Stephen Nichols

Career overview

Role: Meticulous television and film archivist.
Task: Write a career overview of Stephen Nichols (Acting).
Constraints:
Use ONLY verifiable facts from the provided SYNOPSIS and SOURCES.
No invented titles, names, dates, awards, etc.
Original, neutral, encyclopedic prose in plain text.
No markdown, no asterisks, no headings, no bullet points.
Length: 180-260 words.
Structure: 2-3 short paragraphs.
No preamble, no JSON.
Name: Stephen Nichols (also Stephen Earl Nichols).
Born: February 19, 1951.
Nationality/Profession: American actor, recognized for roles on daytime soap operas.
Role 1: Steve (Patch) Johnson on NBC's Days of Our Lives.
Dates: 1985-1990.
Return: June 2006 through February 2009.
General status: On and off since 1985.
Role 2: Stefan Cassadine on ABC's General Hospital.
Dates: 1996-2003.
Role 3: Tucker McCall on The Young and the Restless.
Other details: Born in Cincinnati, Ohio (TMDB); Hometown Dayton, Ohio (IMDb/IMDbPro).
Paragraph 1: Introduction and early soap opera work.
Stephen Nichols is an American actor recognized for his work on various daytime soap operas. Born on February 19, 1951, he is most notable for his portrayal of Steve Patch Johnson on the NBC series Days of Our Lives. He played this role from 1985 to 1990 and later returned to the character in June 2006, remaining with the production through February 2009. His work on Days of Our Lives has occurred on and off since 1985.
Paragraph 2: Other roles.
In addition to his work on Days of Our Lives, Nichols had a stint on ABC's General Hospital, where he portrayed Stefan Cassadine from 1996 to 2003. He also plays the role of Tucker McCall on The Young and the Restless.
Draft 1 word count check:
"Stephen Nichols is an American actor recognized for his work on various daytime soap operas. Born on February 19, 1951, he is most notable for his portrayal of Steve Patch Johnson on the NBC series Days of Our Lives. He played this role from 1985 to 1990 and later returned to the character in June 2006, remaining with the production through February 2009. His work on Days of Our Lives has occurred on and off since 1985. In addition to his work on Days of Our Lives, Nichols had a stint on ABC's General Hospital, where he portrayed Stefan Cassadine from 1996 to 2003. He also plays the role of Tucker McCall on The Young and the Restless."
Count: ~125 words. (Too short. Target is 180-260).
Expanding to meet word count while staying strictly within sources:
I need to add more details from the sources without inventing anything.
Sources mention:
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio (TMDB).
Hometown Dayton, Ohio (IMDb).
He is an American television actor (Wikipedia).
He has 31 known credits (TMDB).
Draft 2:
Stephen Earl Nichols is an American television actor known for his roles on various daytime soap operas. Born on February 19, 1951, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Nichols has established a career most notable for his work on