John McCook

John Thomas McCook, born June 20, 1944, is an American actor whose career has spanned Broadway, television, and musical theatre. He is best known for his long-running role as Eric Forrester on the CBS daytime drama The Bold and the Beautiful, a part he has held since the series premiered in March 1987.

McCook's professional beginnings were rooted in musical theatre. In 1964, he appeared on Broadway in West Side Story, and it was during a production of that same musical that he was discovered by Jack Warner. Following that breakthrough, he signed with Universal Studios, though his early career was interrupted by two years of service in the United States Army.

His television career gained its first significant foothold when he was cast as Lance Prentiss on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, a role he held from October 1975 to February 1980. He departed when the series expanded to an hour-long format. In March 1987, McCook joined The Bold and the Beautiful as Eric Forrester, debuting in the show's first episode. He and castmate Katherine Kelly Lang, who plays Brooke Logan, are the two longest-serving actors on the series.

McCook received Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2001, 2012, and 2018 for his portrayal of Forrester. In 2022, he won the award in that category, his first win after four nominations total.

In his personal life, McCook was previously married to dancer and actress Juliet Prowse from 1972 to 1979, with whom he has one son, Seth, born in August 1972. Since 1980, he has been married to former actress Laurette Spang. Together they have three children: Jake Thomas, born 1981; Rebecca Jeanne, born 1983; and Molly, born July 30, 1990, who has also pursued acting. McCook resides with his family in the Greater Los Angeles Area.