Grant Aleksander Talks Possible ‘Guiding Light’ Revival, Phillip Spaulding & ‘Devout’

THE GUIDING LIGHT, Grant Aleksander, 1990s, 1952-2009. — Lou Freeman/CBS /Courtesy Everett Collection

What To Know

Grant Aleksander reflects on his complex role as Phillip Spaulding in Guiding Light.
He discusses the possibility of a Guiding Light revival.
Currently, Aleksander stars in the play Devout, written by his wife.

Guiding Light has been off the air for 17 years, but there is still a loyal fan base for both the show and its many cast members, especially Grant Aleksander, who played leading man Phillip Spaulding.

TV Weekly chatted with the fan favorite about his years in Springfield and the possibility of a renewal for the beloved soap opera.

“The thing that I always loved about the character of Phillip was that he was a character who basically had a good heart but he did a whole lot of bad things,” Aleksander reflects of the role he played from 1982 (on and off) until the show’s finale in 2009.

Phillip schemed to have his own father, Alan (the late Christopher Bernau), booted from the family company, Spaulding Enterprises, following years of dealing with his dad’s aggressive helicopter parenting.

“Phillip’s basic struggle was having been raised by one man [Alan, played by the late Chris Bernau] and being the biological son of another [Justin, played by the late Tom O’Rourke],” Aleksander says. “Phillip was more like Alan than he was Justin, as much as he did not want to be. Taking over the company had much more to do with his personal relationship with Alan than it did about power.”

Phillip was married to six different women, but his fourth bride, Beth (Beth Chamberlin), was present in Phillip’s many marriages. “There was only one love ever in his life,” Aleksander muses. “And that was Beth, so he was always going to end up with her.”

THE GUIDING LIGHT, from left: Beth Chamberlin, Grant Aleksander (top), Hayden Panettiere, Tina Sloan, 1997, 1952-2009.

Arthur L. Cohen/CBS /Courtesy Everett Collection

Phillip and Beth were torn apart by forces both external and internal, given Phillip’s self-destructive nature. He hired someone to blow up his cousin Lujack’s (Vincent Irizarry) club; the explosion blinded Beth (then Judi Evans) in the process!

“Phillip was never in a relationship for that long because he would do something to screw it up,” Aleksander says.

In recent years, the soap opera genre, which many had written off, has been making a comeback. CBS launched Beyond the Gates in 2025, and Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are attempting to bring back All My Children via reunion movies for Lifetime.

“I think networks look at the value of soaps in a way that’s very different than they looked at them when we were all being taken off the air,” Aleksander muses. “What they’ve seen over the years of the ones that have stuck around, while a flatter curve, is a very dependable curve. It’s a curve that creates advertising dollars.

“If they were to bring back Guiding Light, I can assure you there would be a lot of actors that are still around who would very much want to participate in some fashion,” Aleksander says.

In the meantime, Aleksander can be seen on stage in Devout, a poignant and comical play written by Aleksander’s wife, Sherry Ramsey (ex-Trish, As the World Turns), that examines two brothers, Ben (played by Aleksander) and Jay (played by Robert Newman, ex-Josh, GL), who are forced to examine their relationship while their elderly father needs caretaking.

Michael O’Leary (ex-Rick) also appears in the play at ShenanArts, 300 Churchville Ave, Staunton, VA. Performance dates are August 27, 28, 29, and 30. Tickets: www.ShenanArts.org/devout