Opinion: Justin Deas' stellar performance
Posted on 18. Feb, 2009 by patti in GL
Justin Deas has won six Daytime Emmys, and if he doesn’t win one for his performance on the Guiding Light’s February 17th show, I will be amazed!
Buzz’s son, Coop, was in a critical car accident on his way to stop the wedding of Alan Spaulding and Beth. Beth is the love of Coop’s life. He was rushed to the hospital and into surgery when his father, Buzz, found out. The entire family was at the hospital, and Buzz left.
Buzz was feeling guilty because he had given Coop the keys to his car and encouraged Coop to go and stop the wedding. Buzz went to his late wife’s — and Coop’s mother’s — grave to find solace. Coop regained consciousness, and Lillian found Buzz and brought him back to the hospital. Buzz sat with Coop and told him about memories of his childhood and how he wished he had been a better father. Coop told him he loved him and said goodbye. Buzz held Coop in his arms and told him not to say goodbye, as Coop flatlined. Coop was put on life support and Buzz had a hard decision to make.
Buzz finally made the decision to turn off the life support, and you can tell that it was the hardest thing he’s ever done.
My history with watching Justin Deas as an actor:
I first saw him when he appeared as the young Tom Hughes on As The World Turns, where he won his first Daytime Emmy. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t that involved with ATWT at the time.
When NBC premiered Santa Babara, I was a fan from the beginning, mainly because one of the starts, Robin Wright, went to school with my cousin’s son. I watched Deas as a fantastic actor in his role of Keith – which garnered him two more Daytime Emmys.
In 1993, Deas created the role of Frank Achilles “Buzz” Cooper on Guiding Light. His character was a former Vietnam War veteran who had deserted his wife and children by volunteering for a second tour of duty. His children, Frank and Harley, were told that he was killed in action, and when he surfaced, they turned their back on him. He did make amends with them and married jewel thief Jenna Bradshaw, who was Coop’s mother.
The role of Buzz Cooper garnered Deas three more Daytime Emmys. I have much respect for this actor, who has shown that he can do both comedy and tragedy in his roles. Thank you, Justin Deas, for making Buzz Cooper such a wonderful character.
