Actor Patrick Muldoon suffered a heart attack at his Beverly Hills home on April 19, dying at age 57 after a career spanning soap operas, Hollywood blockbusters, and independent film production that stretched more than three decades.
Muldoon’s sister, Shana Muldoon-Zappa, told TMZ that the actor had been drinking coffee with his girlfriend, Miriam Rothbart, at their Beverly Hills residence that morning before going to take a shower. When he took too long, Rothbart checked on him and found him unconscious on the bathroom floor.
Despite paramedics rushing to the scene and attempting to revive him, nothing could be done. His manager confirmed his death on April 20. His official cause of death was subsequently confirmed as a myocardial infarction, with pulmonary embolism and hereditary coagulopathy listed as underlying causes on his death certificate, according to People magazine. His remains were cremated on April 28.
Born September 27, 1968, in San Pedro, California, Muldoon attended the University of Southern California, where he played tight end on the Trojans football team, earned two Rose Bowl rings, and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He graduated in 1991. His professional acting career launched while still in college with a two-episode arc on the sitcom “Who’s the Boss?” in 1990, where he played Alyssa Milano’s boyfriend. Shortly after graduation, he landed a memorable three-episode arc on “Saved by the Bell,” where he played Jeff Hunter, the smooth-talking manager of the Max who stole Tiffani Thiessen’s beloved Kelly Kapowski away from Zack Morris.
In 1992, Muldoon originated the role of Austin Reed on “Days of Our Lives,” the part that would define his early career and make him a fan favorite alongside Christie Clark’s Carrie Brady. He won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Male Newcomer in 1994 and remained a fixture on the NBC soap opera until 1995. The character proved enduring enough that Muldoon returned for another run from 2011 to 2012, though Austin Peck had assumed the role during the intervening years and continued to portray Austin through 2021 in a spinoff.
Actress Alison Sweeney, who played Sami Brady opposite Muldoon’s Austin Reed on “Days of Our Lives,” called him “a rare kind of person — brilliantly talented, endlessly kind, and generous in spirit.” She added that when she first started at Days, “Muldoon made me feel at ease right away.”
His success in daytime drama opened doors to primetime. He portrayed the villainous Richard Hart on “Melrose Place” across seasons three through five, demonstrating a range that would serve him throughout his career. During the 1990s, he became the only actor to hold an exclusive development deal with Spelling Entertainment. He also appeared in the crime drama “Silk Stalkings” and starred in numerous television films that became staples of Lifetime and Hallmark programming, including “A Boyfriend for Christmas” and “All About Christmas Eve.”
Muldoon’s most prominent film role came as Zander Barcalow in director Paul Verhoeven’s 1997 science fiction spectacle “Starship Troopers,” alongside Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards and Neil Patrick Harris. Van Dien, who described Muldoon as one of his closest friends, said he was “deeply saddened, devastated, and overwhelmed” by the loss. More recently, he worked alongside Bruce Willis in 2021’s “Deadlock.”
His final completed film, “Dirty Hands,” a crime thriller reuniting him with Richards, was released on April 24 via Saban Films — just five days after his death. The film was dedicated to Muldoon, and a special premiere screening was held in New Jersey on April 21. Director and co-star Kevin Interdonato told TMZ that test audiences had singled out Muldoon’s performance as fantastic.
Actress Denise Richards, who co-starred with Muldoon in “Starship Troopers” and his forthcoming “Dirty Hands,” paid tribute on Instagram on April 21, calling him her best friend and saying the friendship and loyalty they shared over 36 years were “unconditional and rare.” “I am deeply heartbroken and devastated by losing you,” Richards wrote. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you here.”
Just three days before his death, the actor had celebrated a new milestone on Instagram, confirming that production had begun in Australia on “Kockroach,” a film directed by Matt Ross and starring Chris Hemsworth, Taron Egerton, Zazie Beetz and Alec Baldwin. Hemsworth had replaced Channing Tatum, who stepped away due to scheduling conflicts.
“So excited to be a part of this amazing project, KOCKROACH,” Muldoon wrote in what would become his final social media post. He was serving as an executive producer on the film, adding to a portfolio through his Storyboard Productions that included “The Tribes of Palos Verdes,” “Arkansas,” “Marlowe,” “The Card Counter,” “The Dreadful,” and “Riff Raff.”
Beyond acting, Muldoon was the lead singer of the rock band The Sleeping Masses. Their song “The Woman Is the Way” was featured in the 2009 film “Powder Blue” and on the reality series “The Hills.” He described himself on Instagram as an “actor, producer, musician, in the most Rock & Roll way possible.”
Friends and colleagues remembered Muldoon, known to loved ones as “Bobo,” with tributes that painted a picture of an artist who brought the same warmth to his personal relationships as he did to his performances. Deadline reported that those close to him described Muldoon as “endlessly generous — with his poetry, his humor, and his unmistakable presence.”
Muldoon is survived by his partner, Miriam Rothbart; his parents, Deanna and Patrick Muldoon Sr.; his sister and brother-in-law, Shana and Ahmet Zappa; and their children, his niece Halo Zappa and nephew Arrow Zappa.
For fans who followed his career from college football player to soap opera heartthrob to character actor, producer and musician, Muldoon’s death marks the end of a Hollywood journey that embodied versatility and perseverance. His final Instagram post, brimming with enthusiasm for the work ahead, now stands as a testament to an artist who remained passionate about his craft until the very end.