James Stenbeck is the latest villain to return to Oakdale
by Dan J Kroll
Posted Friday, August 15, 2008 4:25:11 PM


As the World Turns is rolling out the villains! Rick Decker's return to Oakdale earlier this month was just the beginning. Anthony Herrera returns this month as James Stenbeck finds his way out of jail and back to Oakdale. It's been three years since Herrera was last spotted on ATWT. He made his debut on the show in 1980.


Anthony Herrera (James Stenbeck) will return to Oakdale this month to cause more trouble.


It was 1980 when Herrera made his first appearance as the villainous James Stenbeck. In the ensuing 28 years, the actor's alter ego has tallied an impressive list of crimes. And, like any soap opera villain, James Stenbeck has been presumed dead no less than five times: he's been shot, he's fallen out of an airplane, and he's been trapped in a fire. As with any fictional evildoer, there's always a way to cheat death. James Stenbeck's tenacity can be seen in the real-life grit displayed by his portrayer.


Herrera initially expressed some concern about returning to the rigors of taping a daily daytime drama series. In 1997, the actor was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In an exclusive interview with soapcentral.com, Herrera revealed that he was told by doctors, "You have cancer. You are going to die." Herrera sought out a second opinion and attributes his survival to "brilliant doctors, finding the right hospital, and a positive attitude -- watching, questioning, and finding out." The resulting treatment required Herrera to undergo two bone marrow transplants. Herrera chronicled his battle with cancer in the 2005 book, The Cancer War.


To accommodate Herrera's return, both sides are said to have worked out a schedule that will allow Herrera to work on As the World Turns and also on another project in Argentina. The length of the actor's current stint has not been announced.


The last time As the World Turns viewers saw James Stenbeck, he was being arrested and carted off to a Bangkok jail. That was three years ago… and clearly a lot has happened since then.


Anthony Herrera returns on August 27th.

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Related Information
News Archive: Herrera to return to ATWT following battle with rare form of cancer. [Jul 23rd, 2001] Who's Who: Read a biography of James Stenbeck. About The Actor: Learn more about actor Anthony Herrera. Casting News: Check out The Scoop for more comings and goings. More Archived News: Review more past ATWT news headlines. News and More: Return to soapcentral.com's ATWT FrontPage.