GORDON THOMSON It's Good TO BE BAD

The Canadian actor shares memories of playing the Dynasty villain everyone loved to hate

- William Keck

As Dynasty's black sheep Adam Carrington, actor Gordon Thomson gave Joan Collins' wicked Alexis some competition. During his seven-year run on the primetime soap, his character raped his future wife, attempted to poison his brother-in-law and routinely gay-bashed his homosexual brother.

Initially, Joan balked when the show cast Gordon, insisting he was too old to play her long-lost son, but he quickly became a fan favorite- and won Joan over, too.

"Toward the end of Dynasty's run, Joan said to me, 'Gordon, darling. I have feelings for you that are far from maternal,"" Gordon, 78, confides to Closer. "I was so complimented. The woman had Warren Beatty, for God's sake!"

Did fans confuse you with evil Adam?

Oh, yes. People were really afraid of me. I remember meeting one fan a few years after the show ended who was shocked that I was nothing like Adam. I asked, "Do you want to see him?" Then I summoned Adam, and the man backed two steps away. It's all in the eyes.

Did your good looks help your career, or did you find it hard to be taken seriously?

It hasn't really helped all that much. I did get to model instead of waiting tables to get the rent paid. But it puts some people off, thinking that I'm perhaps not a very good actor. And a certain British gay director took an appalling shine to me when I was living with a fabulous woman. [Accepting his advances] became a condition of employment. I told him, "I can't. I want to hold my head up."

People might be surprised that you haven't always been a purely dramatic actor.