Marla Adams, the Emmy-winning soap opera veteran who starred as the scheming Dina Abbott Mergeron during parts of five decades on The Young and the Restless, has died. She was 85.
Adams died Thursday in Los Angeles, Matt Kane, director of media and talent for Y&r, announced.
When she was just starting out, Adams appeared in 1958 alongside Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne on Broadway in The Visit and portrayed June, the high school best friend of Natalie Wood’s Deanie, in Elia Kazan’s Splendor in the Grass (1961).
Her first prominent role on a daytime drama came on CBS’ The Secret Storm, where she played bad girl Belle Clemens from 1968 until the show’s 1974 demise. “I was the bitch of daytime,” she said in a 2016 interview. “I played a good bitch.”
Adams joined Y&r in 1982 but left when her three-year contract was up. She returned to Genoa City for brief...
Adams died Thursday in Los Angeles, Matt Kane, director of media and talent for Y&r, announced.
When she was just starting out, Adams appeared in 1958 alongside Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne on Broadway in The Visit and portrayed June, the high school best friend of Natalie Wood’s Deanie, in Elia Kazan’s Splendor in the Grass (1961).
Her first prominent role on a daytime drama came on CBS’ The Secret Storm, where she played bad girl Belle Clemens from 1968 until the show’s 1974 demise. “I was the bitch of daytime,” she said in a 2016 interview. “I played a good bitch.”
Adams joined Y&r in 1982 but left when her three-year contract was up. She returned to Genoa City for brief...
- 4/26/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
1954: Radio soap The Road of Life made its TV debut.
1979: General Hospital's Monica gave birth to Aj. 1991: All
My Children's Adam and Erica married for the second time.
2010: One Life to Live's Natalie accepted John's proposal."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1954: Procter & Gamble's popular radio soap opera The Road of Life, created by Irna Phillips in 1937, made its television debut on CBS in the 1:15-1:30 p.m. Et time slot.
Because many CBS affiliates chose to run local news...
1979: General Hospital's Monica gave birth to Aj. 1991: All
My Children's Adam and Erica married for the second time.
2010: One Life to Live's Natalie accepted John's proposal."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1954: Procter & Gamble's popular radio soap opera The Road of Life, created by Irna Phillips in 1937, made its television debut on CBS in the 1:15-1:30 p.m. Et time slot.
Because many CBS affiliates chose to run local news...
- 12/15/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
1966: Dark Shadows' Matthew took Victoria hostage.
1985: Oltl's Tina tried to sell Viki's story to a tabloid.
1988: Brenda Epperson debuted as Ashley on Y&R.
1996: Hayden Panettiere debuted as Lizzie on Guiding Light."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1957: On The Edge of Night, Ellie Fitzgibbons reluctantly agreed to see Willy Bryan (Edward Holmes).
1966: On Dark Shadows, Matthew Morgan (Thayer David) took Victoria Winters (Alexandra Moltke) hostage at the Old House, and hid her in a secret room behind the drawing room bookcase.
1972:...
1985: Oltl's Tina tried to sell Viki's story to a tabloid.
1988: Brenda Epperson debuted as Ashley on Y&R.
1996: Hayden Panettiere debuted as Lizzie on Guiding Light."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1957: On The Edge of Night, Ellie Fitzgibbons reluctantly agreed to see Willy Bryan (Edward Holmes).
1966: On Dark Shadows, Matthew Morgan (Thayer David) took Victoria Winters (Alexandra Moltke) hostage at the Old House, and hid her in a secret room behind the drawing room bookcase.
1972:...
- 12/5/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
1954: Radio soap The Road of Life made its TV debut.
1979: General Hospital's Monica gave birth to Aj. 1991: All
My Children's Adam and Erica married for the second time.
2010: One Life to Live's Natalie accepted John's proposal."History is a vast early warning system."
― Norman Cousins
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1954: Procter & Gamble's popular radio soap opera The Road of Life, created by Irna Phillips in 1937, made its television debut on CBS in the 1:15-1:30 p.m. Et time slot.
Because many CBS affiliates chose to run local news and talk shows during this time, the program never achieved the popularity...
1979: General Hospital's Monica gave birth to Aj. 1991: All
My Children's Adam and Erica married for the second time.
