Louise Sorel
Don Rickles and Louise Sorel in 1971
Born (1940-08-06) August 6, 1940
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1957–present
Spouse(s)Herb Edelman (1964-1970)
Ken Howard (1973-1975)[1]

Louise Sorel (born August 6, 1940[2]) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Vivian Alamain in Days of Our Lives from 1992 to 2000, 2009 to 2011, 2017 to 2018, 2020, and 2023, Augusta Wainwright on Santa Barbara from 1984 to 1991, and Emily Tanner on Beacon Hill since 2014.

Early life

Sorel was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of a Hollywood producer father and an Egyptian mother who is a professional concert pianist.[3]

Sorel received theatrical training at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York. She briefly attended the Institut Français, where she studied French.[4] Sorel is Jewish.[5] She began performing on stage when she was 15 years old.[3]

Career

Sorel's early career was on the stage; she spent several years on Broadway, playing roles in Take Her, She's Mine and Man and Boy. She appeared in stage productions of The Lion in Winter and The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window.[6]

Sorel's first feature film appearance was in the film The Party's Over (1965). She appeared in Plaza Suite (1971), Night Gallery episode "Pickman's Model" (1971), B.S. I Love You (1971), Every Little Crook and Nanny (1972), The Return of Charlie Chan (1973), Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), Mazes and Monsters (1982), Where the Boys Are '84 (1984), and Crimes of Passion (1984), among others. Sorel has made guest appearances on more than 50 prime-time programs and TV movies, including Star Trek (as "Rayna", in the episode "Requiem for Methuselah", which aired in 1969).[7] She also portrayed Terry Waverly, the sister-in-law of Dr. Richard Kimble, in an episode of The Fugitive in 1965. She made other guest appearances on such programs as Bonanza (as Marie in the episode "The Strange One", 1965), Daniel Boone, The Virginian, Route 66, The Big Valley, The Fugitive, Search (as Magda Reiner, in "Live Men Tell Tales"), Vega$, Hart to Hart, Medical Center, Charlie's Angels, The Incredible Hulk, Hawaii Five-O, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, Knots Landing, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, among others. She had a principal role on The Don Rickles Show.[8]

Her first daytime dramatic role was as eccentric, meddlesome Augusta Wainwright on the NBC daytime drama Santa Barbara.[9] She appeared on Santa Barbara from July 1984 to August 1986, then from November 1988 to May 1989, returning the following October. She remained until October 1991.

In between stints, she also spent a year appearing as a strong-willed but decent District Attorney, Judith Russell Sanders, on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, from August 1986 through November 1987. She played the villainous Vivian Alamain on the NBC daytime serial, Days of Our Lives from March 1992 until February 2000. Sorel's performance as Alamain garnered her five Soap Opera Digest Awards as "Outstanding Villainess" in 1994, "Outstanding Showstopper" in 1997, and again in 1999 as "Outstanding Scene Stealer".[10]

In 2000, shortly after her dismissal from Days of Our Lives, Sorel briefly joined the cast of the Port Charles as fashion maven "Donatella Stewart" (a play on the names Donatella Versace and Martha Stewart). The role lasted for a month. In 2001, she had a brief role on another ABC soap opera, All My Children, as "Judge Kay Campobello," who blackmailed Adam Chandler into sleeping with her. She made a brief appearance on Passions as cannery worker Dort in 2004. In December 2009, she was invited to reprise her villainous role on Days of Our Lives.[11]

In June 2011, Sorel was let go from Days of Our Lives along with many other actors to make room for the return of super couple John and Marlena and several other characters.[12] In 2014, Sorel played Emily Tanner in the soap opera web series Beacon Hill.[13][14]

On December 29, 2017, Sorel returned to Days of Our Lives as Vivian. However, she was briefly replaced by Robin Strasser. On December 30, 2019, it was announced that Sorel would once again return to the role in 2020.[15]

In 2023, Sorel returned to her role as Vivian Alamain, in Days of Our Lives.[16]

Filmography

Awards

Year Award Category Work Result
1986 3rd Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Comic Relief Role on a Daytime Serial Santa Barbara Nominated
1986 3rd Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role on a Daytime Serial Santa Barbara Nominated
1993 9th Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Villain/Villainess Days of Our Lives Nominated
1994 10th Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Villain/Villainess Days of our Lives Won
1995 11th Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Female Scene Stealer Days of our Lives Won
1996 12th Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role Days of our Lives Won
1997 13th Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Female Showstopper Days of our Lives Won
1999 15th Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Female Scene Stealer Days of our Lives Won

References

  1. ↑ https://prod-www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/181124%7C0/Louise-Sorel#biography
  2. ↑ Waldo, Garren. "Days of our Lives Favorite Louise Sorel Celebrates Her Birthday". soaphub.com. Soap Hub. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  3. 1 2 Hart, Marla (November 3, 1994). "Louise Sorel Battles To Give Her Character Character". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 15, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Louise Sorel Archives". soapoperadigest.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  5. ↑ Howard, Margo (May 15, 2014). Eat, Drink & Remarry: Confessions of a Serial Wife. Harlequin. p. 121 – via Internet Archive. Louise Sorel Jewish.
  6. ↑ The Broadway League. "IBDb profile". Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Catching Up with TOS Guest Star... Louise Sorel". startrek.com. CBS Television Distribution and CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  8. ↑ "Louise Sorel filmography at New York Times".
  9. ↑ Damon L. Jacobs. "Sorel's daytime television career". Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  10. ↑ Papadatos, Markos (23 July 2020). "Chatting with veteran actress Louise Sorel: 'Days of Our Lives' (Includes interview)". digitaljournal.com. DIGITAL JOURNAL INC. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  11. ↑ Logan, Michael. "Exclusive: Louise Sorel Exits Days of Our Lives". tvguide.com. CBS Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  12. ↑ "Days of Our Lives Shake-Up! Hogestyn and Hall Return, Sorel and Chappell Out". TVLine. 3 June 2011. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  13. ↑ "A Who's Who Guide For Beacon Hill!". ABC Soaps In Depth. February 28, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  14. ↑ "The Characters". Beaconhilltheseries.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Louise Sorel Returns as Vivian to Days". Soap Dirt. 2019-12-30. Archived from the original on 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  16. ↑ "Louise Sorel returning to Days of our Lives". soapcentral.com. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
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