Jeffrey Carlson, the actor who broke television ground portraying the first transgender character on ABC’s “All My Children,” has died aged 48. Drama Critics’ Circle president Adam Feldman broke the news of the “powerful and painful loss” on Twitter Sunday, July 9. No cause of death was reported.
The California native was born in 1975, and his mother reportedly named him after “All My Children” character Jeff Martin as a fan of the famous soap. First appearing on the show as a short-term character, a rockstar named Zarf, Carlson was called back to take on daytime television’s most controversial role.
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Making ABC History
In over 10,000 episodes of “All My Children” on ABC from 1970 to 2011, few sparked as many conversations as the 59 episodes starring Carlson as the groundbreaking transgender character Zoe.
After an appearance as the flamboyant rockstar Zarf, Carlson’s return to “All My Children” as Zoe lit a spark in daytime television. While soap viewers were getting accustomed to more gay characters appearing on screen, not many were ready to have the transgender conversation, but Carlson was happy to open it.
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According to The Guardian, Carlson’s character Zoe detailed meetings with an endocrinologist, joining a transgender support group, and coming out to her parents. A Los Angeles Times from 2006 stated, “Tackling the first transgender coming-out on network television could be risky for a soap opera at a time when daytime dramas are suffering serious audience erosion.”
In the same article, Carlson spoke about his influence in the groundbreaking role:
I was very moved by it. If it creates a conversation, I think we’ve done our job.
Broadway and Beyond
In addition to paving the way for essential conversations as the first trans character on ABC, Carlson starred on Broadway as Billy in Edward Albee’s The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? and Marilyn in Taboo. Carlson also played a significant role in the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.
The company commemorated his performances in Lorenzaccio in 2005, Hamlet in 2007, Free for All in 2008, and Romeo and Juliet in 2016. In a post on social media, the Shakespeare Theater Company quoted Hamlet in its tribute to Carlson, stating:
Good night, sweet prince, and may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.
