Alan Dysert, All My Children's Sean Cudahy, Dies at 75

Alan Dysert, who played con man Sean Cudahy on All My Children, has died at 75. His wife, Michele Dysert, announced in a Facebook post on Sunday, October 25, that he passed away on October 23, 2026. People, Entertainment Weekly, USA TODAY and The Hollywood Reporter all reported the death.

His wife's announcement

"My heart is broken as I share that my beloved husband, Alan, passed away on October 23, 2026," Michele Dysert wrote. She did not disclose a cause of death. "Alan faced more than his share of health challenges over the years, yet he continued to approach life with determination, humor, and gratitude," she wrote. "He fought hard for the life he loved, and I was honored to stand beside him through it all."

She also summed up the range of his working life. "Alan lived an extraordinary life. From his humble beginnings as a farm boy in Illinois, he went on to become an actor, musician, writer, filmmaker, producer, and beloved acting teacher. Many knew him from his years on All My Children, while thousands of others knew him as the teacher and mentor who encouraged them to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams. He was a life changer!!"

Sean Cudahy, the role that made him

Dysert made his debut on All My Children in 1980 and played Sean Cudahy across two stints, from 1980 to 1981 and from 1988 to 1990, for a total of 79 episodes. His final appearance came in 1990. Cudahy was convicted in the murder of Sybil Thorne, a nurse he had been dating. After his release from prison, the character returned to the show in the late 1980s and went back to grifting. Dysert enjoyed the part. "My scenes are written better than stuff on nighttime TV. This is such a fun role! I love it," he told People magazine in a 1981 interview.

A farm boy from Illinois

Dysert was born on June 12, 1951, and was raised on a farm in Oakwood, Illinois. He graduated from Oakwood High School and attended the University of Illinois, where he studied television arts. After graduation he worked in real estate and then tried stand-up comedy. He made his acting debut in an uncredited role on a 1978 episode of Soap and booked All My Children shortly afterward. He also appeared uncredited in Cheech and Chong's Next Movie in 1980.

The teacher and the book

After All My Children, Dysert built a second career as a teacher. He founded The Actor's School in 1991 and taught acting in the Nashville area, working out of the school in Franklin, Tennessee. He also kept making films. He wrote, directed, produced and acted in the 2015 film The Senator, and his screen credits include Two Weeks, starring Sally Field, and The Grift. His final screen appearance came earlier this year in the Civil War drama The Legend of Van Dorn, a 2026 independent film he produced in Tennessee.

In 2023 he published an autobiography, Lights, Camera, Cancer!, which revealed he had been diagnosed with a rare, aggressive and incurable cancer more than a decade earlier. The book's synopsis counts four major cancer-related surgeries, one recurrence, many rounds of chemotherapy and 29 CT scans.

His longtime agent, Melinda Eisnagule, told People his death was a "loss to our community and to the acting community at large," and said he touched many lives with his positive energy and kindness. Dysert is survived by his wife Michele, whom he married in 2008, and by his sons, Cody and Cooper.