"DON'T LET ANYONE TAKE YOUR DREAMS AWAY..."
by Alice Koenigsberg

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(Selected from Daytime TV's Greatest Stories No. 1)

Almost every teenager dreams of a life in the theater and Tony Geary (Luke) was certainly no exception. But until he got his first professional acting job at 16, Tony had no idea what an actor really did. "I just thought it meant putting on costumes, riding horses across the desert, shooting bad guys, and sometimes being the bad guy," Tony says.

In Coalville, Utah, the small village where Tony grew up, the glitter of Hollywood and the bright lights of Broadway were elusive glimmers on the far horizons. His parents couldn't imagine anyone choosing a career in acting, and they assumed their only son (he has two younger sisters) would outgrow this thespian streak. But after a stint at a local theater-in-the-round, Tony's yen for the footlights grew even stronger.

While he was still in high school, Tony wrote, directed and created scenery for several plays. "One of the plays, plus the audition I did, got me a full scholarship at the University of Utah's theater department." Then Tony won a coveted Presidential Awards scholarship, which thrilled both Tony and his parents. But his parents still hoped he'd use his theatrical training to one day come home to Coalville and teach high school speech and drama.

"The true, slap-in-the-face realization that that wasn't going to happen was when I'd been at the university for two years, Tony remembers. "Jack Albertson came there as a guest director and actor to do The Subject Was Roses. It's a three character play. I was cast as the son, and Jack Albertson played my father, a role he'd won a Tony Award for when he played it on Broadway.

"It's a great role, and I was good in it," Tony says, adding that he owes a lot to Jack Albertson for his success in the part. "He was the first professional actor I'd ever worked with. He really made my performance, because he gave such a convincing performance. It was very easy to believe what he was telling me...and to react believably to it."

A few months later, Albertson asked Tony to tour with him in the play, and Tony said yes, without hesitation. "We ended up at the Hartford Theatre in Hollywood, with my name on the marquee. I was 18, and thought, 'Well, this was real simple,'" laughs Tony. "'I'm a star.'"

"It took me about 13 years to realize that it was a very auspicious beginning--perhaps too auspicious. I wasn't really prepared to deal with interviews, agents, selling myself. Jack's agent signed me immediately, and I started working rather quickly. I got great reviews and a lot of people saw me." Among his fans were his parents, who'd finally realized that Tony was very serious about acting, and with good reason--their son had talent.

Tony's career has had its ups and downs--a kid in a small town community theater to one of daytime's most respected and popular performers. Tony's often had to learn the hard way but he feels he's a better actor because of the experience. And he's especially thankful for his parents' understanding and love.