ACTOR ARRESTED IN DRUG RAID

'All My Children' Star Faces Charges

In a turn worthy of daytime drama, a veteran soap-opera actor was
arrested yesterday morning for selling cocaine in a seedy downtown
club, police said.

Michael Nader, who has played Dimitri Marick on "All My Children"
since 1991, was arrested along with 23 others during a drug raid,
according to police.

Investigators said Nader, 56, of East 10th Street, allegedly sold $20
worth of cocaine early yesterday in the illegal East Village social
club.

Nader said he was sick upon arrest, police said, and was taken to
Bellevue Hospital Center for evaluation. He was awaiting arraignment
last night.

Police said the predawn raid was the result of an ongoing
investigation by the Manhattan South Narcotics unit. Police began
making arrests at the unnamed club, located at 310 E. Second St., at
6:15 a.m.

Nader and four others are facing charges of criminal sale of a
controlled substance, a felony, while 19 men and women likely will be
charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, a
misdemeanor.

Nader was arrested in Suffolk County in August, 1997, for drunk
driving. He was charged with driving while intoxicated, resisting
arrest and endangering the welfare of a child, because his teenage
daughter was in the car. The disposition of those charges could not
be ascertained yesterday.

At the time, it reportedly took three police officers to restrain
Nader, who became incensed when told he was being arrested.

Yesterday, police said, he was calm and cooperative with officers,
and informed them that he was a star on daytime television before he
said he wasn't feeling well.

Zachary Flax, the lawyer who represented Nader in 1997, said he had
not yet been contacted by Nader and was not aware of the incident. He
would not comment on the disposition of the 1997 case.

Prior to his role as Dimitri, who was married to the soap character
played by Susan Lucci, Nader portrayed Farnsworth "Dex" Dexter on
"Dynasty" from 1983 to 1989. He got his start playing small parts in
beach movies with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, and appeared
regularly on Sally Field's 1960s series, "Gidget."