On GENERAL HOSPITAL, Damian Smith was as ruthless as he was sexy. However, in the end, he tipped the scales upon setting the Ward House ablaze with the orphans inside! Damian’s portrayer, Leigh J. McCloskey, recalls thinking, “This guy’s become so beyond redeemable.” Sure enough, the mobster was killed off in 1996.
His Fateful Decision
While he went on to other soaps, in his own life, McCloskey was also busy building a reputation as a second-generation Malibu, CA, artist. Tragically, he came close to losing everything during the devastating Woolsey fire that struck the area in November. “All my friends said, ‘You can replace it,’” he recalls. “Yes, if it’s a chair. But you can’t replace your father’s paintings, and you can’t replace your own.”
Knowing that emergency services wouldn’t…
