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American actor Thom Bierdz portrayed Phillip Chancellor III on The Young and the Restless from 1986 to 1989 and again between 2009 and 2011. He is also a writer, director, and award-winning painter. After his exit from the soap, Bierdz experienced many tragedies in his personal life.
Thom Bierdz's first stint on The Young and the Restless ended when Phillip Chancellor III faked his death after a car accident in 1989. At the time, he left the soap to pursue other acting projects. Later, he briefly appeared in 2004 as a ghostly apparition, followed by his re-entry into the role in 2009 in a recurring position. He was not seen on the soap after 2011.
The Young and the Restless is one of the long-running American daily soaps airing on CBS since 1975. The soap's plot presents the dynamics between various families in the backdrop of the fictional Genoa City, which includes the Chancellors, the Abbotts, the Newmans, the Winters, and many more. Bierdz's character belonged to the influential Chancellor family.
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The Young and the Restless: Why did Thom Bierdz move in and out of the soap?
Thom Bierdz played the alcoholic Phillip Chancellor III on The Young and the Restless. As mentioned, after reaching an eventful story arc, he left the soap in July 1989 to work on other acting projects. As such, his story arc ended with the character feigning death and moving to Australia.
Soon after he left the soap, Bierdz's younger brother Troy, who had returned home to Wisconsin, killed their mother, Phyllis Bierdz, with a baseball bat. Although diagnosed with Schizophrenia, Troy is serving a 50-year prison sentence. Before long, his other brother, Gregg Bierdz, committed suicide in May 2000.
Thom Bierdz continued to act, write, and paint through his tragedies. Drawn towards art, Bierdz devoted himself to painting and received several awards, including Key to the Light Awards and Best Emerging Artist of Los Angeles. Currently, he is the President of the American Arts Awards.
Thom published a book on the family tragedy in 2009, titled Forgiving Troy: A True Story of Murder, Mental Illness and Recovery. He takes part in various charity work and speaks on human rights. He received the Visibility Award from The Human Rights Campaign. Bierdz also came out as gay.
He returned to play Phillip III in 2009 when the character returned to the soap's plot. However, he moved out again after two years as his story arc wound up.
Also Read: The Young and the Restless family tree, explained
The Young and the Restless: A brief sketch of Phillip Chancellor III
Phillip III was born Phillip Foster to Jill Foster and the late Phillip Chancellor II. Phillip started acting difficult when his mother, Jill, started dating John Abbott. As such, he was sent to boarding school and rarely visited town.
In 1986, Phillip III, played by Thom Bierdz, returned home after his mother was shot and injured. While he stayed back, he remained resentful towards Jill Abbott. Eventually, he moved to Chancellor's Estate and changed his name to Phillip Chancellor III when Katherine Chancellor tried to adopt him. There was a tug-of-war between Katherine and Jill over him.
However, he became addicted to alcohol while being involved with Christine Blair, aka Cricket, and Nina Webster simultaneously. During one of his drunken stupors, Nina seduced him and became pregnant. Their child, Phillip "Chance" Chancellor IV, was born in 1988. Despite objections from Katherine Chancellor and Jill Abbott, Phillip III married Nina Webster in 1989.
However, he was unable to match up to the expectations of being a good father, son, or partner, leading to heavy alcoholism. In May 1989, Phillip presumably died from the injuries he sustained after his car accident due to drinking and driving. Bierdz's Phillip made a brief appearance as a ghost in 2004.
After two decades, in 2009, Phillip III returned to The Young and the Restless storyline when he revealed he had staged his death and was living in Australia as Langley. He disclosed that he had wanted to keep his sexual preference hidden. He tried to build closeness with his son, Chance Chancellor. However, in 2010, Chance was accidentally shot and pronounced dead.
Also Read: The Young and The Restless: 3 major developments to expect this week
In reality, it was a ruse to secretly send Chance Chancellor to a Witness Protection Program. Only Phillip III, Katherine, Nina, Ronan, and Christine knew Chance was alive. At the end of this arc, Phillip III reportedly left for Australia, and with this, Thom Bierdz left the show. Later, Jill temporarily went to Australia in May 2012 to care for Phillip III after his knee surgery.
With rumors about Phillip III's possible return to The Young and the Restless, it remains to be seen whether Thom Bierdz will return to the soap. Stay tuned to CBS every weekday to catch the upcoming drama on the soap.
