Chris Engen (born October 25, 1979) is an American former actor best known for his portrayal of Adam Newman on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless .
Born in Apple Valley, California, Engen is also a writer and a musician. He graduated from Bishop Montgomery High School in 1997.
Engen has guest-starred in various television programs. He was a recurring character in Saints & Sinners , CSI: NY and Felicity . He began appearing as Adam Newman on The Young and the Restless on February 12, 2008.
Engen abruptly left his role on The Young and the Restless in mid-May 2009; the role was immediately recast with actor Michael Muhney. [1] Engen's departure was allegedly due to "the dark direction his character [was] taking" [1] and an upcoming same-sex storyline.[ dubious – discuss ] It was alleged that Engen abruptly left the show "mid-contract due to objections over Adam's storyline and character direction," [2] but the precise objections have never been established beyond the realm of unsubstantiated rumors. In a subsequent statement on the subject, Engen stated, among other things, "I felt generally unhappy about my contribution to the show, and had greater and greater difficulty making any sense of the challenges they were asking me to face. I know a great many of you have endured far worse than what you perceive to have been my circumstance, but I do not believe that just because you have suffered a particular injustice, so too must everyone else in order to understand that injustice. I want to apologize to any of my fellow actors who I may have disappointed." Addressing reports of homophobia, he stated, in part:
I would also like to apologize to those of you who feel slighted by this choice, as I have been branded a "homophobe" by several members of the press. This is, of course, absurd and many of my dearest friends are homosexuals who would be more than happy to speak on my behalf. My decision had nothing to do with religion, or anything I learned at Bishop Montgomery High School. Bishop is a great institution of learning that encourages tolerance and acceptance of others. I do not ascribe to any one religious ideology but do value the truth that exists in them all. I think the unfortunate assumption that has been made is that Catholics are intolerant of homosexuals on the basis of their Catholicism. Intolerance of anything is a product of one's underlying belief system as an experience of limitation. It is the line we intellectually draw within ourselves that prevents us from understanding those things we reject, because it defines the boundaries of who we are as individuals. We are what we are, but we are also NOT what we are not. Intolerance is a natural reaction that, I believe, we must understand in order to defeat. It is not a fire to be stomped out by an angry foot or extinguished by an inundating stream of media exposure. Homosexuality is a quality of beingness: one of many qualities that make up the rich diversity that humanity expresses. [3] [4] [5]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights | Steph | |
2006 | Sasquatch Mountain | Chris Logan | |
2006 | Left In Darkness | Doug | Direct to Video |
2007 | God's Ears | The Bar Fly | |
2012 | Easy Rider: The Ride Back | Virgil William | |
2012 | Raincheck Romance | Nathan | Short |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Felicity | Finn | 4 Episode Guest Star |
2001 | Popular | Jared | Guest Star |
2001 | Go Fish | Tommy Simpson | Guest Star |
2002 | As If | Rob | 7 Episode Guest Star |
2006 | CSI: NY | John Hayes | Guest Star |
2007 | Saints & Sinners | Richard Vargas | Recurring Character |
2008–2009 | The Young and the Restless | Adam Wilson | Role held: February 12, 2008 – June 24, 2009 |
Sharon Case is an American actress and former model. At the age of 17, Case began working as a model, relocating briefly to Japan, before pursuing an acting career. She is best known for her roles on daytime television soap operas, scoring parts in the serials General Hospital and As the World Turns during the early stages of her career. In 1994, she stepped into the role of Sharon Newman on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, which she still plays. Case, who is considered a leading actress in the series, won the 1999 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance.
Victor Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. He has been portrayed by Eric Braeden since 1980. Initially a guest character who was to last for eight to twelve weeks, Victor has evolved into the soap opera's leading male figure. Created by William J. Bell as a "despicable, contemptible, unfaithful wife abuser", the character was planned to be killed off and never heard of again. However, after Bell saw Braeden's performance, he decided to sign the actor onto a contract. Braeden was hesitant to work on a soap opera, but eventually signed a contract, and has remained on the series as a regular cast member for over 40 years. The character is widely described as a ruthless villain, while loving to those he holds dear. Over the years, he has also been the center of several controversial plots and relationships.
