Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Actor John Gabriel. Emmy Nominated for Playing Seneca Beaulac on “Ryan’s Hope,” Dies at 90

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Actor John Gabriel, who was Emmy nominated for the soap “Ryan’s Hope” in the 1980s, has died at age 90.

John played Dr. Seneca Beaulac, who had maybe the best name ever in soaps. He was one of the show’s leading men, a good guy at the hospital who did some sketchy things in his personal life. Fans loved him.

In real life, Gabriel was married to wife Sandy, who’d been on “All My Children” for years. They have two adult daughters.

Also in real life, I got to know John a little bit over the years when the Gabriels attended various screenings and premieres. He was a lovely guy, a gentleman, with lots of stories about his days on tons of prime time shows including his years on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” playing sportscaster Andy Rivers.

“It is with an unspeakably heavy heart that I share the news of my father’s passing,” Andrea, 42, posted to Instagram. “John Gabriel was my hero, my role model, and my champion, but above all, my daddy … I will love you forever.”

 

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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