The Original 'Dynasty' Cast: Where Are They Now?
John Forsythe
Already an industry fixture by the time Dynasty aired, John Forsythe starred as Blake, a ruthless oil tycoon and the Carrington family patriarch. After the show’s end in 1989, he went on to work primarily in television, leading NBC sitcom The Powers That Be and TV movie Opposites Attract (1990), though he also reprised his famous voice role as Charlie for the 2000 movie adaptation of Charlie’s Angels.
Forsythe died on April 1, 2010, at the age of 92 after a bout with pneumonia.
Linda Evans
Following her Dynasty role as Blake Carrington’s dutiful wife, Krystle, Linda Evans stepped back from the spotlight. She appeared in a handful of TV movies including She’ll Take Romance (1990), Dazzle (1995), and The Stepsister (1997) before retiring from acting altogether. In 2009, she won the U.K. edition of Hell’s Kitchen, and in 2011 published Recipes for Life: My Memories, her cookbook/memoir.
Joan Collins
Joan Collins’ second season addition as Blake Carrington’s beautiful, yet vengeful ex-wife, Alexis, is largely credited for transforming the then-fledgling series into a veritable hit. In the decades since, she’s continued her prolific career, landing roles in Roseanne, Will & Grace, and a smattering of TV movies. She’s also established herself as a successful author, having penned 18 books within the last 40 years. She last appeared in the E! drama The Royals and 2017’s The Time of their Lives, a British comedy she both starred in and executive produced.
Pamela Sue Martin
Pamela Sue Martin — who initially played Blake Carrington’s self-indulgent daughter, Fallon —parted ways with the show after Season 4 on her own accord, going on to tackle parts in series such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, That ‘70s Show, and The L Word, as well as 1990 coming of age drama A Cry in the Wild. However, she’s largely fallen off the radar since appearing in McTaggart’s Fortune back in 2014.
Emma Samms
After taking over for Martin as Fallon for the remaining five seasons of Dynasty, Emma Samms nabbed parts in Models Inc., Doctors, and several TV movies, but she’s perhaps most recognized as General Hospital’s Holly Sutton — a role she played at various points from 1983 until 2015. Her latest turn was in Hallmark romance flick Love Blossoms, which aired in early 2017.
John James
Though still best known as Dynasty’s Jeff Colby, John James has kept busy with turns in Icebreaker (2000), All My Children, and As the World Turns. He took an extended break after 2008, but returned to screen with in 2016 USA thriller Chronology, and is next set to appear in sci-fi movie Axcellerator.
Al Corley
The first actor to play Steven Carrington—widely recognized as one of the first gay characters on television—Corley left Dynasty after only two seasons following public complaints he made about the role in an interview, though he later returned for the reunion special. He’s since appeared in a number of movies — including Hard Days, Hard Nights (1989), Cowboy Up (2001), and You Kill Me (2007), many of which he also produced. His last on-screen credit was in 2011’s Kill the Irishman.
Pamela Bellwood
After her character, the ill-fated Claudia Blaisdel Carrington, died in a fiery blaze during Season 7, Pamela Bellwood picked up roles in a string of TV movies, plus episodic parts in shows like The Twilight Zone, Murder, She Wrote, and Life Goes On. Having last appeared in a 2013 episode of Criminal Minds, she’s been quieter in recent years — likely because she was never quite comfortable with fame. “You became like public property. People felt like they knew you because you were in their homes,” she told The Daily Beast in October 2017. “It was difficult because I’m a private person. For me it was odd because I’m not that frivolous a person who needs that acclaim. It’s not something I need to validate or define myself.”
Jack Coleman
Jack Coleman, who took over as Steven Carrington after Al Corley’s departure, has built an extensive resume since Dynasty wrapped. In addition to roles in Kingdom Hospital, Burn Notice, and The Office, he most notably starred in Heroes as family man slash superhero investigator Noah Bennet. He most recently played Reed Baker in the 2017 thriller, The Tank.
Heather Locklear
Following her seven-season run as Krystle’s niece, Sammy Jo (and later, Steven’s wife), Heather Locklear scored major roles in shows including Going Places, Melrose Place (and it’s 2009 reboot), and Spin City. Off-screen, her personal life has been a bit more rocky: She’s weathered divorces from both Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee and Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora, as well as reported troubles with drugs and alcohol, but her career remains relatively stable. She’s fresh off a recurring part in TLC drama Too Close to Home and an episodic stint in Fresh Off the Boat.
Gordon Thomson
Gordon Thomson has remained quite active since his seven-year tenure as Adam Carrington, Blake and Alexis’ long lost son turned antagonistic villain. Though the character is still perhaps his most well-known role, he went on to nab a three-year stint in daytime soap Santa Barbara and later, Sunset Beach, plus parts in Baywatch, Beverly Hills, 90210, and Little Miss Sunshine (2006). He most recently appeared in web series Winterthorne and mini-series Ladies of the Lake.
It has been 35 years since Dynasty launched from Season 1 sleeper to decade-spanning hit, chronicling the scandals and schemes of two feuding Denver families: the über rich Carringtons and their equally affluent adversaries, the Colbys.
Now, the CW has returned with a younger, sleeker reboot that recasts the show with a diverse crop of actors, moves them to Atlanta, and injects them with the modern edge that made its creators’ — The O.C . and Gossip Girl's Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, Revenge’s Sallie Patrick — past work so successful. But as the series charges ahead, TV Insider is looking back at what the original cast has been up to since Dynasty last graced screens.
Dynasty, Tuesdays, 9/8c, The CW
