Palmer Cortlandt (James Mitchell) Bio - All My Children

All My Children

weekdays 1et/12pt/c on ABC / weeknights at 8pm on SOAPnet

Palmer Cortlandt

JAMES MITCHELL

Came to town: 1979
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Owner and CEO of Cortlandt Electronics

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CHARACTER BIO

Gruff on the outside, Palmer's a self-made millionaire whose love for his family runs to his core.

The Good

Built his empire from his humble beginnings in West Virginia
Discovered an adult son, Ross Chandler, he never knew he had
His children Nina, Ross, and Pete.

The Bad and the Ugly

Constantly attempted to keep daughter Nina and true love Cliff apart, including making Nina think she was going blind
Learned that young Palmer John Cortlandt was not his son, but Chuck Tyler's
Lost half his fortune to Opal Cortlandt in their divorce settlement

Friends

Pete Cortlandt: Son
Opal Cortlandt: Ex-wife
Erica Kane: Friend

Foes

Adam Chandler: Longtime nemesis
Tad Martin: Longtime nemesis

ACTOR BIO

James Mitchell joined the cast of All My Children in 1979 in the role of Palmer Cortlandt. The actor, who began his career in films and on the Broadway stage, has been honored with seven Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for this role.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Mitchell, an accomplished dancer, played leading roles in a number of Broadway musicals -- among them Mack and Mable, Carnival, Paint Your Wagon, Brigadoon and Bloomer Girl. He appeared with the American Ballet Theater in New York, Europe and South America, and with the Agnes DeMille Dance Theater on tour throughout the United States.

His films include That's Dancing, a retrospective of great dance numbers in movie musicals; The Turning Point, in which he played the artistic director; The Bandwagon with Fred Astaire; Oklahoma and Deep in My Heart with Cyd Charisse. He also danced with Miss Charisse in both her 1965 television special and in the Academy Awards presentation in 1966. From 1969 to 1973 he played the role of Professor Hathaway on the series Where the Heart Is. Mr. Mitchell also appeared in the ABC primetime series Charlie's Angels. He has starred on tour in Funny Girl with Carol Lawrence, in The Threepenny Opera with Chita Rivera, and in The King and I with Ann Blyth. Additionally he served as assistant to the director of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera production of Annie Get Your Gun with Debbie Reynolds.

Mr. Mitchell has taught movement for actors to theater arts students, which he describes as "an exchange of the disciplines of dancing and acting." He has taught at Yale University and at Drake University in Des Moines, IA, which awarded him an honorary doctorate in fine arts.