March 3, 1993:
Column: NBC Gossip
Days of Our Lives: Richard Burgi (Philip) is pretty elusive when
it comes to his personal life. But he does have a special someone - and
they recently traveled together in the United Kingdom. "She's a lovely
lady," Burgi enthuses, though he refuses to reveal her name. "We
have a lot of fun." Don't expect wedding bells for Burgi and Ms.
X, however. The actor (shown here with leading lady Ariana Chase (Kim)
and fellow hunk Wayne Northrop (Roman)) says his relationship is far from
intense. "I was really serious with someone for like five years," he explains.
"This is light and silly. We've both been through a lot of crap." Burgi
has known his not-too-terribly-significant other for about six months.
"She's not an actress," he hints, adding quickly, "not that I have anything
against actresses."
Caption Reads: Unlike his on-screen
romance with Kim, Richard Burgi's
real-life love affair is "light and silly."
Come Out, Come Out
Philip realizes that Nicky is the patient that Kim is protecting
from the law. Worried about Kim's future, Philip urges her not to
do anything that might jeopardize her upcoming hearing before the judge.
Despite her desperate fears that Lacey or Clare will take control for good,
Kimberly knows she will go on trial for Randy Huston's murder unless she
can get her two demons to emerge in a therapy session with Marlena.
April 13, 1993:
Caption Reads: Is it true that Richard Burgi
(Philip) likes to pull pranks on co-star Ariana
Chase (Kimberly) right before taping? Chase
reveals: "I'll have a dramatic scene and he'll say
dirty things under his breath right before we go
on the air. He's very funny, but he's a naughty
little boy."
Framed!
Lawrence forces Taylor to give the videotape to the media. Philip
takes it to Bo at the police station. An innocent Bo brings it to a stunned
Abe, Roman and Rebecca. When the police lab confirms that the tape is genuine,
Bo is forced to turn in his badge.
Lawrence disguises his voice and threatens to expose Philip's
porno director past if the TV station doesn't run the tape. Worried that
his relationship with Kim could be jeopardized, Philip reluctantly
hands the tape over to the news department. When Bo picks up Carly at the
airport, the incriminating tape plays in the background.
April 27, 1993:
Interview: Every Picture Tells a Story
Caption Reads: Rescuing Endangered Birds and
Soap Heroines - It's All in a Day's Work for Richard
Burgi (article by Lisa Hallett)
In retrospect, it was not one of Richard Burgi's wiser
moves. At his One Life to Live audition, the actor showed up in jeans and
a T-shirt - with a wounded bird he had saved in Central Park perched on
his shoulder. The powers that be were not impressed. They bagged Burgi
and the bird. "I probably should have been a little more considerate,"
he concedes. "I thought everybody would like to see the bird."
Luckily, a second audition was arranged. "After they all thought
I was a complete lunatic, I cleaned up my act and wore the appropriate
clothes, without the bird s--t," he recalls. Burgi won the part
of Randy, but was later let go after five episodes. "That's the
nature of this business - you're supposed to come up with something, and
I guess I was boring and annoying, so they canned me," he remarks with
a laugh.
Like the OLTL role, the bird also checked out early. "We (Burgi
and his then-girlfriend) rehabilitated it, and I took it everywhere. I
guess I wore the poor little guy out." His feathered friend received a
ceremonial burial in the woods of Western New Jersey. "It meant a lot,"
Burgi shares. "It was like one of God's messengers came down to
remind us of the delicacy of life."
Exploring life (human and otherwise) seems to be a priority for
Burgi, whose 34 years on this planet have led him on a series of
adventures. Admittedly insecure and a bit scatterbrained - traits he sort
of likes - Burgi seems very unactorish. Chugging down a few beers,
hummus and angel hair pasta at an unpretentious Greek joint, you get the
feeling he happens to be an actor, just like he once was a squash pro.
Since the bird debacle, Burgi has changed coasts, soaps, roles
and girlfriends, although he still rescues birds, like that pelican tangled
in a mass of hooks and debris at Laguna Beach, California. The actors says
landing the role of producer Philip Collier, fiance to distressed
Kim, "was what was going on that week." Though he's uncertain about Philip's
staying power on the hunk-oriented soap, Burgi is not overly concerned.
"I try not to think too far in advance. I'm grateful for where I am."
