by Pete Tattersall (
SunHerald.com)
In the second grade, Winsor Harmon caught the acting bug.
"I did a play, called 'The Wells Fargo Wagon,' a musical, and I knew that's what I wanted to do, be an actor," Harmon, who is in his late 30s, said in a recent telephone interview with the Sun Herald from his home in Toluca Lake, Calif.
Harmon, together with three fellow cast members from the popular CBS daytime soap "The Bold And The Beautiful," will be on hand Saturday at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi to lend a bit of star power to "A Fashion Extravaganza," a charity fundraiser paying tribute to their deceased fellow cast member, Darlene Conley, who portrayed the colorful character Sally Spectra.
The party features both live and silent auctions of Conley's show wardrobe, plus a host of other fashion and entertainment items. All proceeds, in turn, benefit the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse.
"It's very close to my heart, because I have kids. And I wanted to get involved immediately," said Harmon, whose three children range from 4 to 22 years in age.
Though he developed a love of acting early, Harmon took a circuitous route along the way.
Born in Crowley, La., Harmon lived with his family in New Orleans, just off Bourbon Street, through the fourth grade. The family then relocated to Rockwall, Texas, though they returned often to Harmon's home state.
"Even after we moved, I spent about three months a year in Louisiana with family," said Harmon.
A top-rated high school running back, Harmon accepted a football scholarship to Texas A&M, a decision he would eventually come to regret.
"I stayed for two years, then lost the love of the game," he said.
Standing 6 feet tall, his blond hair, good looks and impressive build soon landed Harmon a gig modeling for a Nike catalog in Dallas. From there he traveled to New York, where he eventually signed a contract with the Ford modeling agency.
"Then it was off to Paris, then Milan, Italy, where I worked several years. Then I wound up becoming the Marlboro Man," said Harmon. "I did all the commercial work with them, went to Buenos Aries in Argentina and did billboard and commercials there, and some stuff in the U.S."
Returning to the United States, and having just completed a Halston campaign, together with then-supermodel Cindy Crawford, Harmon soon found himself living in trendy South Beach, Miami.
"I'd made tons of money, conquered what I wanted to do in terms of modeling," and decided it was time to pursue an acting career, he said.
So Harmon flew home to Texas, bought a Geo Tracker and hit the road, bound, like countless other dreamers, for Los Angeles. And like countless others, Harmon soon found himself waiting tables. But just for awhile.
"I had about two auditions, and on the third won a role on 'All My Children.' I've been working ever since," said Harmon, who from 1994 through 1996 portrayed the character Del Henry on "AMC."
He eventually moved over to "Bold And The Beautiful," where he landed the role of Thorne Forrester.
When he first interviewed with "B&B" executives, "I has this overwhelming sense of family and warmth," said Harmon. "It's one big family there. We all get along so well. The first person I call, if I have a problem, is Susan Flannery, who plays my mother. I call her more than my own mother... .It's just one big, happy family."
When the opportunity came to participate in Saturday's charity event at the Beau, Harmon didn't hesitate.
"I said to everybody, 'This is a really great deal. You get to go to the South, where I grew up. It's going to be a great experience," said Harmon. "...I told these guys, 'Look, this is a different world. The South is a different place than where we live. People are really, really super friendly, and they're nice. If you're driving down the road, everyone waves at each other. It's a whole different environment. You guys are going to have a really great time, and you'll get to see where I'm from.'
If you go What: "A Fashion Extravaganza," a star-studded benefit to raise money for the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse.
When: Silent auction begins 6 p.m. Saturday. Fashion show, followed by a live auction, begins at 8 p.m.
Cost: Tickets start at $75, and can be purchased by phone at (228) 868-8686 or visit mscpca.com.
Info:
mscpca.com,
beaurivage.com or
boldandbeautiful.com.
