No stranger to television, Derwin is best known for creating the role of Ben Davidson on the ABC Daytime drama "One Life to Live." Other Daytime television credits include playing Adrian Hunter on "The Young and the Restless," from 1989-90, and "Guiding Light's" A.C. Mallett, from 1990-93. For his role on "Guiding Light" Derwin won the 1993 Soap Opera Digest Award for Leading Man and received a Lead Actor Daytime Emmy nomination in 1992.

Following his stint on "Guiding Light," Derwin relocated to California where he starred on "The Bonnie Hunt Show" and made guest appearances on such primetime television series as "For Your Love," "Veronica's Closet," "Cybill," "Party of Five" and "Touched by an Angel."

His feature films include "The Minus Man," "Evil Obsession" and "Ballad of the Nightingale," with Virginia Madsen.

He will continue his "One Life to Live" role while appearing on "Life with Bonnie."

Derwin resides in New York City with Jim the Dog.

PERSONAL INFORMATION
HOMETOWN: New York, NY
BIRTHDATE: October 28, 1960

I thought it might be fun to keep a running tally of all the comments made about Mark Derwin, his character Mark Molloy and his TV family while he's in LA shooting "Life With Bonnie". Below are quotes from various television reviewers, magazines, and even Mark's fans that have appeared in print.

Because there are new ones added each week I've now dedicated a special linked page for this feature.

Seriously, where's the kid?

Life With Bonnie kicked off its bumpy second season by stripping Bonnie Hunt of a TV daughter -- played handily by Samantha Browne-Walters -- with nary an explanation. (I envision her in a special TV waiting room for misplaced siblings, making awkward conversation with Richie Cunningham's older brother.) It's a perplexing and off-mark move, as Hunt had some sweet moments with the girl, and dropping her did nothing to alleviate the show's crowded house.

The overpopulation -- no sitcom needs nine regulars -- is a major problem for ''Bonnie,'' which revolves around Hunt as Bonnie Malloy, harried wife and mother of (now) two, and host of ''Morning Chicago.'' That gig allows the Second City vet to improv with guest stars, which can yield some great, startling humor -- or be a real sinkhole. The Dec. 5 episode, with Rip Taylor as a gossip guru, is a fine example of the worst of ''Bonnie.'' Taylor's shtick overburdened a show that too often marches to a ba-dum-bum beat, with the cast popping random punchlines like a bad game of whack-a-mole.

May I recommend a culling? Anthony Russell provides a nice bumbling-bear vibe as ''Morning Chicago'''s piano player, but Hunt would be kind to release Chris Barnes and Holly Wortell from their generic wacky friend/coworker gigs. Whatever bus to Bootsville they land on, save room for Marianne Muellerleile's housekeeper-who-doesn't-keep-house-gee-how-zany.

This may sound cranky, but it's only because I'm rooting for ''Bonnie,'' Hunt's third stab at her own prime-time show. Hunt, with her longtime partner Don Lake, has made some hopeful changes of late, particularly with the ''Morning Chicago'' segments. Last year's parade of stars from Robin Williams to Tom Hanks has shifted down to folks like Jack Lalanne and the Smothers Brothers, allowing Hunt to play with -- rather than play second fiddle to -- her guests.

And bless the slightly contrived house fire that left David Alan Grier's uptight producer David Bellows homeless, forcing him to move in with the Malloys. He's made a persnickety foil to Bonnie's low-key boy (Charlie Stewart, who'd be a perfect Bobby in a live-action ''King of the Hill'' movie). Plus more home time means more of Mark Derwin, who, as Bonnie's doctor husband, shares her zingy humor. How pleasant in this world of bickering TV spouses (I'm talking to you, Mr. and Mrs. Barone) to see a husband and wife who really dig each other.

With her lovely effervescence and earthiness, Hunt seems ever more confident. When a scene is really hopping (which happens more often this season), her glee is as engaging as the banter itself. Give the girl more room, and ''Life With Bonnie'' could be peachy. B-

Living with Bonnie

GENUINE
... Mark Derwin and Bonnie Hunt star
in Life With Bonnie, airing Fridays.

by Kevin Williamson
Calgary Sun

So endth the Bonnie Hunt curse. (The gang from Seinfeld remains unemployable and forever trapped in a Phantom Zone-esque '90s post-modern, pre-9/11 New York.)