Though he kiddingly claims to miss "the awful stench of New York
- and the energy," Burgi has found steady employment in California:
a recurring role on JAKE AND THE FAT MAN, pilots, and guest spots on EMPTY
NEST, MATLOCK and NURSES. But Burgi's reason for relocating was
mostly personal. "I went through this really awful time with this relationship
and sort of lost myself and who I was," he admits. "I needed to kind of
heal some wounds, and I needed a change."
Caption Reads: Burgi had a long-term romance
with Anne Heche (ex-Vicky/Marley, AW).
Like he did with just about everything in his life, Burgi
drifted into acting. He grew up in Suburban Montclair, New Jersey, with
his parents and three siblings. It was "a crazy household," he recalls.
"My dad and mom would play music, and my older brother and I played in
bands, so there was always some activity going on. I was really brought
up well. I think my dad's credo was, 'Keep your eyes and ears open, a smile
on your face and your big mouth shut.'"
After high school, he enrolled at Penn State, but only lasted
three weeks. Lost interest, Burgi explains. So he headed for Laguna
to surf, wait tables and hang out with his buddies for six months, until
he returned home because his father was stricken with cancer. "We didn't
have enough money to pay for a round-the-clock nurse, so we all took turns,"
Burgi explains. "I had been up all night with him, and then he died
the next day."
Burgi's next career move was inspired by a photo layout he saw
in a magazine (he thinks it might have been Penthouse) that was
shot at the Manhattan Squash Club. Before long, Burgi got a job
there as a squash pro, played in some tournaments, and eventually alternated
between squash and construction work.
By then, acting was a definite goal, so he studied at night.
Parts materialized on soaps and in commercials, and that brings us to where
Burgi is today, a full-time actor. When he's not at Days, Burgi
can be found at the beach with his dog, Gus; painting; playing softball
with a stuntman's team, or hanging out with his girlfriend (literally the
girl next door, who shall remain nameless).
Marriage is an "I don't know." Future acting goals are iffy.
"I just try to respond to whatever's coming up in a positive way. If this
is what I do, this is what I do. It's not what I am; it's just what I do."
Taking a sip from his beer, Burgi pauses. "Maybe it is what
I am. I don't know. I was very close to walking away from it all. I was
in this area by Crater Lake in Oregon - it's sort of this surreal moonscape
environment. I looked into my lady friend's eyes and said 'You want to
go? Just walk, survive, live off the land, maybe work at a 7-11?'" Burgi
chuckles. "I was riding around looking at these ranger stations and thought
maybe I should get a job as a park ranger. My buddy who I worked with in
New York restoring churches told me about this job he was doing in new
Brunswick on a lighthouse...." In Richard Burgi's case, never say never.
Sidebar Statistics:
Birthdate: July 30, 1958
Soap Roles: Chad (AW); Glenn (ATWT)
He Was Once Stuck In A Hospital Elevator With: Katharine Hepburn.
"She started off the conversation telling me about something she had done
in a movie, and I think I said something stupid like, 'Are you an actress
or something?' It went right by her."
Musical Tastes: Classical, R&B, traditional Irish and Scottish
music. "I'm trying to dig back to my Celtic roots."
Sidebar Article: Day's Kim has hooked up with a wide variety
of men. Let's see how Philip measures up to his predecessors.
Shane Donovan: Who wouldn't fall for a suave British secret
agent? Though Kim got The Spy Who Loved Me, she also got a double
dose of Live and Let Die, since Shane's ex-wife Emma and spy partner
Gillian both tried to kill her.
Victor Kiriakis: It's a big mistake to ask for favors from Big
Vic, a.k.a. The Godfather of Salem. Kim learned that the hard way.
Cal Winters: Hold the popcorn. Kim skipped renting Fatal
Attraction, since she had her own personal psycho killer, Cal, tormenting
her.
Lawrence Alamain: Kim found out too late that she was Sleeping
With the Enemy, since Lawrence was using her to beat a rape rap.
Philip Collier: Yes, there are only A Few Good Men, and
Philip seems to be one of them. But the final scenes of this romance have
yet to be written. We figure it's only a matter of time before Philip's
loony ex-flame surfaces.
Column: NBC Gossip
When they're in front of the cameras, Richard Burgi (Philip)
and Ariana Chase (Kimberly) don't have much time for laughs. So Burgi
tries to make up for the lack of laughter when he and Chase are behind
the scenes. "She's a lovely lady," says Burgi of his co-star. "I
just try to joke around with her. There's a sense of seriousness that goes
with our storyline. I try to go from the point of view of levity. Hopefully
through that, you find the highs and lows of the work."
