Eileen Davidson
Davidson in 2014
Born
Eileen Marie Davidson

(1959-06-15) June 15, 1959
Artesia, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • author
  • television personality
  • model
Years active1982–present
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1985; div. 1986)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1997; div. 2000)​
      ​
      ​
      (m. 2003)​
      Children1

      Eileen Marie Davidson[1] (born June 15, 1959)[2][3] is an American actress, author, television personality and former model. Davidson is best known for her roles in soap operas as Kristen DiMera and Susan Banks on NBC's Days of Our Lives and Ashley Abbott on CBS's The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.

      In 2014, Davidson was awarded a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Days of Our Lives. She was the second actress to win a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of "Lead Actress" for the soap;[4] and in 2018, she won the award again for her role on The Young and the Restless.[5]

      Davidson also starred in the film The House on Sorority Row (1983), had a leading role in the short-lived CBS crime series Broken Badges (1990–91), and wrote a number of mystery novels in the 2000s. In 2014, Davidson joined the cast of Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, appearing full-time on the program until 2017.

      Early life

      Davidson, the youngest of seven children, was born in Artesia, California, to Charlotte (née Burkhard) Davidson, a homemaker, and Richard Davidson, an airplane parts manufacturer. She was raised Roman Catholic.[6] She attended Corona Del Mar High School in Newport Beach, California and Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.[2][3]

      Career

      Early work

      Davidson originated the role of Ashley Abbott on The Young and the Restless in March 1982, beating out more than 100 candidates.[7] The character of Ashley became a front-burner character, and Davidson became an integral part of the show. She quit the show in December 1988 and the producers took her recommendation of hiring a look-alike actress named Brenda Epperson, whom Davidson had discovered waiting tables at a charity function. Davidson also appeared in several films during the 1980s, including a main role in the slasher film The House on Sorority Row (1983) and Easy Wheels (1989), opposite Ted Raimi.[8]

      Davidson then appeared in primetime television, but her show, Broken Badges (1990–1991), was canceled.[9] She returned to daytime when she assumed the role of Kelly Capwell on Santa Barbara from November 1991 until the soap's cancelation in January 1993. She next appeared as Kristen Blake on Days of Our Lives beginning in May 1993. As originally conceived, Kristen was a heroine, who had an Achilles' heel in that the show's supervillain, Stefano, had raised her after the death of her parents. James E. Reilly, who assumed head writing reins in 1993, began to make Kristen more of a villainess. Reilly eventually developed an outrageous second role for Davidson, having her play Susan Banks, a Kristen look-alike. Reilly eventually penned three more roles for Davidson (Sister Mary Moira, Thomas, and Penelope). Her character, Kristen, intended to keep her other character, Susan, prisoner on an island, but Susan ultimately prevailed and Kristen remained on the island until she returned to Salem in 2012. All other related characters were last seen in May 1998. Davidson's five roles earned her a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1998.

      Davidson in 2010

      After a year-long vacation from acting, she returned to her role on The Young and the Restless in March 1999. After a successful return as Ashley Abbott, which included Davidson's second Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress, Davidson was fired from the show. In December 2006, Davidson told TV Guide that she was fired from The Young and the Restless due to lack of storyline.[10] Her last airdate as Ashley was January 11, 2007. According to co-star Melody Thomas Scott, the firing was protested behind the scenes of The Young and the Restless and was seen as unfair.[11] Scott said: "That was so heartbreaking. We're still upset about that. That was a blow. Terrible. Eileen Davidson was such a part of the core of the show and such a brilliant actress; beautiful and always prepared. It was crazy. I'm not the only one who feels that way."[11] In a surprise move a few months later, Davidson signed a three-year contract with The Young and the Restless's sister soap The Bold and the Beautiful to once again play her The Young and the Restless character Ashley Abbott at the request of The Bold and the Beautiful executive producer Bradley Bell. She first aired on March 9, 2007.[12] Ken Corday called Davidson about a week before she was fired from The Young and the Restless to get permission to use a picture of her on Days of Our Lives. The picture, which featured Davidson as Susan, was shown in December 2006. After she was fired from The Young and the Restless but before being cast in The Bold and the Beautiful, her niece Devon Martt, a fashion designer, approached her about designing clothes together.

