Alan Dysert

Alan Dysert died on Friday 23 October 2026, aged 75. His wife, Michele, announced his death in a Facebook post on Sunday 25 October, writing that her heart was broken and that he had faced more than his share of health challenges over the years while continuing to approach life with determination, humour and gratitude. She did not disclose a cause of death, and the place of death was not reported.

News of his death was reported by People, Page Six and other outlets on 26 October. His longtime agent, Melinda Eisnagule, told People that his death was a loss to the acting community and that he had made the industry and the world a better place with his positive energy and kindness. Michele asked those who knew him to remember him with a smile and share a favourite story, in keeping with the wish he expressed in his memoir.

Alan Dysert was born on 12 June 1951 in Vermilion County, Illinois, in the east of the state near the Indiana border. He was raised on a farm, and his wife later described his "humble beginnings as a farm boy in Illinois". The Vermilion County Museum lists him among notable people from the Danville area as a native of Oakwood.

He attended the University of Illinois, where he studied television arts and earned a degree in mass communications. After graduating he worked for a time in real estate before trying stand-up comedy, which led him towards acting.

Dysert made his television acting debut in 1978 on the ABC sitcom Soap. Shortly afterwards he was cast in All My Children as Sean Cudahy, a devious but humorous con man. He first appeared in the role in 1980 and made his last appearance in 1990; People reported a total of 79 episodes. In a 1981 interview with People he said he loved the part and that his scenes were written better than much of nighttime television.

According to his own professional biography, the role put him on the cover of People magazine and made him a regular guest on talk shows including Regis and Kathie Lee, Sally Jessy Raphael and The Merv Griffin Show, and he co-hosted The Mike Douglas Show. He also worked in prime time television, film and national commercials, with credits for brands including Toyota, Chrysler and Atari, and he produced and hosted the six part series Behind the Scenes at All My Children.

In Tennessee he wrote, produced and directed two hour multimedia shows for The Ronnie Milsap Theater and The Lee Greenwood Theater, and produced Home to the Ryman for the Holidays, featuring Martina McBride, Emmylou Harris and Steve Wariner. He founded The Actor's School in Franklin, near Nashville, offering classes in acting for film and stage, commercials, voice-over, improvisation, singing and writing. He became known as an acting coach for Nashville recording artists, preparing them for music videos, and he also worked as a speaker and trainer for business audiences. His Fight the Fear programme drew on his own long struggle with stage fright to help people overcome their fear of performing and public speaking.

Dysert was married to Michele Dysert, who described their relationship as "the love of a lifetime" and said the couple loved travelling and laughing together. He had two sons, Cody and Cooper.

In 2023 he published an autobiography, Lights, Camera, Cancer!, in which he disclosed that he had been diagnosed with a rare, aggressive and incurable cancer. The book described four major cancer related surgeries, one recurrence, many rounds of chemotherapy and 29 CT scans. In it he wrote that he wanted his children, grandchildren, family and friends to celebrate his life rather than mourn his passing.

Dysert is remembered by soap opera audiences for Sean Cudahy, one of the colourful characters of All My Children in its 1980s heyday. In Nashville his larger legacy was as a teacher: his wife said thousands of people knew him as the mentor who encouraged them to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams, and he had said that by the early years of The Actor's School he had already worked with more than 3,000 actors and singers. His openness about living with incurable cancer in Lights, Camera, Cancer! added a final chapter to a life spent telling stories.