2010: One Life to Live's Natalie accepted John's proposal."History is a vast early warning system."
― Norman Cousins
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1954: Procter & Gamble's popular radio soap opera The Road of Life, created by Irna Phillips in 1937, made its television debut on CBS in the 1:15-1:30 p.m. Et time slot.
Because many CBS affiliates chose to run local news and talk shows during this time, the program never achieved the popularity...
- 12/14/2017
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
Lets face it, as television viewers we grow attached to the gay characters that resonate with us on the small screen, and with the actors that bring life to these roles. We also find ourselves growing fond of out-and-proud actors that have opted to play it straight thats why its called acting, people and vice versa.
So when their shows are cancelled or taken off the air before they wear out their welcome (whatever, I still miss Sex and the City on Sunday nights, ok?), it can be a little bit difficult to see them slide into other TV roles easier than Lindsay Lohan checking into another rehab (Im rootin for you, girl).
Alas, sometimes that isnt always the case, which might have you asking yourself, Where are they now? In some cases for these actors, it could be taken as a query of, Where did they disappear to?
But for curiosity's (and manner's) sake,...
So when their shows are cancelled or taken off the air before they wear out their welcome (whatever, I still miss Sex and the City on Sunday nights, ok?), it can be a little bit difficult to see them slide into other TV roles easier than Lindsay Lohan checking into another rehab (Im rootin for you, girl).
Alas, sometimes that isnt always the case, which might have you asking yourself, Where are they now? In some cases for these actors, it could be taken as a query of, Where did they disappear to?
But for curiosity's (and manner's) sake,...
- 2/11/2011
- by Tim Parks
- The Backlot
We asked you which gay or bisexual TV characters you think are the best, and you told us – with tens of thousands of votes cast.
Now we have the results.
But first, a few interesting statistics.
We have quite a few familiar faces – characters who made our last poll of the best gay and bisexual characters two and a half years ago – and a few missing ones, namely Vince D’Angelo (from Will & Grace), George Huang (from Law & Order: Svu), and Waylon Smithers (from The Simpsons), all of whom didn’t even make the top 50 this time around.
Meanwhile, we also have many new faces – from shows that have debuted since our last poll.
Every single character except two comes from a show that ran in the 00s (although some shows, like Will & Grace, did debut in the late 90s). The exceptions? Jodie Dallas, played by Billy Crystal, on Soap...
Now we have the results.
But first, a few interesting statistics.
We have quite a few familiar faces – characters who made our last poll of the best gay and bisexual characters two and a half years ago – and a few missing ones, namely Vince D’Angelo (from Will & Grace), George Huang (from Law & Order: Svu), and Waylon Smithers (from The Simpsons), all of whom didn’t even make the top 50 this time around.
Meanwhile, we also have many new faces – from shows that have debuted since our last poll.
Every single character except two comes from a show that ran in the 00s (although some shows, like Will & Grace, did debut in the late 90s). The exceptions? Jodie Dallas, played by Billy Crystal, on Soap...
- 3/15/2010
- by AfterElton.com Staff
- The Backlot
Television matters. Who and what we see on our screens each week tells us a great deal about who and what is relevant in society, who has power, and who doesn’t. That’s why AfterElton.com pays such close attention to the shows that have gay characters and gay storylines, analyzing what each new character and plot twist says about the acceptance of gay and bisexual men in today’s world.
Television programming as we know it today came into existence approximately seventy years ago. However, it took thirty-five years for the first semi-regularly recurring gay character to appear, on The Corner Bar, an 1972 ABC show that lasted for fifteen episodes and featured Vincent Schiavelli as Peter Panama. Over the next several years, gay characters popped up on other short-lived shows including Hot L Baltimore and The Nancy Walker Show, but it wasn’t until 1977 and Soap that gay...
Television programming as we know it today came into existence approximately seventy years ago. However, it took thirty-five years for the first semi-regularly recurring gay character to appear, on The Corner Bar, an 1972 ABC show that lasted for fifteen episodes and featured Vincent Schiavelli as Peter Panama. Over the next several years, gay characters popped up on other short-lived shows including Hot L Baltimore and The Nancy Walker Show, but it wasn’t until 1977 and Soap that gay...
- 11/29/2007
- by dennis
- The Backlot
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