      Writing and acting

      Davidson co-wrote her first novel with the author Robert J. Randisi, a mystery set in the soap opera world titled Death in Daytime, released in October 2008. She followed it up with three sequels: Dial Emmy for Murder (2009), Diva Las Vegas (2010), and Swinging in the Rain (2011).[13]

      In July 2008, Eileen was downgraded to recurring status at The Bold and the Beautiful. She returned to The Young and the Restless full-time as Ashley on September 26, 2008. In 2012, Nelson Branco announced that Sony Pictures Entertainment wanted Davidson on both The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives, but that Y&R would not share the actress, leading Sony to terminate her contract with them. Thus, it was announced that Davidson would reprise her role as Kristen Blake DiMera on Days of Our Lives.[14]

      Davidson at the 2014 Daytime Emmy Awards.

      Davidson made a brief appearance on The Young and the Restless in February 2013 for the soap's 40th anniversary.[15] In July 2013, it was announced that Davidson made the decision to leave Days of Our Lives after a year as Kristen.[16] Davidson exited the role on-screen on November 13, 2013.[17] In late November, it was confirmed that Davidson would return for an episode scheduled to air on December 3, 2013.[18]

      On January 28, 2014, it was announced that Davidson would return to the role of Kristen in the summer of 2014.[19] On May 1, 2014, it was formally announced that Davidson was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series for Days of Our Lives.[8] It was her third Daytime Emmy Award nomination, her second for Days. She won the award on June 22, 2014.[20]

      On June 17, 2014, it was announced that Davidson had signed a contract to return to The Young and the Restless.[21] Subsequently, Davidson revealed that her Y&R contract was for two years and that it included a stipulation that she could continue doing Days of Our Lives in the future, as well as having the option of taking a break if work became too hectic.[22] Davidson also joined the cast of the fifth season of Bravo reality television series, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.[23][24] On November 17, 2014, it was announced that Davidson was back on-set of Days of Our Lives, with a stint set to air in spring 2015.[25] She appeared from April 15–30, 2015. On June 12, 2017, it was announced that Davidson would return to Days of Our Lives.[26] Davidson returned from November 2–21 as Susan. Davidson also briefly reprised the roles of Kristen and Sister Mary Moira on November 21 of that year. Davidson stated in 2019 that she had been offered a role on All My Children earlier on in her career, but had turned it down as she could not afford to move to New York with her five dogs.[27]

      Davidson starred in the 2019 comedy film 7 Days to Vegas directed by Eric Balfour released by Gravitas Ventures.[28] The following year, she starred in the Christmas film Middleton Christmas (2020) as Alana D'Angelo, the dean of a prestigious high school.[29] From 2021 to 2022, she starred in the Peacock limited series, Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem. She also starred in the Christmas film Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas for the streaming service in 2021.[30] Also in 2021, Davidson starred in the thriller film Symphoria written and directed by Catherine Dao.[31] In 2023, she starred in the Netflix romantic Christmas drama film Holiday in the Vineyards.[32]

      Personal life

      Davidson has been married three times, her first being to actor Christopher Mayer from 1985 to 1986. Her second husband was General Hospital, Port Charles and As the World Turns actor Jon Lindstrom, to whom she was married from 1997 to 2000. Mayer and Lindstrom were both stars of the TV series Santa Barbara, a show on which Davidson also spent two years, although they did not appear on the show at the same time. Since 2003, Davidson has been married to actor, former tennis professional and World Poker Tour commentator Vincent Van Patten. They have a son. The pair met in 2000, when Van Patten briefly appeared as Christian, her character's boyfriend during a cruise, on The Young and the Restless.

