Iconic actress Deidre Hall of “Days of Our Lives” chatted about her illustrious career in the daytime drama world.
Track and field legend Wilma Rudolph once said: “Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” Deidre Hall is an actress, woman, and storyteller, that exemplifies this wise quotation.
She is known for her long-time portrayal of Dr. Marlena Evans, a role that she has played for well over four decades.
Hall created the role of Marlena back in 1976, a character whose popularity has created a furor and a fan following seldom seen on television. The favorable regard in which Hall is held has spanned all demographics and regions.
She is drawn to her character for many reasons. “I love that Marlena has been a solid and unchanging source of knowledge and comfort to our viewers for over 40 years,” she acknowledged.
The hit daytime drama has moved to its new home, the streaming service Peacock. “The day-to-day of putting on the show has not changed. Hopefully, streaming makes it possible to welcome more viewers to Days,” she said.
“Days of Our Lives” just celebrated its 57th anniversary. “I feel enormously proud that ‘Days’ has been entertaining audiences longer than any scripted show in television history,” Hall said.
She was named “Best Television Role Model,” won the prestigious “American Women in Radio and Television” (AWRT) Award in 1994, garnered five “Best Actress” Awards from Soap Opera Digest (1982 to 1985, and 1995) along with a “Best Actress” nomination in 1999; moreover, she has been nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards for her powerful performances as Marlena in 1980, 1984, and 1985, respectively.
When asked how she handles being dialogue-heavy (which may entail learning 20 to 80 pages of script on a regular basis), she responded, “There is no way to maintain any longevity in daytime without developing the ability to memorize, perform, and forget dialogue on a daily basis.”
Hall broke new ground for daytime stars when she guest-starred on shows such as “The Tonight Show,” “Night of A Hundred Stars,” a Bob Hope Special, and “20/20” surrounding the event of the birth of her eldest son with a surrogate.
In 2014, Hall earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 1986, Hall became the first performer ever to star in both daytime and primetime series when she was cast as Jesse Witherspoon in the NBC family drama “Our House.” She left daytime the following year to concentrate on this show and a growing career in television movies.
In 1991, Deidre starred along with Richard Crenna and Rachel Ward in the popular mini-series “And the Sea Will Tell,” based on the best-selling novel by Vincent Bugliosi.
She followed that by starring in NBC television movies “For the Very First Time,” “Take My Daughters, Please,” a Perry Mason movie of the week, one of the popular Columbo movies of the week, and in 1993, another rating winner, “Woman On The Ledge.”
The same year Deidre created “Never Say Never – The Deidre Hall Story,” in which she not only starred but executive produced. The ABC television movie was based on her real-life struggle to create a family and her final choice of a surrogate as their solution.
Deidre’s episodic television credits include a multi-episode arc in Stephen Cannell’s hit series “Wiseguy” and “The Case of the All-Star Assassin.”
Deidre performed on stage for the first time in “A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters,” appearing in two separate runs.
Deidre was nominated for two People’s Choice Awards for the role of Jesse in “Our House” and was nominated two consecutive years as “Best Actress by Viewers for Quality Television.” Co-starring with Wilford Brimley, Hall and her television family won the first Viewers for Quality Television “Seal of Approval” for a television show.
Hall has graced the covers of national and regional magazines such as People, Woman, Woman’s Own, TV Guide, Woman’s World, McCall’s, Family Circle, Shape, Los Angeles Magazine, Beverly Hills 213, Orange Coast, and First For Women.
Deidre was born an identical twin, her sister Andrea Hall-Gengler spent a short stint in Salem as “Marlena’s” twin, “Samantha” and returned later to play Hattie Adams. Deidre is a mother of two children, both via surrogate birth.
This past September, Hall was a part of a Star Image Entertainment virtual fan event, along with co-star Eric Martsolf (where the proceeds benefit Cedars CanSupport), and more recently, last month she was a part of the “Days of Days” fan event at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California, where the show celebrated its 57th anniversary on the air.
On her definition of success, the beloved “Queen of Daytime” remarked, “The joy of having a career in daytime is the opportunity it provides to do a job I love while having the luxury of time with my family.”
“I have the pleasure of working with the same amazing cast, staff, and crew on a daily basis. I don’t have to worry about the next job or audition. I have years to grow and define my character,” she added.
For her dedicated soap opera fans, Hall said, “The pleasure of being on ‘Days’ is the partnership we have with the audience. An audience that tunes in every day to support the show, its stories, and our characters. They are as large a part of our success as everything we do at the studio. Thank you for your cherished loyalty.”
To learn more about acclaimed actress Deidre Hall, check out her official website.