Nikki Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS daytime soap opera, The Young and the Restless. Created and introduced by William J. Bell in 1978, the role was portrayed by Erica Hope, before Melody Thomas Scott took over in 1979. Introduced as a stripper, the character became well known for her relationship with businessman Victor Newman, a union that developed into a supercouple pairing that has spanned over four decades. She shares two children with Victor, Victoria and Nicholas Newman. In 2013, she reveals that she had previously given up a child for adoption, who is later discovered to be Dylan McAvoy. The character has also had several other notorious relationships, including Paul Williams, Jack Abbott, and Brad Carlton. Scott is considered an icon in the soap opera genre.
Ashley Abbott is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, two American soap operas on the CBS network. She has been most notably portrayed by Eileen Davidson, who originated the role on June 11, 1982, before departing in 1988. Brenda Epperson portrayed Ashley from 1988 to 1995, before Shari Shattuck portrayed the role for the next three years, until Davidson's return on March 19, 1999. Davidson was nominated in 2003 for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and she later won that award in 2018.
Brad Carlton is a fictional character from the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by Don Diamont. The character became a mainstay on the series for over 20 years. He was known for his relationships with Traci Abbott, Ashley Abbott and Victoria Newman, as well as his business rivalries with Jack Abbott and Victor Newman. In 2009, the character drowned in a frozen lake.
Nicholas Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Created and introduced by William J. Bell, he was born onscreen in 1988 as the second child of supercouple characters Victor and Nikki Newman. Portrayed by a set of twins and later two child actors for his first six-year period, the writers of the series decided to rapidly age the character to a teenager in the summer of 1994. That June, Joshua Morrow began portraying Nick, and has remained in the role ever since. The character was reintroduced with the purpose of developing a relationship with another character, Sharon Collins, who was introduced around the same story arc. The pairing, which yielded three children, Cassie, Noah and Faith Newman, proved popular with viewers. They are regarded as a prominent supercouple by the soap opera media.
Sharon Newman is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network, currently portrayed by Sharon Case. Created by William J. Bell as a love interest for Nicholas Newman, the character debuted on June 27, 1994. Before Case took over in September 1994, the character was portrayed briefly by Monica Potter and then by Heidi Mark. When first introduced, Sharon was a young girl from the poor side of town; her early storylines included being raped by Matt Clark and the revelation that she had given up a child for adoption. Nick and Sharon married, had a son named Noah, and later won custody of Cassie, the daughter she had as a teenager. Their marriage faced a number of problems, including infidelity on both sides. Following Cassie's death in an automobile accident, Nick cheated on Sharon with Phyllis Summers, resulting in a pregnancy which ended their 11-year marriage.
Michael Muhney is an American actor. His best known roles include Sheriff Don Lamb on the UPN/The CW television series Veronica Mars between 2004 and 2007 and Adam Newman on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless from 2009 to 2014.
Ricky Williams is a fictional character from the CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. The character was created as the son of Paul Williams and Isabella Braña, born onscreen on May 10, 2002. After being portrayed by a series of unidentified infant child actors, the character was raised by Isabella's parents in Los Angeles, California. In 2011, Ricky was rapidly aged to an adult, with Peter Porte being cast to play the character. Zap2it described Ricky as "a one-dimensional villain with daddy and mommy issues".
Chloe Mitchell is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Introduced by former executive producer Edward J. Scott as the daughter of trusty Chancellor family maid, Esther Valentine, the character was born onscreen on July 27, 1990. Portrayed by twins, Darla and Sandra Greer, until 1991, upon her brief return in 1994, child actress, Danielle Ryah, portrayed the role. On February 6, 2008, executive producer/head writer Josh Griffith introduced a new character, Chloe Mitchell, played by former All My Children actress, Elizabeth Hendrickson. That August, a change in storyline revealed Chloe was Kate, having legally changed her name while offscreen, when the character was away in boarding school. Upgraded from recurring to contract status, Hendrickson became an integral part of the cast.
