John O’Hurley Says He Doesn’t Think He ‘Kept A Single Patient Alive’ On The Young And The Restless (Exclusive)

John O’Hurley believes his character on The Young and the Restless character, Dr. James Grainger, could have done a better job on the show. 

“I don’t think I kept a single patient alive in the entire run on the show,” O’Hurley, 70, tells PEOPLE at the National Dog Show’s taping in Philadelphia on Nov. 16. “No matter what it was, they zip up the body bag.” 

O’Hurley has fond memories of his time on the show between 1989 and 1990. This year, the show hit 13,000 episodes.  

“I was the Jack Kevorkian of daytime television. It was wonderful,” O’Hurley says. “I also knew that I was working with some of the best daytime actors and I totally enjoyed that experience of being around heavy weights and being able to duke it out with them every day on the set.” 

He adds: “And you did your homework. You did your homework on that show because you knew that you were in the presence of greatness.”

What else does O’Hurley remember from the show? The looks. 

“I had to laugh because I was playing Dr. James Grainger who was a young, heroic cardiac surgeon with young, heroic cardiac surgeon hair,” he explains. 

Over the course of his career as an actor, host and voiceover artist, O’Hurley is grateful to have been part of so many of TV’s greatest programs. 

“I was lucky enough to put my fingers through the belt loops of some really good brands, including Seinfeld and Dancing with the Stars and [the National Dog Show,]” he says. 

O’Hurley also reflected on his time on the sitcom with PEOPLE. On Seinfeld, O’Hurley played Elaine’s boss J. Peterman. He first appeared in season 6 and continued his run until the series finale in 1998.

“It really feels like yesterday,” he says. “I think because it continues to play so much, it’s on Netflix now, it’s syndicated. It’s in countries all over the world. So it has a constant life to it.”

O’Hurley’s connection to the role went beyond the screen. “The year after Seinfeld ended, I bought the J. Peterman Company with the real J. Peterman,” O’Hurley says.

“So he and I literally own the company together now. I’ve never lost my affiliation with the company [or] the character. I guess I liked the character so much I bought the company.”