Article: Soap's Most Preposterous Plots
Kim's Brain - The Last Frontier (Days of Our Lives)
Achy, Breaky Head: Maybe the poor girl wasn't getting enough
iron in her diet, or maybe her pantyhose were cutting off the blood supply
to her brain, but suddenly Kimberly Brady went over the edge. A simple
hit-and-run car accident made her flip out. After a few days in a coma,
vehicular victim Kim came back to life - a little sore, a little foggy,
and sporting the headache that devoured Cleveland. Hey, your head would
hurt, too, if your cerebellum was getting slam danced by a pair of maniacal
alternative personalities. (Party on, Lacey! Party on, Clare!)
Caption Reads: Salem's Sybil, Kimberly
Brady, went through some pretty scary changes.
First she turned into lowlife Lacey (Patsy Pease, above);
then Pease turned into actress Ariana Chase, shown here
with Richard Burgi (Philip).
Girls Just Wanna have Fun: When fiance Philip Collier
wasn't looking, Kim would dress up as trash queen Lacey, head for Casey's
Roadhouse and hit on guys. How convenient. No one she knew ever caught
her. One night, she murdered barfly Randy Huston. When her big brother,
police chief Roman, started investigation, control-freak Clare took over
Kim's conscious mind and shot him. Now Kim's in therapy, and hopefully
on the mend.
May 25, 1993:
Interview: The Chase Begins
Some actors are welcomed to their shows with open arms; in the
case of Ariana Chase, she was welcomed to the role of Kimberly Brady on
Days of Our Lives with open mouth, courtesy of cast member Richard Burgi
(Philip): "We were doing a gallery shoot for NBC and Richard was acting
really playful. Well, he grabbed my neck and bit me! I haven't had a hickey
on my neck for years!" she laughs....
Column: Thumbs Up! And Down!
THUMBS DOWN! Days of Our Lives, Don't Talk to Me!
...Salem's THE JENNIFER DEVERAUX SHOW is a far-fetched reaction.
It was asking a lot to buy Jennifer as a serious journalist, but it's even
tougher to believe she's a talk show host.... Although prestigious producer
Philip Collier had enough pull to get Molly an important Hollywood
screen test, he's strangely unable to corral decent guests....
June 22, 1983:
Late-Breaking News:
Kimberly and Philip face their final "Days"
In a storyline-dictated decision, Days of Our Lives has dismissed
Richard Burgi (Philip) and Ariana Chase (Kimberly).
Philip leaves Salem on June 8 to shoot a movie, and Kimberly
departs later this month on a trip to England with Marlena (Deidre Hall).
While Marlena will return, Kimberly will not. Chase's exit comes barely
six months after Days snapped her up to replace an ailing Patsy Pease.
If the show wants Kim and Philip back in the future, Chase
may not be available. "I'm getting close to hearing from some films and
movies of the weeks," she explains. "I may not have the opportunity to
come back - not that I wouldn't want to. I never really got my teeth into
this character, so she's left me very hungry. This is not a meal I feel
satisfied having had."
Chase says she had a "great time" on Days. Still, she's a bit
skeptical about her dismissal. "My feeling is that if Patsy were here,
she would have been put on the back burner - she wouldn't have been let
go. Since I had taken over the role, there wasn't much for them to lose
by letting me go."
Co-Executive Producer Tom Langan maintains that the show had
a hard time cutting Chase and Burgi loose. "They're both terrific,
and it absolutely kills me," says Langan. "Richard has such great
timing, whether dramatic or comedic. He has a great male presence. He's
like a younger Quinn Redeker [Rex, Y&R] in terms of his spunk. Ariana
is a smoldering beauty with great talent."
Langan insists that both characters could return someday, especially
Kimberly. "After all," he says cryptically, "she's a Brady." And the role
would "definitely be played by Ariana."
According to Langan, Burgi and Chase both knew about their potential
departures for quite some time: "In this business," he says, "when you
see a storyline meandering, you know what will happen. A few months ago,
I told them there wasn't much on the table, and I wanted them to be able
to look for something else."
Column: Comings and Goings
Days of Our Lives: Richard Burgi (Philip Collier). With Ariana
Chase's departure, the producers felt that the time had also come for Burgi,
so Philip picks up and heads for L.A. to direct a film. His last air
date is June 8.
