‘A MAN OF DESPARATE MEANS’

“I think of Noah as a desperado, not a villain,� says Keith Hamilton Cobb of Noah Keefer, the character he plays on “All My Children.� “He is a man of desperate means who is not trying to cause harm but is just trying to survive.�

Cobb knows of only two negative pieces of fan mail he has received. The one that irked him took the show to task for glorifying a hoodlum.

“How many people write in complaining about the glorification of Adam Chandler?� Cobb wonders. Unlike Noah Keefer, longtime villain Adam Chandler (played by multi-award winner David Canary) often delights in the harm he causes others.

Cobb’s passionate defense may stem from his identification with his character. On the surface, Cobb’s background could hardly be more different from Keefer. His mother is a doctor; his father is an engineer. But throughout his youth, like his alter ego, he always felt like an outsider.

“There is ‘me’ at the base of every character I play,� Cobb says. “Since I’ve always been an outsider, I’ve been able to get to Noah’s core by seeing him as who I am under desperate circumstances.

“When I was first given the part, the description of Noah was pretty basic--black urban youth, dangerous, very intelligent--but with a hip-hop look.� “Well,� notes Cobb, who sports an air of elegance, “I just couldn’t go there. It wouldn’t look right on me.�

The show went with him on that, much to Cobb’s amazement.

“When I first came on, I gave their words back verbatim, but since the black experience was not of the writers’ experiences, it was often awkward,� says the actor. “When I finally spoke up and told them I had trouble making it fly, they allowed me the freedom to do what was necessary to get me there.�

“They seem to feel that as long as it works within the context of the story, go for it,� he adds.

Cobb burst onto the daytime scene less than a year ago but this year garnered a much deserved Daytime Emmy nomination in the outstanding supporting actor category (the May 19 awards will be announced after press time). The buzz on Cobb is so strong that no one would expect him to stay beyond his two-year contract, but the actor does not rule it out.

“These people have shown me such respect as an actor--much more than I got in some theatrical productions I’ve done--that I’d always talk to them.�

Although Keefer has now got a “straight� job, Cobb does not want his character to become mainstream. “I think it is far more interesting to watch Pine Valley deal with Noah than it would be to watch Noah become part of Pine Valley. I can only hope they don’t turn him into a D.A. or a cop.�

In discussing Keefer being akin to an alien on “All My Children,� it is Cobb who brings up his look--and his dreadlocks, which have not been cut since 1987.

“I know you said you were not going to bring them up,� he says, “but they are so much a part of who I am. I’m trying to cut a mold--to say I can’t be ignored. Now that I’ve been given a chance to play fully realized characters this way, I would cut my hair, say, for a juicy part as a drill sergeant in a movie. I can adapt.�

Cobb often takes his message on the road by volunteering his skills to disadvantaged youngsters and youthful offenders--to show them that artistic expression can be a viable outlet.

He says, “It was more fun when I was right out of school and thought I knew everything. Now that I know I don’t, it is harder to impart wisdom.

“But, I recently gave a keynote speech to kids from group homes, and I felt confident telling them to look at me being true to myself and to find what they want by trusting in themselves.�

“All My Children� airs weekdays at noon on ABC.