Casting and Portrayal
Don Diamont portrayed the role of Brad for the character's entire run on the series. He first appeared on April 7, 1985 as the new Abbott family gardener. In 1993, the role was temporarily recast to Russell Todd. The character also briefly crossed over to The Bold and the Beautiful that same year. He departed in 1996, and returned after a year on July 28, 1998. Ten years later in December 2008, news broke that Diamont had been let go from The Young and the Restless. Fellow cast member Eric Braeden, who portrays Victor Newman, spoke out on Diamont's firing, saying:
| “ | I was very sad about that, to be quite frank with you. He did some of his best work in the last months, where he played the "shifty" guy and the bad guy and you don't know quite what he is up to. I think he played that extremely well. I always think that's a mistake to let people go that have been part of the fabric as long as he has been. Furthermore, he was related to people on the show, and personally, I think those things are a mistake. If you want to want to save money, then cut down on hiring new actors. | ” |
Diamont shot his final scenes for the series in January 2009, and his final airdate was on February 5 when he drowned after falling in a frozen lake. Shortly after, it was announced that Diamont had been hired on The Bold and the Beautiful. He was to portray Bill Spencer, Jr., created specifically for him by head writer Bradley Bell. "It's funny how one door closes and another opens," Diamont said. "I had a lot of emotion tied to Y&R. My entire adult life had been there, including so many relationships. Little did I know that such a great character and work situation was literally around the corner."
Read more about this topic: Brad Carlton
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