John Dye

John Dye specialized in playing leading men with an agenda but whom he imbues with a light touch and much humanity. He enjoyed his longest run as Andrew, the Angel of Death, on the CBS series "Touched By an Angel." The role was originally a recurring one when he first began appearing 1995, but he was made a regular at the start of the third season. The Mississippi-born Dye was bitten with the acting bug after playing the eldest Von Trapp son in a high school production of "The Sound of Music." During his first summer break from college, he went to New York City, where he auditioned for and was offered a place in a touring classical theater repertory company. However, because it would conflict with his schooling, Dye declined the offer and returned to Memphis State (now the University of Memphis). A Judd Nelson teen movie called "Making the Grade" (1984) was about to film in the area and Dye won his first professional role playing one of Nelson's prep school buddies. He would later work alongside Nelson again as one of the members of "The Billionaire's Boys Club," a successful 1987 NBC miniseries. Following his brush with moviemaking, Dye won his first screen lead in "Campus Man" (1987), playing an entrepreneurial rogue who pays for his college tuition by coaxing the hunky guys on campus to pose for a calendar. In 1989, he played a UCLA student living in the school's bell tower in "Big Man on Campus," but after a few more roles, including "The Best of the Best" (1989) and "Perfect Weapon" (1991), Dye segued into a career on television. His first regular series work was during the 1989-1990 season of "Tour of Duty" (CBS), when he was cast as a pacifist medic trying to save lives before the battles even begin. Dye played an optimistic medical student juggling the demands of school, working as a bartender and trying to be a single parent on "Jack's Place" (CBS, 1992-93) and was an opportunistic womanizer on the short-lived summer series "Hotel Malibu" (CBS, 1994). In 1995, John Dye landed the role of Andrew on "Touched By an Angel." It was first a recurring role, but he was promoted to a regular by the third season and became an audience favorite, starring opposite Valerie Bertinelli and Roma Downey on the popular spiritual-centric series. Though he would never again reach the heights of popularity afforded him by the CBS series, he continued to work sporadically in low budget features and TV movies throughout his run. Sadly, Dye passed away after suffering a massive heart attack in San Francisco, CA on Jan. 10, 2011. He was just 47 years old.