from: http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wi...world-headlines

Lanna Saunders

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Lanna Saunders, who followed her father and grandfather into the family craft of acting and was best known for a long-running role on "Days of Our Lives," has died. She was 65.

Saunders died Saturday of complications from multiple sclerosis, said her husband, Lawrence Pressman. She battled the disease for 25 years, he said.

The couple's son, David Pressman, is also an actor.

Saunders was just 13 when she started performing on Broadway. She met her husband while studying with Elia Kazan. Saunders later joined Kazan's Lincoln Center Company and performed under his direction in Arthur Miller's "After the Fall."

She joined the cast of the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" in 1979.

She left the show in 1985, when she became too ill to continue, Pressman said. Saunders was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1982.

Lanna's last role was as Marie Horton on Days. She was my favorite Marie of all time. She was also on The Brighter Day as Ellen Dennis.

Her husband Lawrence Pressman is a former soap star too. He was on The Edge of Night as Roger in 1969

Edited March 15, 200718 yr by SteveFrame

Oh, so sad! I *loved* Lanna's Marie Horton. The triangle with Neil & Liz was one of my favorite must-see stories when I was a kid. When Liz accidentially shot Marie thinking she was a burgler was one of the most riviting moments on Days in the mid80s.

Here is 1 more obit:

from http://www.playbill.com/news/article/106509.html

Lanna Saunders, Broadway Actress, Is Dead at 65

By Robert Simonson

14 Mar 2007

Lanna Saunders, a stage actress who appeared in the original Broadway productions of Milk and Honey and Philadelphia, Here I Come!, died March 10 in Sherman Oaks, CA, due to complications of multiple sclerosis. She was 65.

Ms. Saunders, a member of a theatrical clan, made her Broadway debut while still a teenager, taking on the part of Anne Roosevelt in Sunrise at Campobello. In 1961, she played Barbara, the daughter of Phil, the male lead played by Robert Weede, in Jerry Herman's Israel-set musical Milk and Honey.

Following the short-lived 1964 comedy Never Live Over a Pretzel Factory, she starred in The Changling as part of the Lincoln Center Theater ensemble headed by artistic directors Elia Kazan and Robert Whitehead. She made her final Broadway appearance playing Kate Doogan in the New York premiere of Brian Friel's classic Philadelphia, Here I Come!.

Lanna Saunders was born Dec. 22, 1941, in New York City to Nicholas Saunders, a Ukraine-born actor who had a long stage career. Her grandfather was producer, director and playwright Nicholas Soussanin, who bore the original family name. Ms Saunders was married to Lawrence Pressman, whom she played opposite in Never Live Over a Pretzel Factory. Their son is David Pressmen. Both men survive her.

Her film and television credits include "The Six Million Dollar Man," "The Waltons," "The Days of Our Lives" and "Body Heat."

She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1990.

In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the M.S. Society (2440 S. Sepulveda. #115, Los Angeles, CA 90064) or Actors Fund (5757 Wilshire Blvd #400, Los Angeles, CA 90036).

Edited March 15, 200718 yr by SteveFrame

There are no words. While to many, Cheatham is the definitive Marie, no one can deny that Marie's best stories were with Saunders in the role. A true talent.

Damn. I knew she wasn't in good health, but this still stinks. And I'd forgotten her husband played Roger Castermore on Edge.

RIP, Lanna.

This is so sad. I loved her Marie, too. I loved the triangle with Neil and Liz, her friendships with Maggie and Marlena, and her love/hate relationship with Alex Marshall. I realize that Cheatham originated the role, but it was just weird when she came back for Tom's funeral and Bo and Hope's wedding. I missed Lanna Saunders.

I think she remained close friends with Bill and Susan Hayes even after leaving "Days."

By the way, there are clips of Lanna on youtube. If you'll search for Roman and Marlena's wedding or the big party where Renee was murdered, she's in several scenes. There's also a clip of her and Tom going to Marlena's house after Roman was "killed" on Stefano's island.

Edited March 15, 200718 yr by Dr. Chip

Here is the obituary I wrote for my website. In doing research, I found an interesting fact from a play she did in 1954.

Lanna Saunders, who portrayed one of Salem's original characters, Marie Horton, from April 1979-April 1985, has died. Saunders died on Saturday, March 10, 2007 in Sherman Oaks, California after a 25-year battle with multiple sclerosis. She was 65.

Saunders was born on December 22, 1941 in New York City. She started performing on Broadway at the age of 13. Years later, while studying with Elia Kazan, she would meet her future husband, actor Lawrence Pressman. They were married in 1973.

Saunders began her television career as Ellen Williams on the daytime drama "The Brighter Day" from 1960-1961. She also made appearances on primetime shows such as "Marcus Welby, M.D.", "Barnaby Jones" and "Fantasy Island" before beginning a six-year stint on "Days of Our Lives" as Marie Horton, Tom and Alice's daughter, in April 1979. In 1954, Ms. Saunders and Macdonald Carey had appeared in a play called "Anniversary Waltz" where they portrayed father and daughter. 25 years later, they were portraying father and daughter again, this time on "Days."

During her time on "Days", Saunders was paired with two leading men, Quinn Redeker (Alex Marshall) and Joseph Gallison (Neil Curtis). In 1982, Ms. Saunders was first diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but she continued for another three years on the show, making her final appearance in April 1985, when she became too ill to continue acting.

Ken Corday, executive producer of "Days of Our Lives", issued this statement on her passing: "As an actress, as well as a person, Lanna Saunders had an elegance and grace that bespoke the deepest qualities of her soul which made her character, Sister Marie, honest and believable, yet so easy to look at."

Saunders leaves behind her husband of 34 years, Lawrence Pressman; a son, David Pressman; and her mother, Gedda Petry.

http://members.aol.com/jason47b