Al Corley

Al Corley is an American actor, singer, and producer who appeared on Broadway in 1978 in Taxi Tales. Born Alford Corley, he is best known for originating the role of Steven Carrington on the 1980s soap opera Dynasty and for his 1984 hit single "Square Rooms."

In the late 1970s, Corley worked as a doorman at Studio 54 to fund his studies at the Actors Studio. He later recounted those experiences in a VH1 Behind the Music special dedicated to the club. His Broadway credit, Taxi Tales, dates to this same period of his early career.

Corley became the first actor to portray Steven Carrington on Dynasty. He departed the series at the close of its second season in 1982, having publicly expressed frustration in Interview magazine over the character's lack of humor and what he described as Steven's ever-shifting sexual preferences, adding that he wished to pursue other projects. The role was subsequently recast with Jack Coleman in 1983, with the change in the character's appearance explained within the show as the result of plastic surgery following an oil rig explosion. Coleman held the part through 1988, but Corley returned to play Steven in the 1991 miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion when Coleman was unavailable due to scheduling conflicts. In 1983, Corley also appeared in the short-lived soap opera Bare Essence, playing the love interest of Genie Francis. He later co-starred with his former Dynasty castmate Pamela Sue Martin in the 1985 film Torchlight. Over the course of his screen career, Corley acted in fourteen films and produced five.

As a recording artist, Corley released his debut album Square Rooms in 1984. Its title single reached number one in France in 1985, number six in Switzerland, number twelve in Italy, number thirteen in Germany, number fifteen in Austria, and number eighty in the United States. That same year, he released "Cold Dresses," which also performed strongly in France, peaking at number five. His second album, Riot of Color, followed in 1986, and a third album, Big Picture, was released in 1988.

In his personal life, Corley had a brief romance with singer Carly Simon prior to his marriage. He appeared, with his back to the camera, alongside Simon in the cover art for her 1981 album Torch. In 1989, he married German actress Jessika Cardinahl; the couple have three children. Corley resides in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.