Q: I just love "All My Children's" David Canary. Please tell me all about him. — Rhonda, Las Vegas

A: Canary has won five Daytime Emmys for his portrayal of Adam and Stuart Chandler on "All My Children." Canary was a high-school football star in his hometown of Massillon, Ohio. He was so good he won a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati.

While Canary loved football, he also loved music. "I told my dad I was afraid to do both: a football player who wanted to act," he said. "My dad was the greatest man I ever knew. He told me you have to do whatever you want in life. So I played foot ball at Cincy, but I went to Cincinnati's Conservatory of Music." Canary admits this dual life led to lots of ribbing. "The jocks would tease me about be an actor. The actors and singers called me a dumb jock. There is nothing dumb about jocks. For me, singing was just amazing." (You want to hear amazing? That would be Canary as Don Quixote on stage in "Man of La Mancha."

After a stint in the Army, Canary returned to acting. If you watch reruns of "Bonanza," you will see him as ranch hand Candy. After "Bonanza," Canary played a ruthless physical therapist on the primetime soap "Peyton Place." After that, Canary found few acting jobs. He earned money by doing handy work.

"One day I was painting a director's home. I was talking to the guy. He said, 'People love your work, but they find you difficult to work with.' I was stunned. I never had any problem on any set. The director got me an episodic job. He realized I was getting a bad rap. After that I did lots of episodic work."

In 1981, Canary was hired to play Steve Frame on "Another World." At that time, we interviewed Canary, who said he loved the idea of doing soap. "It gives you so much security. I can play this character forever," he said. A month later, his character was killed off. So much for long-term acting plans. In 1983, he created the roles of Adam and Stuart Chandler on AMC. For years he has played the man you love to hate (Adam) and his brother whom you love to love (Stuart). A year before joining AMC, Canary married wife Maureen. The couple has two children, and Canary has another daughter from a previous marriage.

Canary says he is often aghast at the things Adam does. It is Stuart whom he identifies with. "When I first started played Stuart as an innocent I patterned him after my infant son," he said. "For children, everything is new and innocent — that is how life is for Stuart."

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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