Melrose Place and Starship Troopers star dies suddenly aged 57

Patrick Muldoon, the actor best known for starring as a hunky boxer on the soap opera Days of Our Lives and for playing a villainous fashion designer on the 1990s nighttime drama Melrose Place, died on Sunday in his Beverly Hills home. He was 57.

His death was confirmed by his sister, Shana Muldoon Zappa, and Days of Our Lives. The cause of death was a heart attack, his sister said.

Muldoon rose to fame in 1992 when he landed the role of the handsome Austin Reed on Days of Our Lives, which premiered in 1965 on NBC and follows various characters from families in the fictional Midwestern town of Salem.

Muldoon’s character was known for being caught in a love triangle between the sweet, good-hearted Carrie Brady (played by Tracy Middendorf and later by Christie Clark) and her devious sister, Sami Brady (played by Alison Sweeney).

For his work, Muldoon won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Male Newcomer in 1994.

He portrayed the character until 1995 and later reprised the role in 2011 and 2012. In all, he appeared in more than 400 episodes of the series.

William Patrick Muldoon III was born in the Los Angeles waterfront neighbourhood of San Pedro, California, to Patrick Muldoon Sr, a maritime lawyer, and Deanna Petrov, an artist, according to his sister.

Muldoon is survived by his partner, Miriam Rothbart, his parents and sister, and his brother-in-law, Ahmet Zappa.

He attended Loyola High School, an all-boys Catholic school, according to his sister, and then went on to the University of Southern California where he played on the football team, according to the university.

While at the university, he became a model for the Wilhelmina Agency.

In the early 1990s, as he transitioned into acting, he found small roles on ABC’s Who’s the Boss? and the NBC morning high school series Saved by the Bell.

After Days of Our Lives, Muldoon played the wicked fashion designer Richard Hart on the popular Aaron Spelling nighttime soap Melrose Place.

One of his story lines involved being a love interest to Jane Andrews Mancini (played by Josie Bissett), a fellow designer whom he betrayed professionally by stealing her clients and whom he sexually assaulted.

Muldoon appeared on the show from 1995 to 1996.

Science-fiction fans became familiar with Muldoon after he played Zander Barcalow in the 1997 campy space-alien invasion film Starship Troopers with Denise Richards and Casper Van Dien.

In the following years, Muldoon had various parts in television and films, including romantic and holiday movies on the Hallmark and Lifetime networks.

He also worked as a producer in several features, including The Card Counter (2021), Marlowe (2022) and Riff Raff (2024).

“I like to think of myself as a guy who doesn’t take himself too seriously but always takes the fun seriously,” Muldoon said on his website. “Whether I’m dodging explosions, saving Christmas, or just popping up in unexpected places, I’m here to entertain, surprise, and maybe make you laugh.”

Last year, he appeared on the Bravo reality series Denise Richards and Her Wild Things, where they reminisced about their previous romance, their longtime friendship and their work on Starship Troopers.

Muldoon, who was also a musician, featured Richards as the love interest in a music video.

His latest acting credit was for the crime thriller film Dirty Hands with Richards and Michael Beach. The film was expected to be released this month.

Two days before he died, Muldoon said on social media that he was “so excited to be a part of this amazing project,” referring to an upcoming film, Kockroach, starring Chris Hemsworth and Alec Baldwin.

Alain Delaquérière contributed research.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.