Hunt, the gifted actress and filmmaker, has finally managed to stay on the air with a sitcom for more than one season. (You wouldn't expect it to be quite so difficult, given the obvious low standards applied to most television comedies, but Life With Bonnie, now in its second season, marks her fifth attempt in the past decade.)

For actor Mark Derwin, it's welcome news. Not only does it mean he keeps his gig for awhile longer, but he continues to have “the best seat in the house” for a production that has, in just its first year, boasted guest appearances from mega-stars such as Oscar winners Tom Hanks and Robin Williams.

As Derwin tells it, the A-listers are the ones calling Hunt, asking to be on her sitcom. “Tom Hanks called and said, 'OK, I can do it this week,” so they wrote a show for him,” says Derwin, who plays Hunt's husband on Life With Bonnie, about a harried wife and mother who hosts her own morning TV show.

“Hunt (and Hanks) go back a long way. She's a beautiful woman. She's genuine and loyal and — it's not a term I use loosely — a genius.”

Along with Hanks and Williams, former X-Files star David Duchovny also dropped by last season as a tacky weatherman.

He's expected back this season, along with celebs such as tween queen Hilary Duff. “I did hear from Bonnie, and Hanks and Williams want to do it again, along with Duchovny. She knows a lot of people. They all want a chance to play.”

Life With Bonnie also marks a reunion for Derwin with Hunt — albeit a much more successful one than the last time. “I did a sitcom with her, The Bonnie Hunt Show, which lasted about 15 episodes. But by the end we had an interesting rhythm together. We stayed in touch through the years … She's very loyal and doesn't forget. She wrote this role for me. It's an incredible honour. I was working on a soap opera in New York, and the powers that be said 'He's not who we want,' so they started with someone else, which was difficult because the role was so specific. So they flew me in and Bonnie told them how much she wanted me …

“I can't believe what she did for me. She's very generous and every actor here has a similar story. She put herself at risk for me.”

LIFE WITH BONNIE stars Mark Derwin (ex-Ben, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) and Bonnie Hunt rode around Disney's California Adventure in style during ABC's Primetime Preview Weekend celebration at the Anaheim theme park.

Recently several celebrities appeared at Hugos in West Hollywood to support a benefit Bingo for Child S.H.A.R.E. (Shelter Homes A Rescue Effort) a program that finds homes for children through local congregations. In 1985, one child was placed in a home recruited from a local church by Child SHARE. Today, more than 1,000 children have lived in foster homes recruited from a network of 350 churches and parishes in Southern California.

Among those attending from Daytime TV were two former castmates Mark Derwin (Mark Molloy, Life With Bonnie; ex-Ben, OLTL) and Gina Tognoni (ex-Kelly, OLTL).

To learn more about the Child SHARE program visit their website at http://www.childshare.org/pagesrpl/highlights.html.

THE HUNT IS ON: Expect to see more big-name celebs guest-starring on ABC's "Life with Bonnie" when the new season begins Sept. 26. Reports MARK DERWIN who plays Bonnie Hunt's dearly beloved on the sitcom, "I know for sure Robin Williams is going to come back playing his wacky medium, and David Duchovny, who was on twice last season, will likely be on for more episodes this season."

Last year, Hunt's good friend Tom Hanks even turned up on the show. So what will be different this season?

"This year, it's Bonnie's goal to intertwine the cast in the major story lines. We'll be seeing a lot more of David (Alan Grier) at the house and what goes on with him while he's away from Bonnie at work."

OLTL: Mark Derwin Thinks Ben Must Go!

One Life to Live's Erika Slezak (Viki) recently told the press that Ben, her current comatose husband, should either be recast or quietly die since his portrayer, Mark Derwin, has signed up for another year as Bonnie Hunt's TV husband on the ABC sitcom Life With Bonnie. "I agree completely," concurs Derwin of Slezak's statement. "[Erika's] the anchor of the show. You can't keep her in limbo. She needs some sort of relationship-driven storyline. You'd have to kill [Ben] or recast [him]." This isn't to say that Derwin doesn't appreciate his daytime roots. The Emmy-nominated actor first joined the soap world in 1989 as murderous Adrian Hunter on The Young and the Restless and also played Guiding Light good guy A.C. Mallet from 1990-93. "Nobody draws more people to charity events than daytime people," the actor proudly states. "The daytime fans are so committed to their shows that they'll come out [to meet their actors]. Actors are generous with their time, and money is raised for all kinds of places. It's really the best part of being in daytime."