Emmy-Winning Actor Says This Habit Keeps Him Healthy at 72
The “General Hospital” star credits his longtime practice for giving his life stability.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Jeff Kober credits a singular habit for keeping him grounded throughout his four decades in Hollywood.
The 72-year-old General Hospital and The Pitt actor opened up about his wellness routine in an interview with People published on Friday.
'General Hospital' actor Jeff Kober credits meditation for relieving his anxiety.
Christine Bartolucci/DISNEY via Getty Images/Christine Bartolucci/DISNEY via Getty Images
Kober said he has incorporated Vedic meditation in his life since 2002, explaining that it provides him with stability.
The mantra-based practice involves sitting comfortably with your eyes closed and silently repeating a specific sound for 20 minutes twice a day.
“It is about quieting the mind,” Kober said, noting that it offers more than a temporary sense of calm.
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“What it really gives you is a felt experience of what you are that is other than what you do or what you think, or even what you feel,” he said.
In one of his earliest roles, Jeff Kober played Sergeant Evan "Dodger" Winslow in the Vietnam War drama series "China Beach." Here, he poses with co-stars Bobby Hosea and Brian Wimmer in 1988.
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Con
Kober has previously spoken about his mental-health struggles.
The Sons of Anarchy star revealed in a 2015 interview with The Fix that he had struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction and has been sober for almost 30 years.
Kober has experienced spontaneous "happiness" from meditation.
Nick Agro via Getty Images/Nick Agro via Getty Images
During a January 2023 episode of Maurice Benard’s State of Mind podcast, he opened up about being involved in a traumatic accident at 15 in which his friend died.
Kober earned two Emmy nominations this year for both The Pitt and General Hospital, making him the first actor to receive a Primetime and Daytime Emmy nomination in the same year.
Jeff Kober earned a Primetime Emmy and a Daytime Emmy nomination this year.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images/Kevin Winter/Getty Images
On The Pitt, he plays motorcycle mechanic Duke Ekins, earning a 2026 Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor.
He also received a 2026 Daytime Emmy nomination for reprising his role as Cyrus Renault on General Hospital.
Kober says meditation has also given him stability.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images/Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Kober says meditation has provided him with stability beyond his career.
“You don’t have to find stability in the right job or the right partner, or the right anything,” he told People. “You have it here.”
The practice, he has said, helps lessen his anxiety and that he began experiencing “happiness for no apparent reason.”
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