Nicolas Coster Dies: ‘Santa Barbara’ Star Was 89
Veteran TV and film actor Nicolas Coster, who played Lionel Lockridge in the NBC soap Santa Barbara, has died. He was 89.
His daughter Dinneen shared the sad news on Facebook on Monday (June 26) shortly after his death.
“There is great sadness in my heart this evening,” she wrote. “My father actor Nicolas Coster has passed on in Florida at 9:01pm 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!”
British-born Coster was best known for playing Lockridge family patriarch Lionel in Santa Barbara, which ran from 1984 to 1993. His role earned him four Daytime Emmy nominations. However, he would have to wait until 2017 to collect his first Daytime Emmy win for his performance as Mayor Jack Madison in the The Bay.
He starred in a host of other TV shows, including One Life to Live, Another World, Somerset, All My Children, As the World Turns, Young Doctor Malone and The Secret Storm.
In The Facts of Life he had a recurring role as the father of Lisa Whelchel‘s character Blair Warner.
He had guest star roles in shows such as Wonder Woman, T.J. Hooker, Charlie’s Angels, Magnum P.I., Buck Rogers, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. His many movie credits include All the President’s Men, Stir Crazy and, most recently, the 2020 film The Deep Ones.
