Deidre Hall


Actor

About

Also Known As
Deidre Hudson
Birth Place
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Born
October 31, 1947

Biography

Undeniably beautiful, yet able to exude a certain everywoman appeal, actress Deidre Hall became one of the most beloved and recognizable faces on television in a career that spanned more than 40 years. After getting her start as a model for print and commercials, Hall began appearing regularly on such series as "Emergency!" (NBC, 1972-79) in the early 1970s. She later gained a modicum of...

Family & Companions

Mike Dubelko
Husband
TV executive. Divorced in 1989.
Steve Sohmer
Husband
Producer, executive, novelist. Married December 1991.

Biography

Undeniably beautiful, yet able to exude a certain everywoman appeal, actress Deidre Hall became one of the most beloved and recognizable faces on television in a career that spanned more than 40 years. After getting her start as a model for print and commercials, Hall began appearing regularly on such series as "Emergency!" (NBC, 1972-79) in the early 1970s. She later gained a modicum of notoriety as the campy super heroine Electra Woman on the children's program, "The Krofft Super Show" (ABC, 1976-78). As Dr. Marlena Evans on "Days of Our Lives" (NBC, 1965- ) Hall and costar Drake Hogestyn became one of the most popular, long-lasting onscreen couples in daytime drama history. Eventually the actress segued into primetime for the family drama "Our House" (NBC, 1986-88) and TV movies like the based-on-fact crime drama, "And the Sea Will Tell" (CBS, 1991). Hall thrilled her fans when she returned to "Days" in 1991 and soon became the epicenter of some of the show's most outrageous and controversial storylines in the years that followed. A brand name unto herself, she produced and starred in her own biopic, "Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story" (ABC, 1995) and published her own cookbook, Deidre Hall's Kitchen Closeup. A true icon of daytime television, Hall managed to continually entertain even as she inspired legions of fans on a personal level.

Along with her identical twin sister Andrea, Diedre Hall was born on Oct. 31, 1947 in Milwaukee, WI, but she grew up one of five children in the small town of Lake Worth, FL. After graduating from Lake Worth High School, Hall moved to Southern California, where she married singer-songwriter Keith Barbour at the age of 21. The former Junior Orange Bowl Queen fell into show business while attending L.A. City College and working as a catalog model. Her agent pointed out that she could make more money in commercials, so she "tried it, liked it, and did rather well at it." Her first acting role was on the ABC courtroom drama series "Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law" (1971-74), after which she landed recurring roles on the popular primetime medical drama "Emergency!" (NBC, 1972-79), and the soap "The Young and the Restless" (CBS, 1973- ).

Hot on the heels of busting bad guys on the "Electra Woman and DynaGirl" segments of the Saturday morning kids' series "The Krofft Super Show" (ABC, 1976-78), Hall landed the role that catapulted her into lasting fame: Dr. Marlena Evans on "Days of Our Lives." She first walked onto the set on June 21, 1976, and made limited appearances until her role was expanded and the actress got to realize the true range of Dr. Evans, who she envisioned as a strong, powerful woman "who could do anything." Salem's durable doc proved herself virtually immortal by living through nearly every one of soaps' traditional joys and pains, including passing away four times, surviving her evil twin (played by real-life twin Andrea), hosting her own radio talk show, and being charged with murder. She was steadily rewarded by fans and the soap industry, earning Daytime Emmy nominations in 1980, 1984 and 1985 and winning Soap Opera Digest Awards for Outstanding Actress in 1984 and 1985.

In 1985, the well-established daytime talent began moonlighting, first starring alongside Peter Fonda and Rick Schroder in the TV movie "A Reason to Live" (NBC). Hall lost out on the role of Maddie Hayes on "Moonlighting" (ABC, 1985-89) that would go to Cybill Shepherd, but a year later, she became one of the first performers ever to star simultaneously in a daytime and a nighttime series when she was cast as widowed mother Jesse Witherspoon on NBC's drama "Our House." The wholesome family series co-starred Wilford Brimley and a pre-"90210" Shannen Doherty, and unlike her daytime gig, was hailed for its family values and believability. Meanwhile, her "Days" popularity remained unaffected; even soaring as Marlena and onscreen love interest John Black's (Drake Hogestyn) undeniable chemistry earned them the moniker of TV soap "super couple" in 1986. However, when the grueling demands of shooting two shows proved too much for the actress, she bid farewell to "Days" and Marlena entered a five-year coma, which essentially left the door open to a future return to the show.

"Our House" lasted two seasons, after which Hall remained busy on the small screen in movies-of-the-week, including "Take My Daughters, Please" (NBC, 1988), the Perry Mason movie "The Cast of the All-Star Assassin" (NBC, 1989), and NBC's "Columbo Cries Wolf" (1990). In 1991, Hall starred in the popular CBS miniseries "And the Sea Will Tell," and made a triumphant return to "Days of Our Lives," where she immediately became involved in some of the most controversial storylines of the show's history, among them, demonic possession. The sight of Dr. Evans sporting yellow demon eyes was, indeed, one for the record books when it came to silly soap premises. Off-screen, her life was far more enchanting as Hall married for the third time to best-selling author, former Columbia Studios Chief and ABC marketing executive, Dr. Steve Sohmer. After years of trying desperately to have children, Hall and Sohmer made headlines when they became the parents of a baby who was conceived through artificial insemination via surrogate mother. Her personal struggle to build a family became the focus of her next onscreen project, the ABC movie "Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story" (1995) which was produced by the couple and starred Hall as herself.

