad beyond words. I love the actors who have played in this show for all the years. I have met a few. It is a sad day that I won't forget easily!I REALLY WISH THAT YOU WOULD RECONSIDER YOUR DECISION .
This is a note that I sent to ABC. Years ago I met you in Reading,PA. I told you I didn't want anything from you just to thank you for all the years I have enjoyed your talent. YOu seemed fairly surprised at my response. Well, again, THank you for all that you have given to us through Tad Martin for all the years! I wish you were going to continue on that show, but, all the best to you and yours. Much appreciation.
We loose this treasure over a cooking show!! Like watching paint dry.
Michaels' character Tad was the one whom got along with everyone. He was at times an effective "emollient" between confrontational parties. Casuallly cool, affable, compassionate. A class act and gracious man
Michael, I was sorry to see the show end. Someone suggested you should try to fill Regis spot, that's not a bad idea. I was wondering, what ever happen to ED (don't know his real name). He played the police officer, and I think he was married to Carla on the show. It would be nice if you can send me his real name, so I can read anything about him. Thanks!
"I think in that last week of August a lot of people really aren’t going to know how to deal, but right now we’re just busy trying to keep it going, you know what I’m saying? We know it’s there. We got the announcement and it was like, “Okay, I’ll deal with that later because I have so much to do first.” "
Michael (Tad) above is your statment; however it was I and my fellow emploees thinking & saying the same things as our company (worked for 23 yrs) were going through exactly the same thing, the date was different but the emotions the same. It's been a few months now and i can freely say i'm pissed! Pissed at all the money grubbing Co's in todays society.
Who do we contact to get AMC back on the air ???
May i suggest you gather all cast members, combine forces, assets, friends and associates and start your own AMC net work TV show? We will watch, i promise.
ITS 12/22/2011 AND TAD {MICHAEL KNIGHT} JUST WALKED INTO MY MOMS STORE IN MASSACHUSETTS!!!!! SO EXCITED. WHAT A NICE HUMBLE PERSONALITY ON THAT MAN. HAPPY HOLIDAYS ALL MY CHILDREN. I WILL MISS YOU…
Watched since the beginning,loved this soap. ABC has disappointed me. I don't care for The Chew.
In the 1970's as a young military bride far from my own extended family, "All My Children" was the family I could tune into each day and feel like I was home. The characters were like family and Tad in particlar was a favorite because of his wit and charm. I never missed an episode even when it meant racing home from work for lunch and missing the first few minutes and the last few minutes to have time to get back to work. When VCR's first came into use, that was the show I taped and watched every evening. When DVRs came into use, I switched to that method but I never missed a show. When our local station would preempt it for some extended news flash, I subscribed to Soapnet so I could tape it that night and watch it later. I rarely got to watch it live so if the network executives think their only audience was those able to be home at noon, they are thinking only of the tip of the iceberg they can see, not the massive mountain hidden under water.
The Nielson people need to figure out how to get accurate data that reflects today's world of working people who record and watch programs as they are able. I've had as many as 40 programs recorded and waiting for time to watch. It doesn't mean I'm not watching, only that I'm watching when I have time.
I deeply miss All My Children. Tad and the other characters were like family. To watch them work through their problems and triumphs allowed me to feel like part of their family in some small way. I have not and do not intend to watch reality TV as I find just the promos alone vapid, back-biting, shallow and not worth my time.
The executives need to think why would a show continue to have devoted viewers after 40 YEARS if it wasn't worth watching. And can they point to any other programs that have lasted that long? No. Soaps allow viewers to develop a long-term relationship with the characters. They allowed the characters time to grow and evolve.
Maybe someone will bring it to cable or late night TV. If it should come back, I will be one of the first to set it up for daily recording and once again feel home in Pine Valley.
Thanks, Michael, for all you brought to the show. You are a treasure.
It would be great if All My Children would return as a late afternoon/evening soap. As mentioned in the interview, with more women working during the day, the audience has declined. Bring the soap to the evening hours and I believe you will find the ratings would go back up. I am a big fan of Michael E. Knight. He brought so much life to the Tad Martin character and I never tired of watching scenes that Michael played in. I wish him luck wherever his career takes him.
Replacing Regis would be fantastic.
I love this talented actor, M.N. I was one of the lucky ones to have met him once in West Orange, NJ, a comedy club. He's a very humble and very pleasant, needless to mention, handsome man. I have a picture with him which I cherish.
Best of Luck to you Michael! I will miss you in AMC.
Michelle
The article offered substantial insight into the private side of a man I always wanted to know better. What he has presented to the world is a humble man of substantial humor (sexiest thing in my mind) who genuinely seems to love people and his chosen profession.
I don't think there is much hope of revitalizing AMC. I hope life continues to bring you excitement, Michael. Stay in LA and enjoy your brothers, nephews & the sunshine!
I watched AMC since 1970 even though I am only 3 years older than yourself. I pray your angel finds you the perfect perch on TV so we can see you again soon!
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