Soap Opera Magazine
May 9, 1995
You're My Soul & Inspiration

What person has had the greatest influence on your life?

Catherine Hickland (Tess, Loving)
Burl Ives was a family friend, and he would stay with us anytime he was in town. He was in the movie The Brass Bottle, as a genie. I was a kid at the time, so I would ask him, "How did you get out of the bottle?" He was a folk singer, and for Christmas one year he gave me his whole collection of records. So I would sing along with his records. He was really a presence, in ever sense of the word. Between him and other people who were friends of my father's in show business, I was around show-biz people all the time as a kid. I can never remember not wanting to be an actor. Johnnie Weismueller was also at our house a lot. He taught me how to swim. He was practically a member of the family, and I used to make him do that Tarzan call all the time.