Palmer Cortlandt is a fictional character on the long-running ABC soap opera All My Children, played by James Mitchell from 1979 to 2010. A major character until 2002, when health issues forced him to reduce his work load, Mitchell continued to appear regularly on the show through May 2007. Mitchell appeared in a handful of episodes throughout 2008, last appearing on September 19, 2008. Mitchell retired from acting in 2009 but made a final on air cameo appearance as Palmer Cortlandt on January 5, 2010 to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary.