# Grant Aleksander
**Grant Aleksander** (full name Grant Aleksander Kunkowski) is an American actor and director best known for his long-running portrayal of Phillip Spaulding on the CBS daytime drama *Guiding Light*. Sources disagree on his birth year: IMDb gives 1960, while TV Insider, Kinopoisk, Filmweb, and the German TV database Wunschliste give 1959.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/grant-aleksander/) • [3](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/name/150082/) • [4](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Grant%2BAleksander-357005/biography) He was born in Baltimore, Maryland.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Signature role | Phillip Spaulding on *Guiding Light*, 1983–1993 and 1996–2004, with a surprise return on February 9, 2009[5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/?view=20845) |
| Other soap roles | Alec McIntyre on *All My Children* (1993–1995, 12 episodes); D.J. Phillips on *Capitol* (1986)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/) |
| Directing | Directed 9 episodes of *As the World Turns*, 2006–2007[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/) |
| Emmy recognition | Daytime Emmy nominee for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, 2003, for *Guiding Light*[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/daytime-emmy-nominations-announced-12-03-2003/) |
| Marriage | Married attorney Sherry Ramsey on September 19, 1987[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/) |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/) |
## Guiding Light and Phillip Spaulding
Aleksander's defining role has been Phillip Spaulding, son of tycoon Alan Spaulding (Ron Raines) on *Guiding Light*. According to a CBS press release, he played the role from 1983 to 1993 and then again from 1996 to 2004.[5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/?view=20845) In the 2004 storyline Phillip was shot by his father and presumed dead, though most of [Springfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/springfield) later learned he had survived and was hidden away by Alan. Aleksander returned to the show on Monday, February 9, 2009, after a five-year hiatus, with Phillip coming home as his ex-wife Beth (Beth Chamberlin) was about to marry Alan.[5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/?view=20845) IMDb credits him in the role for 533 episodes between 1983 and 2009.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/)
A 2004 TVWeek profile described how Aleksander, by then in his 22nd year of daytime work, had helped turn Phillip from a "hunky teen dream" into a complex character in the throes of mental illness and psychological breakdown. Aleksander told the publication, "Phillip is something of a crash-and-burn character... He's not overly heroic. He doesn't always do the right thing." The profile also noted that a brief stint as a villain on *All My Children* in the early 1990s, terrorizing [Kelly Ripa](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelly-ripa)'s character, had raised eyebrows and proved he was more than a daytime leading-man face.[7](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2004/02/he-couldnt-hide-his-guiding-li/)
## Other acting and directing work
After moving to New York, Aleksander worked as a waiter and tried modeling before appearing in the [ABC Afterschool Special](https://www.edgepedia.org/abc-afterschool-special) *A Very Delicate Matter* in 1982 as Larry Milligan.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/) Through the 1980s he took guest roles on *Hardcastle and McCormick* (Biff Anderson), *Who's the Boss?* (Guss McGee), and *The Fall Guy* (Cliff), and appeared in the television movie *Dark Mansions* as Nicholas Drake and the theatrical film *Tough Guys*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/) • [3](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/name/150082/) His film work later included *The Big Bad Swim* (2006) as Paul Pierson and *Fields of Freedom* (2006).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/)
In 1993 he joined the cast of the ABC daytime soap *All My Children* as Alec McIntyre, a role IMDb lists for 12 episodes between 1993 and 1995.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/) Later television work included a 2008 guest appearance as the "Soap Opera Doctor" on *Life on Mars* and the role of Adam Clark in the series *Tainted Dreams* (2014–2017, 12 episodes).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/) • [5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/?view=20845) Behind the camera, he directed nine episodes of *As the World Turns* between 2006 and 2007.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/)
## Awards and recognition
Aleksander was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2003 for his work as Phillip Spaulding, alongside fellow nominees [Maurice Benard](https://www.edgepedia.org/maurice-benard), Anthony Geary, Ricky Paull Goldin, Thorsten Kaye, and Doug Davidson; Maurice Benard of *General Hospital* won.[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/daytime-emmy-nominations-announced-12-03-2003/) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000206/2003/1/) TV Insider notes he was also nominated in 2004 for the same role.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/grant-aleksander/) A fan-maintained soap opera wiki additionally lists nominations in 1998 (Supporting Actor), 2004, and 2005, and a 2003 Online Film and Television Association award for Actor in a Daytime Serial.[9](https://ultimatesoapfan.fandom.com/wiki/Grant_Aleksander)
## Personal life
Aleksander met his wife, attorney Sherry Ramsey, when they were cast in a play together as students at [Washington and Lee University](https://www.edgepedia.org/washington-and-lee-university); they married on September 19, 1987.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/) IMDb lists him as active in the PETA program and a vegetarian.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/) In interviews he has discussed a possible *Guiding Light* revival and his continued connection to the Phillip Spaulding character.[10](https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/44088/grant-aleksander-phillip-spaulding-guiding-light-interview/)
## References
1. [Grant Aleksander – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017875/)
2. [Grant Aleksander – TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/grant-aleksander/)
3. [Грант Александр (Grant Aleksander) – Кинопоиск](https://www.kinopoisk.ru/name/150082/)
4. [Grant Aleksander – Filmweb biography](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Grant%2BAleksander-357005/biography)
5. [Daytime Drama Star Grant Aleksander Resurrects His Role as Phillip Spaulding on "Guiding Light" – Paramount Press Express / CBS Daytime, February 6, 2009](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/?view=20845)
6. [Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced – CBS News, March 12, 2003](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/daytime-emmy-nominations-announced-12-03-2003/)
7. [He Couldn't Hide His 'Guiding Light' – TVWeek, February 9, 2004](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2004/02/he-couldnt-hide-his-guiding-li/)
8. [Daytime Emmy Awards (2003) – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000206/2003/1/)
9. [Grant Aleksander – Ultimate Soap Fan Wiki](https://ultimatesoapfan.fandom.com/wiki/Grant_Aleksander)
10. [Grant Aleksander Talks Possible 'Guiding Light' Revival, Phillip Spaulding & 'Devout' – Remind Magazine](https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/44088/grant-aleksander-phillip-spaulding-guiding-light-interview/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames A*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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