John William Wactor III (August 31, 1986 – May 25, 2024) was an American actor known for playing Brando Corbin on the series General Hospital and Johnny on the NBC series Siberia. He also had roles in the series Army Wives and the films USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage and Supercell. On May 25, 2024, Wactor was killed when three men tried to steal his automobile's catalytic converter in downtown Los Angeles. He was 37 years old.
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Early life
John William Wactor III was born on August 31, 1986, in Charleston, South Carolina. He had two brothers, Lance and Grant. He grew up in Summerville, South Carolina, where he graduated from Summerville High School in 2004. Wactor then graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish in May 2009.
Career
Wactor moved to Los Angeles to work as an actor. He made his television debut with Army Wives in 2007. Wactor played Brando Corbin on the series General Hospital from 2020 to 2022. He also played Johnny on the series Siberia, and had roles in the films USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage, and Supercell. Wactor had a voice role in the video game Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021).
Personal life
Wactor was engaged to actress and director Tessa Farrell, whom he began dating in 2010, but their relationship ended in late 2013.
Murder
After finishing a bartending shift, Wactor was killed on May 25, 2024. He was at the corner of Pico Boulevard and Hope Street in downtown Los Angeles, when he encountered three men who were trying to steal a catalytic converter from his Toyota Prius. Wactor was walking a co-worker to her car when he saw the men, and reportedly initially believed they were towing his car. According to his brother, once Wactor realized what was happening, he shielded his co-worker with his body, and was shot by one of the men attempting to steal the converter.
The three men subsequently fled the scene, and Wactor was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Wactor's funeral was held at the Summerville Baptist Church in Summerville, South Carolina, on June 16, 2024, three weeks after he was killed.
On August 15, 2024, four men were arrested in connection with Wactor's death. Four days later, prosecutors charged two of the men, associated with a South Central Los Angeles street gang, with murder; the two other men were charged on lesser charges.