In Memoriam: The Young and the Restless actor Jonathan Farwell, who played George Rawlins, dead, at 93

The Young and the Restless alumn Jonathan Farwell, who played George Rawlins from 1988-89, has died. The actor was 93 years old.

The Young and the Restless, RIP, Jonathan Farwell

According to the Denver Gazette, Farwell passed away on November 22, 2025, from complications of a broken hip at Pathways Hospice in Fort Collins, Colorado. He was 93 years old, and he was legally blind and deaf. However, he was still acting up until the age of 91. Farwell had been developing a one-man stage memoir titled "Why Is An Actor (A Mildly Verbose Overdose of Ham on Rye).”

Ironically, Farwell was known for understudying the late Yul Brynner when he was playing the title role on Broadway in The King and I -- but he never went on! While Farwell spent the majority of his career on stage, soap opera fans remember him as the distinguished George Rawlins, who often dressed in a white suit.

In 1988, George enlisted the aid of his friend, private detective Paul Williams (Doug Davidson), to find out if his wife, Sandy, was being unfaithful to him. Paul experienced the shock of his life to discover that "Sandy" was none other than Cassandra, the mysterious, beautiful woman with whom he'd fallen in love.

Hitman Adrian Hunter (Mark Derwin) killed George, but Paul was the prime suspect and had to go on the run to stay out of jail. Paul faked his death and tracked Adrian and Cassandra to Bermuda, hoping to obtain proof that he was innocent. It appeared as if Cassandra was in on the hit, but she, too, became Adrian's victim. The story was being played heavily when The Young and the Restless took the No. 1 spot in the ratings from General Hospital in late 1988.

“Jonathan was a genuine talent who touched an endless number of audiences with his ability to share the souls of the characters he brought to life," said Morris Burns, a retired Colorado State University theatre professor.

“Let’s be honest: My father was 6-foot-3 and looked like a movie god,” said Alison Garrigan, Farwell's daughter. “He was a matinee idol, literally, who could stop traffic. But he was never saddled by his looks. He was such a good actor that he did not get pegged. He could do Shakespeare. He could do Chekhov. He could do modern plays. He could do satire. And he had a gorgeous singing voice. He could play anything.”

The Young and the Restless, All My Children, and Star Trek

The Young and the Restless wasn't Farwell's only soap. In 1985, he played Judge Marvin Martel on All My Children. The case Judge Martel oversaw involved Linda Warner, played by future Oscar winner Melissa Leo. Also, Farwell played Captain Walker Keel on Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1988.

Born on January 9, 1932, to Arthur Farwell, a composer, and Gertrude Everts Brice, in Lansing, Michigan, Farwell attended Ithaca College in New York and was at Yale University for a year.

His first wife was Jo Anne Gaines in 1955, and they welcomed Alison in 1958 and Elisabeth in 1961. A few years after Jo Anne's passing in 1990 from breast cancer, Farwell was cast along with actress Deb Note in a production of Shadowlands. Farwell and Note later married and remained together until her passing in 2018. In his final years, Farwell found love again with his partner and caretaker, Ann Vermel.

In 1993, Farwell reunited with his Y&R co-stars at The Young and the Restless's 30th anniversary gala that was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

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Farwell requested that donations be made in his memory to any arts charity that one would like to donate to. Donations to Bas Bleu Theatre in particular can be made to basbleu.org.

Catch all-new episodes of The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS and Paramount Plus.

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