Veteran actor Charles Keating, whose roots extended to the early years of the Guthrie Theater, has died at 72. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer three year ago. Keating is best known to the wider universe as a soap opera star, particularly for his superbly oily lothario Carl Hutchins on "Another World." He was nominated for an Emmy in 1996 for his work as Carl. He also performed on "All My Children" and "As the Word Turns."

But long before he was a daytime villain, Keating trained with Sir Tyrone Guthrie in Minneapolis. He appeared in "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui" and "The House of Atreus." He returned to Minneapolis in the past 15 years as Malvolio in "Twelfth Night" and as Scrooge (at right in Michal Daniel's photo) in the 2004 production of "A Christmas Carol." His performance in that role was considered the best in Twin Cities theater that year by Star Tribune critics – an estimable achievement given how familiar the character is.

He also played a key role when Joe Dowling staged Brian Friel's "The Home Place" on the Guthrie proscenium. In 2007, he brought a solo show, "I and I, about aging and the self, to the Guthrie studio.

"Charles Keating was a quintessential actor's actor," said Dowling, the Guthrie director. "Mercurial, flamboyant, highly intuitive and with a deep and rich voice. He was a joy to work with and brought his great intelligence and his inquiring mind to every role he played."

His film credits included "The Thomas Crown Affair," and "The Bodyguard." In addition to the soaps, he did TV with "Alias," "Xena: Warrior Princess" and "Hercules." And on stage, he was Tony nominated for a revival of "Loot" in 1986.

Keating, London born, was married 50 years and died at his home in Connecticut. His wife, Mary, and two sons survive.