Larry Haines, born Larry Hecht (August 3, 1918 – July 17, 2008) was an American actor. He was born in Mount Vernon, New York.
Haines first became known in the 1930s as a voice actor on the radio crime series Gangbusters. Four decades later, he would return to radio, starring in many episodes of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater.
His best-known role was that of next-door neighbor Stu Bergman on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow. He joined the show for its eleventh episode in 1951, and remained on the serial for the show’s duration. In this role, which he played from 1951 to 1986, Haines became very popular. He won Daytime Emmy Awards in 1976 and 1981, and was First Lady Pat Nixon’s favorite soap opera actor.
He also earned several Tony nominations for his work on Broadway, and appeared in the film version of The Odd Couple.
Death of Larry Haines
Haines died on July 17, 2008. He was predeceased by his former wives, Gertrude Haines and Jean Pearlman Haines as well as by his only daughter, Debora Haines. Larry Haines was 89 years old at the time of his death.