Jeffrey Carlson, an actor who starred as a transgender character in a groundbreaking role on the soap opera All My Children, has reportedly died. He was 48.
News of the actor’s death was shared on Twitter by Time Out New York theater editor Adam Feldman on Saturday. It was unclear when and where Carlson died. A representative for the actor did not immediately respond to People’s request for comment on Sunday.
Carlson appeared in 59 episodes of the afternoon soap show, according to IMDb.com. He originally was cast as a “biologically born” character named Zarf in August 2006, Deadline reported. He returned three months later as Zoe, a transgender woman, according to the entertainment news website. It marked the first time a daytime serial had introduced a transgender character, Entertainment Weekly reported.
Carlson, who was born in Long Beach, California in 1975, graduated from the Juilliard School, the entertainment news outlet reported. He also appeared on Broadway in “The Goat or Who Is Sylvia?” and “Taboo,” according to Deadline. He also had a role in the 2005 comedy Hitch, People reported.
In a Facebook post for Carlson, the Shakespeare Theatre Company wrote that the actor “gave beautiful and nuanced performances during (his) career, which took him from television and film to Broadway and, fortunately for us, to STC.”