Adam Newman is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, a soap opera on the CBS network. Adam was created by William J. Bell as the son of Victor Newman and Hope Wilson and was introduced on April 24, 1995. Adam left town two years after his birth and was raised in Kansas by his mother, growing up without knowing that Victor is his father.
Hunter Haley King is an American actress. She is known for portraying Adriana Masters on Hollywood Heights (2012), Summer Newman on The Young and the Restless and Clementine Hughes on Life in Pieces (2015–2019). Earlier in her career she was credited as Haley King, but she has since been credited as Hunter King.
Tucker McCall is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Introduced by former head writer Maria Arena Bell, the character debuted during the episode airing on December 2, 2009, portrayed by William Russ. The character was slated to be a new businessman and billionaire, leading to speculation that Tucker would become a replacement character for icon Victor Newman, as Braeden's future with the series was in jeopardy at the time. However, Tucker ended up being a new character who would be revealed as Katherine Chancellor's long lost son. Russ was let go shortly after his debut because producers wanted to take the character in a different direction, resulting in the hiring of Stephen Nichols as his replacement. After nearly a decade hiatus, McCall returned to the show. From 2022 to 2024, McCall was portrayed by former OLTL actor, Trevor St. John.
Faith Newman is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. She is currently portrayed by Reylynn Caster, who assumed the role following the departure of Alyvia Alyn Lind, who played Faith for almost ten years from 2011 to 2021. Introduced during the September 30, 2009, episode, Faith is the youngest daughter of supercouple Nick and Sharon Newman.
Ronan Malloy is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Introduced by the former head writer Maria Arena Bell, the role was portrayed by Jeff Branson. After the character's debut, it was revealed that Ronan was, in fact, the child that was stolen from Nina Webster many years before. The character then went on to have romances with Heather Stevens, Chloe Mitchell, and Phyllis Summers.
Chelsea Lawson is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Portrayed by Melissa Claire Egan, she was created by former head writer Maria Arena Bell and made her debut during the episode airing on November 11, 2011. Egan was said to be joining the soap opera as a mystery woman involved with Billy Abbott.
Leslie Michaelson is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Created and introduced by former head writer Maria Arena Bell, the role is portrayed by Angell Conwell, who made her first appearance on the episode that aired on December 2, 2010. Bell introduced Leslie as a high-powered attorney who would air on a recurring status. In December 2012, after two years on recurring, Conwell was placed on contract by executive producer Jill Farren Phelps however, was dropped back to recurring in August 2014, appearing until June 2017. Conwell made a guest appearance on April 25, 2019, to honour Kristoff St. John's character Neil Winters passing, as well as the actor's real life death.
Sam Gibson is a fictional character from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by Sean Patrick Flanery. He made his first appearance on April 18, 2011. Introduced by head writer Maria Arena Bell, Sam was created as a love interest for Sharon Newman while she was a fugitive. A rural veterinarian, Sam takes Sharon, posing under the alias Sheri Coleman, into his barn. They eventually fall in love; but she is located and arrested. Although they remained friends, the relationship ended when she returned to Genoa City. Flanery was let go after a few months, last airing on November 4, 2011.
Dylan McAvoy is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network, portrayed by Steve Burton. Dylan first appeared on January 29, 2013. He is initially involved in a story arc involving Avery Bailey Clark, his former lover who believes he died during the war in Afghanistan. Avery is stunned by Dylan's return, but remains in a relationship with Nicholas Newman. Burton noted the extreme differences between Dylan and his General Hospital character Jason Morgan. The actor was able to have a new wardrobe and look. While Jason was confined and "Stone Cold", Dylan has been credited by Burton as allowing him to portray his lighter side in addition to more of his own personality. The character was later paired with Chelsea Lawson ; their short-lived romance and marriage received negative reviews from viewers and critics alike.