Veteran daytime soap actress Kathleen Widdoes turns 75 today. She was in the cast of Another World, Ryan’s Hope and Young Doctor Malone. Widdoes guested on such primetime shows as The Defenders, Here Come The Brides and Kojak, but is best-known for her longtime role on another daytime soap: As The World Turns.

March 21 was also the birthday of some since passed classic TV favorites. Philip Abbott played Assistant Director Arthur Ward on The F.B.I. James Coco starred in a pair of short-lived sitcoms: Calucci’s Apartment (1973) and The Dumplings (1976). Al Freeman Jr. was a regular on One Life to Live and the 1975 sitcom Hot L Baltimore. Canadian-born actor Jonathan Hale guested on The Adventures of Superman, The Cisco Kid and Our Miss Brooks.

Also born this day was character actor Logan Ramsey. He worked in television from the 1940s to the 1990s, appearing in such classics as Mannix, Mission: Impossible, Quincy M.E., The Rookies and Route 66. Ramsey was also in the cast of the 1975 jailhouse sitcom On The Rocks.

Today was also the day a number of classic TV friends died. Macdonald Carey was a longtime cast member of the daytime soap Days of Our Lives. Canadian John Ireland appeared on such classics as Gunsmoke, Little House on the Prairie, Quincy M.E., Rawhide and Thriller. Veteran character actor Barney Martin is perhaps best remembered as Jerry Seinfeld’s father Morty on Seinfeld. Robert Preston worked in movies (The Music Man, How The West Was Won) and television (Climax, The Chisholms, Playhouse 90). British comedian Ernie Wise was 1/2 of the comedy duo of Morecambe & Wise.

Dack Rambo also passed away March 21. He guested on such shows as Fantasy Island, Gunsmoke and The Love Boat. Rambo co-starred in several series, including The Guns of Will Sonnett and 1974’s Dirty Sally. He later starred in a short-lived action series Sword of Justice (1978):