Biography of Eric Braeden

Victor and his wife Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) are struggling to hold their family together in the face of tragedy and crisis.

Braeden received Daytime Emmy nominations as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1990, 1997 and 1999, 2000 and 2004. He won the coveted award in 1998. He won the Soap Opera Update Award in 1997 as Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series and was honored as Most Popular Daytime Actor at the People's Choice Awards in 1998. Braeden was nominated for a Soap Opera Award in the category of Best Lead Actor in 1999.

Braeden has appeared in more than 120 television series, as well as a number of made-for-television movies including The Judge and Mrs. Wyler with Bette Davis, Happily Ever After with Suzanne Somers and Tyne Daly, and the Jackie Collins mini-series Lucky. He has appeared in the films Operation Eichmann, The Ultimate Chase, Escape from the Planet of the Apes and Morituri with Marlon Brando. He also co-starred as John Jacob Astor in James Cameron's feature film Titanic. Braeden's theater credits include Kean, which marked the premiere production of the Santa Monica Playhouse and the Broadway production of The Great Indoors with Geraldine Page and Curt Jurgens.

Braeden was born Hans Gudegast in Kiel, Germany, a port city near the Baltic Sea. He immigrated to the United States in 1959. Eric lived in Texas for several years and worked in the University of Texas medical school lab before moving to Los Angeles, where he attended Santa Monica College. He joined a local semi-professional soccer team while launching his acting career.

In 1989, Braeden was chosen as the only actor to be on the newly formed German American Advisory Board. The illustrious group includes Dr. Henry Kissinger, Katherine Graham, Alexander Haig, Steffi Graf and Paul Volcher.

Currently, Braeden is executive producing and starring in the feature film The Man Who Came Back, a period Western, which also stars Armand Assante, Billy Zane, Sean Young, Carol Alt and George Kennedy.

Braeden maintains an active athletic regimen. He continues to play soccer with several teams, including the Maccabees, with whom he won the 1972-73 National Soccer Championship. He and his wife, Dale, live in Los Angeles. The couple has a son, Christian.