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Deidre Hall (born October 31, 1947[1]) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her portrayal of Marlena Evans on the NBC/Peacock daytime drama Days of Our Lives, whom she has played for over 45 years.
Deidre Hall | |
|---|---|
 Hall in November 2005 | |
| Born | October 31, 1947 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Palm Beach Junior College |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Known for | Marlena Evans in Days of Our Lives Electra Woman and Dyna Girl |
| Spouse(s) | William Hudson (1966–1970) Keith Barbour (1972–1977) Michael Dubelko (1987–1989) Steve Sohmer (1991–2006) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | deidrehall.com |
Hall has won many awards for her portrayal of Marlena, including two Best Actress Soapy Awards in 1982 and 1983. Hall has won three Soap Opera Digest Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1984, 1985, and 1995. [2] Hall was the first recipient of the Outstanding Contribution by an Actress/Actor Award in 1986;[2] in addition to receiving a shared award with Drake Hogestyn in 2005 for Favourite Couple: John and Marlena.[2] Hall has also been nominated for a Daytime Emmy three times.[3]
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The third of five children born to John and Jeanie Hall, Deidre and her twin sister, Andrea, were born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,[4] and raised in Lake Worth, Florida. She studied psychology before moving into acting.[5]
Along with her sister, Andrea, Hall appeared in press materials for the 1952 Hudson Twin-H-Power engine. In her late teens, Hall traveled to Los Angeles for the summer – while attending Palm Beach Junior College[6] – and there she landed some modeling jobs and commercials through an agent. Quickly, she began appearing in television shows, thinking it was temporary until getting a serious career as a psychologist. In a later interview, she recalled that one day, she realized that acting was her serious career.[5]
In the late 1960s Hall posed topless for various men's magazines, under the names Glenda Cole & Heidi Dorrington.
In 1976, she portrayed the superheroine Electra Woman in Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, a Sid and Marty Krofft live action children's show that aired on Saturday mornings.
Hall appeared on a number of shows, including Emergency! (as Nurse Sally Lewis in the first two seasons), and The Young and the Restless (as Barbara Anderson), before joining Days of Our Lives in 1976 as Dr. Marlena Evans. In an interview, Hall said that she thought that she would have no chance to land the role of Marlena, considering that she was unsure about a career in soap operas, as well as having to compete against established soap opera veterans for the role.[6] Hall was cast, though, and the role skyrocketed her to fame, which was proved by fan protests when a 1979 NBC promo hinted that Hall's character would be killed off.[5] Two separate daytime television magazines named Hall the best soap actress of 1983.[citation needed]
In 1986, Hall began playing Jesse Witherspoon on the family drama Our House, which ran for two seasons on NBC. Wilford Brimley, who was 13 years older than Hall, played her father-in-law in the series; Chad Allen, her son; Shannen Doherty, her older daughter. Hall initially reacted without concern on playing on two television series at a time, explaining that she filmed Our House on weekdays while taping Days of Our Lives on Saturdays.[5] However, she left Days of Our Lives in 1987 when it became too difficult to co-ordinate her prime time and daytime schedules. Our House was cancelled in 1988, though she did not immediately return to the soap opera.[citation needed]
Hall made guest appearances on a variety of prime time shows until March 1991, when she made a return to Days of Our Lives. This decision was a result of a request by producer Ken Corday, who hoped her return would have influence on the low ratings. According to the actress, she was approached to play a new character, but she refused and insisted on portraying Marlena, with a contract for six months only.[6] Producers were reluctant to give into Hall's requests, fearing that the fans would leave after six months when she left.[6] However, she remained on contract with the show for 18 more years until January 24, 2009, when she was terminated because of budget cuts mandated by NBC. Her salary on Days of Our Lives was in the range of $60,000 per month, much higher than most other daytime serial actors. On May 11th, 2023, Hall's 5,000th Episode aired on Peacock, an NBC streaming service that exclusively carries Days of Our Lives. The episode featured a flashback of her first episode when she met Mickey Horton.
In 1995, Hall produced and starred in Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story, a made-for-TV movie about her personal struggles to become a mother. Her longtime Days co-star Suzanne Rogers (Maggie Horton) is featured in the program.
Since at least early 2009, Hall has occasionally guest-hosted Clout, a talk radio program syndicated through Air America Media. In 2010, Hall and her writing partner Lynne Bowman wrote "Deidre Hall's Kitchen Closeup." In 2011, Hall guest-starred on the season finale of Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva. She and Drake Hogestyn reprised their roles as Marlena Evans and John Black on September 26, 2011.
