Veteran actor Nicolas Koster, primarily known for his role as Lionel Locric in the former daytime drama Santa Barbara, died on June 27.
His daughter Dinneen shared the news on Facebook.
“There is great sadness in my heart this evening,” she wrote. “My father actor Nicolas Coster has passed on in Florida at 9:01 p.m. in the hospital. Please be inspired by his artistic achievements and know he was a real actor’s actor! I will remember him as always doing his best and being a great father. Rest In Peace!”
Born December 3, 1933 in London and raised in the United States, Nicolas Coster was active performing on the stage before transitioning to TV and film. With over 170 acting credits on television, Coster made the rounds in daytime with guest spots on dramas The Secret Storm, Young Doctor Malone, Somerset, Another World, As the World Turns, One Life to Live and All My Children.
Coster was also a frequent guest star in primetime television with appearances on dozens of series including The Defenders, Charlie’s Angels, The Blue Knight, Little House on the Prairie, The Rockford Files, Dallas, Hart to Hart, Wonder Woman, Magnum, P.I. and Quincy, M.E. In 1982, Coster began a recurring role on sitcom The Facts of Life as snooty Blair’s (Lisa Whelchel) father. And he had regular roles on action/adventure The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, and medical drama Ryan’s Four. More recently, Coster appeared in a recurring capacity in the web crime drama The Bay.
Coster’s film work included All the President’s Men and comedy Stir Crazy.
“It was an honor to work in a company with him, and I’ll always hold his friendship and his sterling strengths as a professional close to heart,” wrote Coster’s Santa Barbara costar A Martinez on Facebook. “Unsolicited one day, he gave me this profoundly useful advice: ‘What you choose to do with a scene doesn’t have to be the probable thing. You can choose any course imaginable –– no matter how unlikely –– as long as it’s possible.”