      Filmography

      Film

      Year Title Role Notes
      1982 Goin' All the Way! BJ
      1983 The House on Sorority Row Vicki
      1989 Easy Wheels She Wolf
      1990 Eternity Dahlia / Valerie Film
      2000 Weyback Bell Clark
      2012 Hell and Mr. Fudge Mrs. Fudge
      2013 Stranger at the Pentagon Deena Thor Short film
      2017 The Guest House Dr. Hopkins
      2019 7 Days to Vegas KC
      2020 Middleton Christmas Alana D'Angelo
      2021 Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas Kristen DiMera
      2021 Symphoria Vickey Lewis
      2023 A Wine Country Christmas Margo Baldwyn

      Television

      Year Title Role Notes
      1982 The Phoenix Ellie Episode: "The Fire Within"
      Tattletales Herself 5 episodes
      1982–1988,
      1999–present      		 The Young and the Restless Ashley Abbott Series regular
      1990 Broken Badges J.J. "Bullet" Tingreedes Main role
      1991–1993 Santa Barbara Kelly Capwell Series regular
      1993–1998, 2012–2015, 2017, 2021, 2023 Days of Our Lives Kristen DiMera, Marlena Evans, Susan Banks, Sister Mary Moira Banks, Penelope Kent, Thomas Banks Series regular
      2007–2008 The Bold and the Beautiful Ashley Abbott Series regular
      2009 Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan Herself Episode: "Charlotte, Elvis and Jack"
      2014–2018, 2020 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Herself Series regular (seasons 5–7)
      Guest (seasons 8 & 10)
      2018 The Last Sharknado: It's About Time Marie Antoinette Television film
      2021–2022 Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem Kristen DiMera, Thomas Banks, Sister Mary Moira Banks Limited series, 6 episodes

      Bibliography

      Davidson collaborated with Robert J. Randisi on the following novels.

      List of novels
      Date of publication Title
      2008 Death In Daytime
      2009 Dial Emmy For Murder
      2010 Diva Las Vegas
      2011 Swingin' In The Rain

      Awards and nominations

      Year Award Category Title Result Ref.
      1986 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama The Young and the Restless Nominated
      1988 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Heroine The Young and the Restless Nominated
      1997 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actress Days of Our Lives Nominated
      1998 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Days of Our Lives Nominated
      1999 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actress Days of Our Lives Nominated
      2000 Soap Opera Digest Award Favorite Return The Young and the Restless Nominated
      2003 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series The Young and the Restless Nominated
      2014 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Days of Our Lives Won
      2018 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series The Young and The Restless Won
      2021 Garden State Film Festival Best Supporting Actress 7 Days to Vegas Won
      2021 Garden State Film Festival Best Ensemble 7 Days to Vegas Won

