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Playgirl
- September 20th, 1985
Michael
Nader - Dynasty's Delectable Dex
Not long after Dynasty's
bloody season finale, Michael Nader took a plane to Hawaii in pursuit of a
little well-earned R&R. Exiting the aircraft, he paused a moment to
take in the lush beauty of the islands.
Suddenly, a primordial "Aiieeeoowww!" shattered the perfumed
air. Nader couldn't move. Something had grabbed him from behind, stopping
his forward motion, and he felt his clothes being frantically pawed.
"Oh, God, it's YOU!"
screeched the grabber, a wide-eyed woman obviously fresh from the
mainland. "It's you, DEX DEXTER!"
It's a cry Michael Nader is
hearing more and more often these days. On Dynasty he is the super smooth
consort to Alexis Colby, played by Joan Collins. One of the few men able
to match wits with calculating Alexis.
Nader helps fire up perhaps
the most impassioned relationship on the show. Not surprisingly, the
heated goings-on have sparked a lot of public interest in him. Nader says
he's relishing all the new-found
attention....but only up to a point. Recognition is one thing, but
sensation-minded tabloids that figure him into steamy headlines like,
"Dynasty Hunk Runs Away with Secretary!", only make him mad.
It's all
a part of the media game, of course, but that doesn't make it any easier
to accept. So Nader retaliates in his own way.
When People magazine ran an
article on him earlier this year, a full-page photo featured Nader
standing with arms akimbo and eyes glowering. It was a defiant stance
reminiscent of a majestic Yul Brynner in The King and I, but with a
difference. Tucked proudly and sweetly in the crook of Nader's left arm
was his months-old daughter, Lindsay Michelle.
"That was my personal
thing," he explains. "I wanted pictures and an article done that
would make the tabloids ashamed to do anything else on me. You know,
'Don't fuck with me anymore.' That was the idea I wanted to introduce my
family properly".
Whether the tactic scared off
rumor mongers remains to be seen, but the Nader home unit is indeed
rock-solid. Besides papa and baby Nader there is his wife Robin, 32, whom
Michael met three years ago. There is also John Henry, a pedigreed
Australian cattle dog.
Such stability is not
something the broodingly handsome actor has always known. His own parents
separated in St. Louis in 1945, shortly after he was born. Nader's mother
then moved with him to Southern California. As a youth he admits he was a
"bad boy," acting up with authority figures and experimenting
freely with drugs.
Still, after graduation from Beverly Hills High, he pursued higher
education at Santa Monica City College. Thanks to an acting workshop
there, he got the opportunity to work in fluffy-but-fun films like Beach
Blanket Bingo and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini. He even became a semi
regular fixture on the TV series, Gidget.
Determined to examine the
serious side of acting, Nader soon headed for New York City. There,
between waiting tables, he studied at Lee Stasberg's prestigious Actor's
Studio and appeared in several
Off-Broadway productions. More TV followed...a three year run as Kevin
Thompson in the daytime soap As The World Turns....then regional theater
work until 1981. That year, back now in Los Angeles, Nader got the part of
Alexi Theodopolous in the NBC turkey Bare Essence. His flair on this show
attracted the attention of Dynasty personnel, who saw in him the perfect
man for the untamable Alexis.
It has been suggested that
Nader's casting was a direct result of the personal affinity between him
and Joan Collins, a point he disputes. "Sure, the chemistry is there,
but I don't think the role depended on my
getting along with her. Of course, the friendliness is a real plus, which
comes out on the show. Most of our scenes have a fiery quality to them,
with a lot emotional movement. That sparks the Dynasty crew. It's a good
day when Joan and I are working.
The goodness reflects
noticeably in the ratings, as Nader's Dex Dexter character gains
popularity by the episode.
Sometimes, though, the passion
he arouses in viewers goes a little too far. One woman sent him a
half-gallon of Gallo wine, a pack of Camels and a pair of white socks. Her
note read, "You be my MAN, Dex!" She then began showing up
outside the studio, day after day, week after week. Somehow she got the
phone number for the set, too, and began calling regularly. The Dynasty
crew was highly amused. Whenever Nader appeared on the scene they
hollered, "Owww...there be our Man!" Finally, police removed the
lovesick fan.
This fall, Michael Nader
enters his third season with Dynasty. He hopes to settle in for the long
run, ready and willing to "bounce off whatever they feed me."
Extracurricular work is not a top priority, although he
now has the luxury of handpicking interesting projects.
"There are a couple of
things," he says, "but until I find something totally devoid of
the Dex personality ... rich and material....I don't want to flagellate
the image I have."
When the mood strikes, he and
Robin do some work on a book idea they've conceived, tentatively titled
Stepping Out. "It will be an expose on a day in the mythical life of
a star, done with a sense of humor.. It'll
be real stylish, with a forties, Hurrell kind of look."
Speaking of Robin, Nader can't
think highly enough of her. Like Joan Collins at her best, he reveals,
Robin possesses an endearing girlish sense of humor. The couple's bliss is
so complete, Dynasty's macho man confesses he doesn't even need a fantasy
life. "The relationship with my wife sexually is wonderful. I think
our level of fantasy is as mundane as it is because we both appreciate it
when others have a sense of beauty and adventure. I'll catch her looking
at another guy; she'll look at me and say, 'Check out that dude!' And
that'll be it. Truthfully, we just fantasize about each other because
we're talking some heavyweight love here!"
Unlike the Nader's
relationship, the Dexter-Colby union looks to be in for some rough times
ahead. The emotional haranguing between the two is bound to stretch the
marital bond to the breaking point.
"Yeah, it's getting
there," Nader concedes. "But Dex will leave Alexis, not the
other way around. He'll see that they no longer fit. My projection of it
will be just lay her out....verbally, of course. Boom! 'Here is is, mama.
This is what you're about and I no longer want to be a part of it' But
that's only if the relationship goes that way."
By
Crystal Show |
