7 Things to Know About Thorsten Kaye, Bold & Beautiful’s Charismatic Ridge Forrester
Versatile actor, poet and sports fan who found the love of his life on his first soap.
It’s not easy to step into a role that’s already been inhabited by an actor for 25 years, but Thorsten Kaye (Ridge Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful; Zach Slater, All My Children; Ian Thornhart, Port Charles; Patrick Thornhart, One Life to Live) has done just that taking over Ronn Moss’ vacated role since 2012. But while Kaye has been in soap operas for many years now, what do we really know about him? As the show airs a classic episode of the Bold and the Beautiful cast in Australia, Soaps.com offers up 7 fast facts about the actor, who’s a Renaissance man of many passions.
1.
Thorsten Kaye was born Thorsten Ernst Kieselbach in Mainz (outside Frankfurt) Germany, and was raised in London. He came to the U.S. in 1985 on a decathlon scholarship and studied physical education (major) and drama (minor) at the United States International University in San Diego, California.
2.
After recovering from a motorcycle accident, Kaye began playing soccer and rugby (he even toured in Europe with his team) – but came back to the U.S. to study at Wayne State University in Detroit, where he earned a master’s in theater and theater history.
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3.
Thorsten Kaye’s first acting gig as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz was when he was 17.
4.
One of Kaye’s first TV roles was on One Life to Live, where he played Patrick Thornhart from October 1995 to September 1996. He had a twin brother, Ian, and married Marty Saybrooke (played by Susan Haskell). Kaye went on to play Ian on Port Charles (2000 – 2003), then shifted to All My Children (Zach Slater, 200 – 2011) and finally landed on The Bold and the Beautiful in a major recasting coup, taking over from Ronn Moss as Ridge Forrester, starting in 2012.
5.
But Thorsten Kaye got much more than a break in the soap world when he signed on with One Life to Live: He met his future partner in co-star Haskell – who went on to play Granya Thornhart on Port Charles in 2001, where she was also paired with Kaye again. They have two daughters: McKenna, 17, and Marlowe, 13. Though specific dates aren’t clear, Kaye and Haskell did marry, in a private ceremony on the beach.
More: Interview, B&B actor teases being bad with co-star
6.
Soaps aside, Kaye has also published books of poetry, including A Solid Wheel of Colored Ribbons (2009) and From Timber Ridge to Daymer Gardens (2012). Gardens was written with Dorothy Bridges (mom to Beau and Jeff Bridges), and it was published in 2012; proceeds went to Give Kids the World, a charity for ailing children.
7.
Though he didn’t turn his love of sports into a career, Thorsten Kaye remains a dedicated fan. He roots for the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Red Wings, and in 2008 and 2009 he even blogged for the Red Wings on the NHL’s website. For a time he had a dressing room decorated in Red Wings gear.