      References

      1. ↑ "In The Middle". Soap Opera Digest. September 19, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
      2. 1 2 Peterson, Bettelou (Knight-Ridder). "Here's the Lowdown on Eileen Davidson". The Ledger Enquirer TV Book. June 12, 1988. p. 60. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
      3. 1 2 Barrand, Roderick (March 30, 1988). "After 6 Years, Y&R's Ashley set to 'go for the gold'". The Post-Crescent. p. 37. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
      4. ↑ What time do the Daytime Emmy Awards start? (April 25, 2014). "Eileen Davidson poised to end 39-year drought for 'Days of Our Lives' at Daytime Emmys". Goldderby.com. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
      5. 1 2 Ramos, Dino-Ray (April 29, 2018). "Daytime Emmy Awards Complete Winners List: 'Days Of Our Lives', 'The Talk', 'GMA' Among Honorees". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
      6. ↑ "Daze of Their Lives". People Magazine. August 1997. Archived from the original on November 1, 2008.
      7. ↑ Lipton, Michael A. (August 11, 1997). "Daze of Their Lives". People.com. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
      8. 1 2 "Eileen Davidson". Bravo TV Official Site. October 31, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
      9. ↑ "Faces to Watch | TV". Entertainment Weekly. April 5, 1991. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
      10. ↑ "Entertainment and Celebrity News, TV News and Breaking News | TV Guide". Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
      11. 1 2 "Y&R's Melody Thomas Scott May Not Have a Storyline, But She Has a Lot to Say". Soap Opera Weekly. February 13, 2007. pp. 10–11.
      12. ↑ "Eileen Davidson to B&B!". Soap Opera Weekly. February 13, 2007. p. 5.
      13. ↑ "eileendavidsonbooks.com". Eileendavidsonbooks.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
      14. ↑ Fairman, Michael (June 26, 2012). "Eileen Davidson Rejoins Days of our Lives as Kristen DiMera and Susan Banks!". Michael Fairman On-Air On-Soaps. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
      15. ↑ Logan, Michael (February 20, 2013). "Exclusive: Eileen Davidson on Her Return to The Young and the Restless". TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
      16. ↑ Logan, Michael (August 1, 2013). "Exclusive: Eileen Davidson Talks About Her Shocking Departure From Days of Our Lives". TVGuide.com. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
      17. ↑ Sloane, Stephanie (November 18, 2013). "Comings and Goings". Soap Opera Digest. American Media, Inc. 38 (46): 11.
      18. ↑ Sloane, Stephanie (December 9, 2013). "Comings and Goings". Soap Opera Digest. American Media, Inc. 38 (49): 10.
      19. ↑ "Exclusive: Eileen Davidson Returns to Days of Our Lives". TV Guide. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
      20. ↑ Fairman, Michael (June 26, 2012). "41st Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced". Michael Fairman On-Air On-Soaps. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
      21. ↑ Digest, Soap Opera (June 17, 2014). "EXCLUSIVE! EILEEN DAVIDSON SIGNS CONTRACT WITH Y&R". Soap Opera Digest. soapoperadigest.com. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
      22. ↑ Magazine, TVSource (June 19, 2014). "Soap Star Eileen Davidson Appearing on 'Home & Family'; Reveals Y&R and Days Scoop!". TVSource Magazine. tvsourcemagazine.com. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
      23. ↑ "Days of Our Lives Actress Eileen Davidson Joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills". Us Magazine. usmagazine.com. April 1998. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
      24. ↑ "Eileen Davidson Leaving RHOBH". People. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
      25. ↑ All reports discussing the spring 2015 return of Eileen Davidson to Days of Our Lives:
      26. ↑ Logan, Michael (June 12, 2017). "Emmy Winner Eileen Davidson Returns to Days of Our Lives". TV Insider. United States: CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
      27. ↑ "Spotlight On Interview with Eileen Davidson (ex-Kristen DiMera) (Original Airdate Sept 2019)". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
      28. ↑ "7 Days to Vegas - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. September 20, 2019.
      29. ↑ Young, Candace (November 11, 2019). "Eileen Davidson's Bittersweet 'There Will Always Be Christmas'". Soaps.com. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
      30. ↑ Cohn, Paulette (December 16, 2021). "Celebrate Christmas With the Hortons, Bradys & DiMeras! Here's Everything We Know About Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas, Including Alison Sweeney's Return". Parade.
      31. ↑ Young, Candace (November 13, 2019). "Eileen Davidson & A Martinez Team Up in Romantic Thriller 'Symphoria'".
      32. ↑ Donnelly, Matt (March 17, 2023). "Ali Afshar, Former Racing Pro and Holiday Movie Mogul, Looks Beyond Christmas for Growth".
      33. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (March 11, 1998). "ABC tops Emmy noms". Variety. Los Angeles, California: Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013.
      34. ↑ "Nominees for Daytime Emmys". USA Today. Tysons Corner, Virginia: Gannett Company. Associated Press. March 12, 2003. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
      35. ↑ Bowe, Jullian (June 22, 2014). "Eileen Davidson WINS Daytime Emmy For Outstanding Lead Actress!". Zap2it. Daytimeconfidential.zap2it.com. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
      36. ↑ "The 41st Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award Winners". New York: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. June 16, 2013. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
      37. 1 2 https://www.gsff.org/wp-content/uploads/2021_Winners.pdf
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