Don Hastings facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Don Hastings
Hastings as the Video Ranger on DuMont's Captain Video and His Video Rangers
Born	(1934-04-01) April 1, 1934 (age 91) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actor singer screenwriter
Years active	1940–2010
Spouse(s)	Nan Hastings ​ ​ (m. 1957, divorced)​ Leslie Denniston ​ (m. 1980)​
Children	4
Relatives	Bob Hastings (brother)

Donald Francis Michael Hastings (born April 1, 1934) is an American actor, singer, and writer. He is best known for playing Dr. Robert "Bob" Hughes for 50 years. This role was on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. He acted in the show from 1960 to 2010.

For his work on As the World Turns, Hastings won an Editor's Award in 1998. He also received a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. In the 1940s, he appeared in several plays on Broadway. These included I Remember Mama and Summer and Smoke. He also starred as the Video Ranger on Captain Video and His Video Rangers from 1949 to 1955. Later, he played Jack Lane on the CBS soap opera The Edge of Night.

Don Hastings: A Long Acting Career

Early Life and First Roles

Don Hastings was born on April 1, 1934, in Brooklyn, New York. His older brother, Bob Hastings, was also an actor. Don started his career at just six years old. He went to watch his brother perform on a radio show. The show's producers found out Don could sing. They asked him to try out for a part. He won his first role, singing on a radio show called Coast to Coast on a Bus.

Becoming a Child Star

In 1941, Don Hastings joined a national tour of the play Life with Father. He traveled across the U.S. by train with the acting company. He was seven years old when he started and ten when he finished. He made his first appearance on Broadway in 1944. This was in the play I Remember Mama. He then got another Broadway role in On Whitman Avenue. He also played Young John in Summer and Smoke. This play opened in 1948.

From 1949 to 1955, Hastings played the Video Ranger. This was Captain Video's teenage friend. He was on the DuMont TV show, Captain Video and His Video Rangers. He played one of the first TV superheroes made for kids.

In the 1940s and 1950s, he appeared on many TV and radio shows. These included The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre, The Magic Cottage, and Studio One.

From Radio to Soap Operas

In 1956, Hastings was cast as Jack Lane. This was on the CBS soap opera, The Edge of Night. He spoke the very first line in the show's first episode. He stayed on the show for four and a half years. In 1960, Irna Phillips saw his acting. She was the head writer for another CBS soap opera, As the World Turns. She thought he would be perfect for the role of Dr. Bob Hughes.

In October 1960, Hastings appeared in his last two episodes of The Edge of Night. He also appeared in his first two episodes of As the World Turns. The role of Bob had been played by other actors before him. In his early years on the show, he was a romantic partner to Lisa Miller. Later, he found true love with Kim Sullivan.

Hastings also tried writing scripts. He wrote for Another World and As the World Turns. He even wrote for Guiding Light. As a writer, he used the name J.J. Matthews. This name came from his children's names. He later decided to focus only on acting. He found writing too stressful.

Awards and Achievements

In 1965, Hastings was offered a role on Days of Our Lives. But he turned it down. He was happy working on As the World Turns. In 1977, he performed with his co-star, Kathryn Hays. Their show was called Hastings & Hays On Love. They would talk and sing about love.

In 1993, he received a Silver Circle Award. This was from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. It honored his many years in television. Hastings and Kathryn Hays won the Editor's Award in 1998. This was at the Soap Opera Digest Awards. He received a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.

The show As the World Turns was canceled in December 2009. In the final episode, on September 17, 2010, Dr. Bob Hughes retired. Hastings spoke the very last line of the series: "Good Night." The show had started in 1956 with Nancy Hughes saying, "Good morning, dear."

Don Hastings held a record for a long time. He was the longest continuous actor in TV soap opera history. This record lasted until November 2010. His co-star, Helen Wagner, held the record for the longest non-continuous role. She played Nancy Hughes from 1956 until her death in 2010.

Life Outside Acting

Hastings married his first wife, Nan, in 1957. They had two daughters and a son. They later divorced.

He met actress Leslie Denniston when she acted briefly on As the World Turns. They got married in 1980. They have a daughter, born in 1982.

His son Matthew has worked in show business since 1999. He is a writer, director, and producer.

His older brother, actor Bob Hastings, passed away in 2014. He was 89 years old.

Recognitions and Awards