All My Children Actor James Mitchell Dies

All My Children actor James Mitchell died Friday of lung disease complicated by pneumonia, ABC announced. He was 89.

A Sacramento, Calif., native, Mitchell played patriarch Palmer Cortlandt on the ABC soap opera for three decades. Mitchell had most recently appeared on the series' 40^th anniversary special on Jan. 5.

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Before moving to Pine Valley, Mitchell spent many years on Broadway as a trained dancer. He starred in musicals such as Billion Dollar Baby, Carousel, Funny Girl and The King and I, in addition to performing with the American Ballet Theater. Mitchell's other screen work included films such as The Turning Point, The Band Wagon, and Oklahoma! and other TV series like Charlie's Angels.

Outside of his work on All My Children from 1979 to 2009, Mitchell taught theater students and actors at Yale and Drake Universities. Mitchell is survived by his longtime partner, Albert Wolsky.