Leann Hunley
Born (1955-02-25) February 25, 1955
Forks, Washington, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1977–present
Known for
Spouse
Bill Sheridan
​
(m. 1980⁠–⁠2001)​

Leann Hunley (born February 25, 1955[1]) is an American television actress. Although she has worked in numerous productions, she is perhaps best known for portraying Anna DiMera on NBC's Days of Our Lives and Dana Waring on the ABC primetime soap opera, Dynasty.

Early life

Hunley was born in Forks, Washington. Her father was a commercial fisherman and her mother a beautician. She is the youngest of four siblings. Her previous occupation is an answering service operator. Leann has worked as a model and won second runner up in the Miss Hawaii pageant in 1977.[2]

Career

Hunley's first television appearance was on Hawaii Five-O, in which she played separate characters in two different episodes during the series' 10th season, 1977-78. After appearing as an unnamed female Colonial Warrior in four episodes of Battlestar Galactica, Hunley guest-starred on Mrs. Columbo and B. J. and the Bear before becoming a regular on the latter's spinoff The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo. Her role as Anna DiMera on Days of Our Lives from 1982[3] to 1986 won her an Emmy Award at the 13th Daytime Emmy Awards for best supporting actress in 1986. For three seasons of Dynasty, Hunley portrayed Dana Waring, Adam Carrington's wife. She appeared on Aaron Spelling's short-lived Models, Inc.. In the first season of Dawson's Creek (1998) she was Tamara Jacobs, a high school English teacher who has a tempestuous affair with her student Pacey Witter. She also played Shira Huntzberger on Gilmore Girls in 2005, and has guest-starred in various comedy and drama series such as Just Shoot Me!, Strong Medicine, Raising Hope, NCIS, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

After a 21-year absence from playing the role, Hunley returned to Days of Our Lives as Anna on June 21, 2007, recurring on the series until mid-2010. She again returned to play the role of Anna DiMera for a story arc beginning in January 2017, and has continued to make appearances on the NBC daytime serial as of September 2022, while also playing the same character in the spinoff series Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem airing on the Peacock streaming service since 2021.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1993 The Beverly Hillbillies Miss Arlington
1995 Cops n Roberts N/A
2001 Your Guardian Tanna Hildegard
2012 Blissful Lies Addison Hamilton

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1977 Hawaii Five-O Longworth's Secretary Episode: "The Cop on the Cover"
1978 Hawaii Five-O Lucy Sutherland Episode: "Frozen Assets"
1978 The Islander Mac's Wife Television film
1978–1979 Battlestar Galactica 1st Girl Warrior 4 episodes
1979 B. J. and the Bear Dr. Winters Episode: "Crackers"
1979 Mrs. Columbo Judy Episode: "The Valley Strangler"
1979–1980 The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo Sarah Cumberland Main role
1982 Fantasy Island Secretary Episode: "The Curse of the Moreaus/My Man Friday"
1982–1986, 2007–2010,
2017–present		 Days of Our Lives Anna DiMera Regular role
1983 Hart to Hart Diane Episode: "As the Hart Turns"
1984 Airwolf Meryl Episode: "One Way Express"
1985 Amazing Stories Woman Episode: "Remote Control Man"
1986 Knight Rider Liz Preston Episode: "Fright Knight"
1986 Hotel Catherine Episode: "Opening Moves"
1986-1988 Dynasty Dana Waring Carrington Main role (seasons 7–8); guest role (season 9)
1988 Highway to Heaven Jennifer Episode: "We Have Forever: Parts 1 & 2"
1988 Murder, She Wrote Shannon McBride Episode: "A Little Night Work"
1988 Simon & Simon Violet Harlowe / R.J. Simmons Episode: "Play It Again, Simon"
1989 The Last Word Herself Game show pilot
1989 Who's the Boss? Lisa Episode: "Winter Break"
1989 Wolf N/A Television film
1990 Designing Women Gaby Langford Episode: "The Mistress"
1990 Matlock Leanne Wilson Episode: "The Talk Show"
1990 Murder, She Wrote Dana Darren Episode: "Murder: According to Maggie"
1990 Lucky Chances Eden TV miniseries
1990 L.A. Law Maura Fitzgerald Episode: "New Kidney on the Block"
1991 Gabriel's Fire Gwen Kidder Episode: "Postcards from the Faultline"
1991 Princesses Andrea Sussman Episode: Pilot
1992 Coopersmith Laraine Sands Television film
1993 Silent Victim Chrissy Lee Television film
1993 Daddy Dearest Pam Episodes: "The Tortoise and the Scare", "Thanks, But No Thanks"
1994 The Nanny Bobbi Jo Episode: "I Don't Remember Mama"
1994 Models Inc. Marcia Carson 4 episodes
1994 Heaven Help Us Sarah Barnett Episode: "A Match Made in Heaven"
1994 Murder, She Wrote Lydia De Kooning Episode: "Amsterdam Kill"
1995 Murphy Brown Linda Episode: "Rumble in the Alley"
1995 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Joan Episode: "As the Will Turns"
1995 Burke's Law Leslie Livingston Episode: "Who Killed the Centerfold?"
1996 Hudson Street Elizabeth Owens Episode: "One for the Monet"
1996 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Emily Channing Episode: "Swear to God, This Time We're Not Kidding"
1997 7th Heaven Rachel Grewe Episode: "Say Good-Bye"
1998 Dawson's Creek Tamara Jacobs Recurring role (seasons 1–2), 9 episodes
1999 Pensacola: Wings of Gold Lauren Wells Episode: "Mishap"
1999 Horse Sense Jacy Woods Television film
2003 Strong Medicine Renee Van Dyke Episode: "Blocked Lines"
2003 Just Shoot Me! Binnie Episode: "Strange Bedfellows"
2005 Gilmore Girls Shira Huntzberger Episodes: "But I'm a Gilmore!", "We've Got Magic to Do"
2009 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Joyce Shepard Episode: "Sugar"
2010 NCIS Young Joann Fielding Episode: "Mother's Day"
2012 Raising Hope Francine Episode: "The Walk for the Runs"
2021 Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem Anna DiMera Miniseries

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Production Result
1986 Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Days of Our Lives Won
1986 Soap Opera Digest Awards Outstanding Comic Relief Role on a Daytime Serial Days of Our Lives Nominated
1989 Soap Opera Digest Awards Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role: Prime Time Dynasty Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "What Happened on February 25, 1955". OnThisDay.com. 1955-02-25. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  2. ↑ "Days of Our Lives·Actors·Leann Hunley". Soaps.sheknows.com. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  3. ↑ Snyder, Jen (December 10, 2009). "Leann Hunley Back At DAYS". TV Source Magazine. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
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