Patrick Muldoon, best known to audiences as Austin Reed on Days of Our Lives and for his role in the cult sci-fi film Starship Troopers, has died at the age of 57 following a heart attack.

Muldoon passed away on Sunday, April 19, at his home in Beverly Hills, according to his family and representatives. His sister, Shana Muldoon-Zappa, said the actor had been spending a quiet morning with his girlfriend before going to take a shower. When he did not return, his girlfriend checked on him and found him unresponsive. Paramedics were called and attempted to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Muldoon’s career began in the early 1990s while he was still in college, with appearances on Who’s the Boss? and Saved by the Bell. His breakthrough came soon after when he was cast as Austin Reed on Days of Our Lives, a role that quickly made him a familiar face on daytime television. He played the character from 1992 to 1995, later returning to the role in 2011 after a long hiatus.

He went on to expand his television presence with a memorable turn as Richard Hart on Melrose Place, cementing his place in the wave of 1990s primetime dramas that defined the era.

On the big screen, Muldoon became widely recognized for his role as Zander Barcalow in Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers (1997), a film that has since developed a lasting cult following. In later years, he continued working steadily, appearing in projects including Deadlock (2021), Vanquish (2021), Dakota (2022), Marlowe (2022), and Murder at Hollow Creek (2023). His final film, Dirty Hands, is expected to be released posthumously.

Beyond acting, Muldoon also moved into producing. He was serving as an executive producer on the upcoming film Kockroach, directed by Matt Ross and starring Chris Hemsworth, Taron Egerton, Zazie Beetz, and Alec Baldwin.

Just two days before his death, Muldoon shared his enthusiasm for the project on Instagram, writing about the film’s production in Australia and his excitement to be part of it — a reflection of an artist still actively engaged in his work.

Born in San Pedro, California, Muldoon built a career that spanned decades across both television and film, becoming a recognizable presence to audiences who grew up on 1990s soaps and genre cinema alike. His sudden passing marks the loss of a performer whose work remained closely tied to a defining era of popular entertainment — and who, even in his final days, was still looking ahead to what came next.