Hall received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016.[7]
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She has been married four times:
- William Hudson (May 6, 1966 – 1970)[8]
- Keith Barbour (1972–1977), a singer[8]
- Michael Dubelko (1987–1989), a producer and writer[8]
- Steve Sohmer (December 31, 1991 – 2006),[8] an author and screenwriter. Hall and Sohmer have two sons: David Atticus Sohmer and Tully Chapin Sohmer. Both were born via a surrogate mother known as "Robin B".[9]
In between her marriages to Barbour and Dubelko, Hall dated Louisiana State Senator Ned Randolph in the early 1980s. She made several campaign appearances during Randolph's run for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 1982, which he lost to incumbent Gillis William Long.[10] She is close friends with General Hospital's Jane Elliot.[11]
The Hall Family was one of the founding families of the town of Meriden, Connecticut, and Deidre is descended from two notable Halls. John Hall immigrated from England and settled in Boston in 1625. Another ancestor, Lyman Hall, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.[4]
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | San Francisco International Airport | Episode: "We Once Came Home to Parades" | |
| 1971 | Night Gallery | Night Gallery | Episode: "Pickman's Model/The Dear Departed/An Act of Chivalry" |
| 1972 | Adventures of Nick Carter | Ivy Duncan | |
| Adam-12 | Nurse | Episode: "Lost and Found" | |
| The Streets of San Francisco | Bank Teller | Episode: "In the Midst of Strangers" | |
| 1972–1973 | Emergency! | Nurse Sally Lewis | Recurring role, 6 episodes |
| 1973–1975 | The Young and the Restless | Barbara Anderson | Series regular |
| 1974 | Columbo | Receptionist | Episode: "Mind Over Mayhem" |
| 1975 | Kung Fu | Luisa | Episode: "Barbary House" |
| Karen | Janet Bartel | Episode: "I Gave at the Office" | |
| S.W.A.T. | Diane | Episode: "Courthouse" | |
| 1976–1987, 1991–2009 & 2011–present | Days of Our Lives | Marlena Evans | Series regular |
| 1976 | The Krofft Supershow, (Segment: Electra Woman and Dyna Girl), | Lori / Electra Woman | Series regular; (Season 1 only, 16 episode segments) |
| Joe Forrester | Episode: "Fire Power" | ||
| Special Delivery | Gloria | ||
| 1980 | Pray TV | Sarah of Nazareth | |
| 1981 | The Million Dollar Face | Barbara Sanderson | |
| 1984 | Hot Pursuit | Stephanie Wyler | Episodes: "Home Is the Heart: Part 1" & "Home Is the Heart: Part 2" |
| Hotel | Maggie Dawson | Episode: "Transitions" | |
| 1985 | A Reason to Live | Delores Stewart | |
| 1986–1988 | Our House | Jessica 'Jessie' Witherspoon | Series regular, 46 episodes |
| 1988 | Take My Daughters, Please | Nell | |
| 1989 | Wiseguy | Claudia Newquay | 4 episodes |
| Perry Mason: The Case of the All-Star Assassin | Linda Horton | ||
| 1990 | Columbo | Diane Hunter | Episode: "Columbo Cries Wolf" |
| Murder, She Wrote | Claudia Carboni / Jennifer Paige | Episode: "The Sicilian Encounter" | |
| 1991 | And the Sea Will Tell | Muff Graham | |
| For the Very First Time | Mrs. O'Neil | ||
| 1993 | Night Sins | Marlena Evans | |
| Woman on the Ledge | Quinn | ||
| 1995 | OP Center | Kate Michaels | |
| Women of the House | Herself | Episode: "Women in Film" | |
| Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story | |||
| 2011 | Drop Dead Diva | Episode: "Change of Heart" | |
| 2013 | Dating in the Middle Ages | Fiona Fleming | Web series |
| 2014 | Lucky in Love | Erin Billings | A Hallmark Channel Movie |
| 2016 | My Christmas Dream | Victoria | |
| 2021-2022 | Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem | Marlena Evans | Miniseries |
| 2021 | Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas | Marlena Evans | Peacock Original Movie |
| 2023 | Hacks | Herself | Episode: "The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular" |
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Daytime Emmy Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Days of Our Lives | Nominated |
| 1984 | Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | ||
| 1985 |
Soapy Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Soapy Award for Best Actress | Days of Our Lives | Won |
| 1983 | |||
Soap Opera Digest Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama | Days of Our Lives | Won |
| 1985 | |||
| 1986 | Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor/Actress to the Form of Continuing Drama who is currently on a Daytime Serial | ||
| 1995 | Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama | ||
| 1996 | Nominated | ||
| 1998 | Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Romance shared with Drake Hogestyn | ||
| 1999 | Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama | ||
| 2005 | |||
| Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite Couple shared with Drake Hogestyn | Won | ||
TV Land Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | TV Land Award for Superest Super Hero shared with Judy Strangis | Electra Woman and Dyna Girl | Nominated |
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