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Patrick Muldoon, the actor known for his roles in the soap Days of Our Lives and the film Starship Troopers, has died at the age of 57.
As first reported by Deadline, Muldoon died suddenly on Sunday (19 April) following a heart attack.
Muldoon was born in San Pedro, California, and got his start in acting while still in college, appearing on two episodes of the popular sitcom Who’s the Boss? in 1990.
A still of Patrick Muldoon and Christie Clark from ‘Days of Our Lives’ (Peacock)
He followed this the year after with a three-episode stint on the hit high school sitcom Saved By the Bell, playing the manager of student hangout spot The Max.
It was in 1992 that Muldoon got his big break, with a regular role on the NBC daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives. He played Austin Reed, a boxer who becomes romantically entangled with Carrie Brady (Christie Clark).
Muldoon played Austin from 1992 to 1995, at which point the character was taken over by Austin Peck. Muldoon returned to the role briefly in 2011, but was cut from the series the following year. He tweeted at the time that the show “will always be home”.
From 1995 to 1996, Muldoon had a recurring role on another well-known soap, Fox’s primetime series Melrose Place. He played Richard Hart, a sadistic designer whose violent assault of Jane Andrews (Josie Bissett) ultimately led to his character dying in a shootout with the police.
In 1997, Muldoon starred in another of his biggest projects: Paul Verhoeven’s sci-fi Starship Troopers, in which he played a romantic rival for the lead character, played by Casper Van Dien.
Starship Troopers received poor reviews at the time, but has since gone on to be re-appraised as a satirical modern classic.
Muldoon in ‘Starship Troopers’ (Tristar Pictures)
Muldoon would return to the sci-fi genre several times in subsequent years, telling the website Shock Ya! in 2012: “I’ve always been a comic book fan. I’ve always loved that [science fiction] stuff even as a kid. To be able to play these types of roles as an adult is a real treat for me.”
He worked as an executive producer on a number of films, including The Tribes of Palos Verdes, Arkansas, Marlowe, The Card Counter, and the Chris Hemsworth film Kockroach, currently in production.
Outside of the film and TV industry, Muldoon was also a musician, and sung lead vocals for his band The Sleeping Masses.
Muldoon is survived by his partner, Miriam Rothbart, his parents, his sister and brother-in-law, and his niece and nephew.