<Tr> <Th> Children </Th> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <P> John Thomas McCook (born June 20, 1944) is an American actor best known for his roles on daytime soap operas . </P> <P> Since 1987, he has played the role of Eric Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful . From 1976 to February 1980, he portrayed the character of Lance Prentiss on The Young and the Restless . In addition, he has appeared as a guest in episodes on dozens of primetime series . B&B co-star Winsor Harmon once starred with McCook on an episode of Acapulco H.E.A.T. filmed in Mexico . Harmon told Soap Opera Digest about their guest stint on H.E.A.T.: </P> <P> "I hung out with John McCook the whole time and I kept watching all these people from other countries asking for his autograph . I'm thinking to myself,' Who the hell is this guy?' So one night, we were drinking Coronas and I asked him why he had so many fans and he explained how B&B was so popular around the world . I had no idea . The more he talked about it, the more I was thinking,' I want to be on that show .'...The first time I drove into the parking lot, there was John, just pointing at me and laughing . He asked what I was doing here and I told him that I was Thorne . That's when he told me that he was going to be playing my dad . That was just too wild ." </P>

Who plays eric forrester in the bold and the beautiful
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