The Young and The Restless news and updates are sad to report soap vet James Houghton, also a vet of primetime series has passed away at the age of 75.

Houghton passed away from peritoneal mesothelioma on August 27, 2024, but the news of his death has only just been made public today.

James Houghton Played Greg Foster

Born on November 7, 1948, in Los Angeles, California, he embarked on his acting journey with roles in various television series. Houghton was part of the original cast of the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, portraying the character Greg Foster from 1973 until 1976.

He was later a scriptwriter on the soap, writing 1808 episodes between 1991 and 2006, and on the Bold And The Beautiful in 2006.

He also was a scriptwriter on Days of Our Lives, Tales From The Darkside and Knots Landing. Houghton’s remarkable career also features his portrayal of Kenny Ward in the first four seasons of Knots Landing, which aired from 1979 to 1983.

Houghton Was On Many Television Shows Both As Actor And Writer

Houghton embarked on his acting journey with a guest appearance in the 1959 Charles Bronson television drama, Man with a Camera, which was his very first acting role.

He went on to make notable appearances in iconic series such as The Twilight Zone, the sitcom McKeever & the Colonel, and the western Alias Smith and Jones, among others.

In 1977, he landed his first regular role in a primetime series, portraying Rick Wilson in CBS’s action/adventure show Code R, which centered around the emergency services of the California Channel Islands.

After his time on Knots Landing, Houghton continued to take on guest roles in various television shows, including Fantasy Island, Trauma Center, Hotel, Remington Steele, and The Love Boat.

More Television Appearances Throughout The 1980s

In 1986, he co-starred in the miniseries North & South, Book II, and that same year, he was cast as Cash Cassidy in the second season of the Dynasty spinoff, The Colbys.

The spinoff was created in an effort to boost interest in the main show, Dynasty, which it followed in the TV schedule. Unfortunately, The Colbys was canceled after just two seasons and never achieved the success of Dynasty, the parent show.

Houghton’s IMDB listing provides a bit of trivia; he graced the cover of Warren Zevon’s 1982 album, “The Envoy,” alongside Ted Shackelford, his co-star from the television series “Knots Landing” (1979).

At the time, Zevon was romantically linked to Kim Lankford, another cast member from the show who shared the screen with both Houghton and Shackelford, but never married.