Frank Dicopoulos

Gloria Gaynor, CBS News anchor Alexis Christoforous and Frank Dicopoulos

Although he's not a household name, Frank Dicopoulos is a big star to the soap-watching set. For 22 years he's portrayed Frank Cooper on Guiding Light, and if the series weren't ending later this year, he'd be happy to play the part for a few decades more. And why not? It's rare for an actor to land such a steady and successful gig, one that's allowed him to stay in one place and raise a family. The father of two kids—including daughter Olivia who has also appeared on GL—Dicopoulos still finds time to tackle other projects, such as voicing Dean the dog in Nick Katsoris's Loukoumi book/CD series. The latest installment, Loukoumi's Good Deeds, was released this week, and Dicopoulos chatted with Time Out Kids about portraying his canine alter ego, trading the city for the suburbs and imagining how to say good-bye to the daytime drama that made his career.

How did you get involved with the Loukoumi books?
When I start missing my mom's home-cooked meals, I go to this restaurant called the Greek Kitchen on Tenth Avenue. I’m a friend of the owner's. He's always introducing me to people. I can’t tell you how many folks I’ve met there! Anyway, he got me involved in the Greek Independence Day Parade, which is how I met Nick [Katsoris], the author of the books. He's a dad and he's got two kids, like me. We really hit it off. So when Nick invited me to do the books and explained that I'd also be helping raise money for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital [$2 from each book sold goes to the institution], I said yes. The majority of my charity work benefits kids. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to help.

You're in incredible company on this recording: Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis, Grammy winner Gloria Gaynor, American Idol alum Constantine Maroulis, not to mention Jennifer Aniston and her dad, John. Did you all hang out together?
Nick made us all feel like family. We all got to meet each other—except for Jennifer, who recorded her part in L.A. I tip my hat to her; I think it's terrific that she found time to do this in her busy schedule! [The rest of us] have become really good friends. We're all Greek, except for Gloria. She's an honorary Greek! We're going to baptize her.

Loukoumi's Good Deeds

You've been playing police officer Frank Cooper for decades. Does it ever get old?
Never, never ever. I thank God for this character. I initially auditioned for the role of Will Jeffries. The producers said I wasn’t right for the part, but they decided to create something just for me! They even patterned the character after my life. Like me, he started as a mechanic, and he's Greek and his first name's Frank. I've just been so blessed. How many actors get to do this?

It was just announced that Guiding Light, the longest-running broadcast drama in the history of television, will be ending later this year. How did you take the news, and what are your plans for the future?
Well, you know, it’s very sad. I spent 22 years on the show. Guiding Light has been my life! It was my first recurring role on national network television, and I can’t thank CBS enough for that opportunity. But my feeling on the whole matter is this: Guiding Light is ending on CBS, but I’m hoping that someone else out there will believe in and appreciate the show and pick it up. It’s a hope and a dream and a belief. I think it will have a home on another network, but I know of nothing specific. It’s just a gut feeling. As for the future, I have no choice but to pursue other interests and leads, but if Guiding Light is picked up by another network, I will stay on the show as long as they will have me.

Your daughter, Olivia, has also appeared on the daytime drama. Are you fostering her showbiz career?
My daughter [now 11] has been acting since she was in the womb! Bless her heart, she's like me. When my wife and my son walk into a room, they work the periphery. My daughter and I walk right into the center. My wife [Teja Anderson] and I believe in the arts so much. I will support my family 200 percent with respect to creativity. I believe in my daughter's abilities. I saw that she had a gift, so I suggested she come in and read for a part on Guiding Light, and she nailed it. I told her, "I can make the introduction, but you have to earn the part. No one will cast you just because you’re my daughter." Now I’ve created a total monster! She thinks she should be on every series and in every movie. She's begging to go out for films, but this family is going to stay together. We’ve seen too many industry horror stories.

You live in the burbs now, but didn't you used to live in the city?
We moved [to Jersey] eight years ago: Before then, we lived right in the heart of Manhattan, first in midtown, then in Chelsea. We bought a condo on 15th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. We loved it—it was to die for. Then the kids came and 1,400 square feet got really, really small. We wanted them to be able to go outside and play in the yard.

What kinds of things do you like to do with your family when you come to town?
We love museums. We love Soho. We love anything to do with art and plays. My wife loves taking everybody to Broadway shows, street fairs and restaurants. There's one place that we just went to in Tribeca: Ninja. Oh my God! Go. You will flip out. I don’t want to tell you anything more because it’s really an experience. We adore going into the city. And the thing I love most about it? You can live in the most outrageously expensive apartment, but then you go out into the street, which is the great equalizer. Everyone's the same there.

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