Harley Venton

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Harley Venton (born December 12, 1953 in Jamestown, North Dakota) is an American actor.

[edit] Acting roles

Venton first became known for playing the role of attorney Derek Colby on the long running CBS soap opera, Guiding Light from 1979 to 1982.

While still appearing on Guiding Light he was also a standby for the roles of Lloyd Barnett and Doc Porter in the original Broadway production of Crimes Of The Heart.

Venton made frequent appearances on episodic television programs, either playing very romantic characters with his brown hair and brown eyes (classical tall dark and handsome looks) or as a criminal or "the heavy". He has appeared on Kate & Allie, Murphy Brown, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Murder, She Wrote, Models, Inc., Ellen, The Practice and Law & Order, among other shows.

[edit] Moonlighting

In 1983, ABC expressed interest in Venton for the role of David Addison in the show, Moonlighting. Venton screen-tested for the role of Addison in September 1984. Cybill Shepherd wanted Venton to play Addison, but producer Glenn Gordon Caron ultimately gave the role role to Bruce Willis. Venton was the only other actor to be screen-tested, and that screen test can still be viewed on the DVD copy of the pilot for Moonlighting.

Shepherd would later have Venton guest star on an episode of her 1990s situation comedy series, Cybill, "Cybill's Fifteen Minutes", as a fictional Oscar winning actor who was very obnoxious.