{
  "id": 2655043,
  "title": "Tracker Star Justin Hartley Got His Acting Start As A Soap Opera Heartthrob",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/tracker-star-justin-hartley-got-his-acting-start-as-a-soap-opera",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-22T21:12:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TVLine",
    "slug": "tvline",
    "url": "https://www.tvline.com/2239265/tracker-star-justin-hartley-acting-start-soap-opera-heartthrob-passions/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Justin Hartley, an acclaimed actor now known for his roles in Tracker and Smallville, began his acting career as a heartthrob on a soap opera. He starred as Nicholas Foxworth Fox Crane on NBC's Passions, a show that aired from 1999 to 2008. Hartley played the role for 438 episodes, between 2002 and 2006, during which he was frequently featured as one of the show's leading heartthrobs. His character, the eldest son of the Crane family, was a central figure in the show's narrative. Hartley's portrayal was so memorable that he was nominated for two Soap Opera Digest Awards in 2005, for outstanding younger lead actor and favorite triangle, sharing the latter with his ex-wife, Lindsay Korman-Hartley, and Brook Kerr. The show was known for its controversial and dramatic storylines, which included Hartley's character, Fox Crane, doing everything from having sex while sheltering from a tsunami to faking a terminal illness to keep his love interest from returning to her ex. Hartley left the show in 2006 and was replaced by Mark Cameron Wystrach. Today, Hartley is better known for his roles in Tracker and Smallville, and he is also recognized for his work in NBC's This Is Us, where he appeared in a humorous nod to his time on Passions.",
  "summary": "Tracker has propelled actor Justin Hartley to new heights, but at the beginning of his career, he made his mark on this wacky 2000s soap opera.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}