Hall's notoriety (and energy) continued unabated, as she was tapped to be a spokesperson for Dexatrim, Hallmark and for the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. She also launched her own lines of jewelry and Christmas ornaments. Hall won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1995, and in 1999, she was transformed into somewhat of a product herself when Mattel unveiled a Marlena Evans "Marbie" to commemorate her character's wedding to longtime love, John Black. In 2008, Hall expanded into radio, where she served as the host of "Clout!" a 10-week program examining the principles and practices of Eckhard Tolle's spiritual tome Power of Now. The show was broadcast and hosted online by Air America affiliates.

As the decade neared its end, the harsh realities of declining viewership of soap operas began to take its toll, not only on several long-running soaps, but also on the careers of stars like Hall. For longtime fans of the show, the unthinkable happened when, due to drastic budget cuts on the series, Hall and Hogestyn - the productions highest paid actors - were written out of "Days of Our Lives" in 2009. Fans decried the decision, as TV pundits called it the end of an era. Putting her free time to good use, Hall published the cookbook Deidre Hall's Kitchen Closeup with her writing partner, Lynne Bowman, in 2009. Later, she made a guest appearance on the 2011 season finale of "Drop Dead Diva" (Lifetime, 2009-14) and delivered her second book, Deidre Hall's How Does She Do It? - A Beauty Book, once again written with Bowman. But the big news for Hall's fans in 2011 was the return of Marlena and John to "Days of Our Lives." The couple's joyous return to the town of Salem was short-lived, however, when mere moments later, John Black (Hogestyn) was embroiled in a multi-million dollar embezzlement scandal, resulting in his arrest and an ensuing trial.

Filmography

 

Cast (Feature Film)

My Christmas Dream (2016)
Lucky in Love (2014)
Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story (1995)
Herself
Woman on the Ledge (1993)
For the Very First Time (1991)
Columbo Cries Wolf (1990)
Perry Mason: The Case of the All-Star Assassin (1989)
Take My Daughters, Please (1988)
A Reason To Live (1985)
Delores Stewart
The Million Dollar Face (1981)
Barbara Sanderson

Producer (Feature Film)

Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story (1995)
Executive Producer

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story (1995)
Other

Cast (Special)

The 31st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (2004)
Presenter
Intimate Portrait: Celebrity Love (2003)
Intimate Portrait: Lisa Rinna (2001)
Intimate Portrait: Deidre Hall (2001)
The 28th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (2001)
Presenter
Television: The First 50 Years (2001)
Interviewee
Intimate Portrait: Linda Dano (2000)
15th Annual Soap Opera Awards (1999)
Host
Intimate Portrait: Loni Anderson (1999)
The 25th Daytime Emmy Awards (1998)
Presenter
The 23rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (1996)
Presenter
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1996)
The 22nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (1995)
Host
The 11th Annual Soap Opera Awards (1995)
The Tenth Annual Soap Opera Digest Awards (1994)
Performer
Jim Thorpe Pro Sports Awards (1994)
Performer
The Return of TV's Censored Bloopers (1993)
Circus of the Stars Gives Kids the World (1993)
The Ultimate Driving Challenge (1993)
Days of Our Lives: Night Sins (1993)
Dr Marlena Evans
The 20th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (1993)
Presenter
The Ninth Annual Soap Opera Awards (1993)
Host
A Sea World/Busch Gardens Summer Celebration (1993)
The 19th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (1992)
Presenter
Guiding Light: The Primetime Special (1992)
The 18th Annual People's Choice Awards (1992)
Presenter
Soap Opera Digest Awards (1992)
Total Exposure -- Privacy and the Press (1992)
The Candid Camera Comedy Shopping Spree (1990)
The 14th Annual Circus of the Stars (1989)
Battle of the Network Stars XIX (1988)
Harry Anderson's Sideshow (1987)
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1987)
The 22nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards (1987)
Performer
53rd Annual King Orange Jamboree Parade (1986)
NBC's 60th Anniversary Celebration (1986)
America Talks Back (1986)
The Wildest West Show of the Stars (1986)
The 13th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (1986)
Presenter
The Tenth Annual Circus of the Stars (1985)
Bob Hope's Comedy Salute To the Soaps (1985)
TV's Censored Bloopers (1984)

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

Op Center (1994)
Kate Michaels
And the Sea Will Tell (1991)
Muff Graham

Life Events

1973

Cast as Barbara Anderson on the CBS soap opera "The Young and the Restless"

1976

Played Dr. Marlena Evans on the NBC soap opera "Days of Our Lives"

1976

Starred in live-action children's series "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl" (ABC)

1981

TV-movie debut "The Million Dollar Face" (NBC)

1987

Left "Days" to appear on the prime time show "Our House" (NBC)

1991

Co-starred in the CBS miniseries "And the Sea Will Tell"

1991

Returned to "Days of Our Lives" as Dr. Marlena Evans

1995

Produced and starred in "Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story"

1995

Hosted Daytime Emmy Awards telecast

2005

Co-hosted and presented at The 32nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards

2011

Reprised her role as Dr. Marlena Evans on NBC's "Days of Our Lives"

Family

Andrea Hall
Sister
Identical twin, played the twin sister of Hall's character on "Days of Our Lives".
David Atticus Sohmer
Son
Born August 23, 1992; born via surrogate.
Tully Sohmer
Son
Born in 1995; born via same surrogate.

Companions

Mike Dubelko
Husband
TV executive. Divorced in 1989.
Steve Sohmer
Husband
Producer, executive, novelist. Married December 1991.

Bibliography