The actor first achieved fame for his turn in The Young and The Restless

John McCook remains one of the longest running soap opera actors in the history of Western television with his role as Eric Forrester on The Bold and The Beautiful going strong.

Since his first appearance on the show’s pilot episode in 1987, as a sister episode to The Young and The Restless in which he also appeared for five years, he has played the character in thousands of the show’s 9000 episodes.

Through nearly four decades with the hit CBS soap, while Eric Forrester has experienced several ups and downs in his love and family life, the 80-year-old actor has remained with his one true love throughout and is a proud dad and grandfather as well.

Here’s what you need to know about John’s family life…

John’s first two marriages

Before finding love with his current wife, though, John walked down the aisle twice. From 1962-1971, he was married to Marilyn McPherson. In 1972, he tied the knot with actress and dancer Juliet Prowse five weeks after they welcomed a son together.

Juliet was best known for her many varied performances across film, TV and theater, most notably across Elvis Presley in 1960’s G.I. Blues. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1979, and Juliet passed away in 1996 at the age of 59.

John’s wife, Laurette Spang

In 1980, John tied the knot with actress Laurette Spang. Laurette, now 73, is an actress as well, although she retired from the profession in 1984, having since made brief appearances either with her husband or on documentary specials.

Laurette Spang-McCook

Born in Buffalo, New York and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Laurette studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and by the mid-1970s, was making a living through guest parts in several TV shows.

However, she finally achieved notable recognition when she was cast as Cassiopeia in the original Battlestar Galactica, playing the role from 1978-79. She followed that up with several other continuing TV bit parts before retiring in 1984.

John and his wife Laurette’s three 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren

With his second wife Juliet, John welcomed a son named Seth, now 52. Not much is known about Seth besides the fact that he has made occasional acting appearances and is married to Melissa McCaffery, and they share three 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren.

With Laurette, John welcomed two daughters and a son. His oldest is his son Jake Thomas, 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in 1981, who is an artist and author. Last year, Jake and his mother co-authored a book titled Cliffs of Schizophrenia, detailing his journey with schizophrenia.

Middle daughter Rebecca “Becky” Jeanne was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in 1983. Little is known about her compared to her siblings, except for the fact that she is married to a man named Michel.

His famous daughter

Youngest Molly McCook, 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in 1990, is also an actress like her parents. She is best known for her leading role in FOX’s Last Man Standing from 2018-2021. In 2019, she married Broadway actor John Krause.