Doris Belack has passed away

[DRW50]

I wonder what her Edge roles and later AW and Doctors roles were. I know what the last Edge role was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAzz7OcEDB8

[Paul Raven]

Nora Simpson was the mother of Eileen and Morgan. She was only on briefly.

Claudia on TD was a doctor involved in the Ashley/John Bennett story. She was hypnotising Ashley to forget some previous tragedy (can't remember what -a car crash) that I think she (Claudia) was responsible for.

[DRW50]

Thanks. It's a shame the shows didn't do more with her, although AW burnt through so many wonderful actors in those years.

[DeeeDee]

RIP.

[EricMontreal22]

Funny, her producer husband's musical mentioned there, Seventh Son, is an infamous scandalous flop, I don't think it even made it to Broadway (he did have a minor hit with the other one mentiuoned, Shenandoah, but Jack Palance didn't star, John Cullum did).

Paul Raven, Wiki says that Anna stayed in Llanview, even after Jim Craig's death and brother Vince's till 1983 when she faded away with no exit--but it sounds like she was merely on recurring by then?

[DRW50]

I'm glad somebody read that stuff.

With Hasidic rock, how can you go wrong??

Phyllis Behar was Anna in those last years. You see her frequently in 1981, 1982 SOD issues, as she was a cook. There's a slightly cringeworthy one where she wears funny hats, and another where she all but begs for a story.

[EricMontreal22]

Ah thanks for that, I had no clue the role was recast. I see Kathleen Maguire played the role too...

[DRW50]

I have a photo somewhere of Maguire trying her best to look matronly. Doesn't work well. I'm not sure if Behar did that or not.

It's too bad they couldn't keep Doris. I read somewhere that Joe Stuart let her leave because he wasn't going to give her the money she wanted. It seems like those years they were trying to push out a lot of the established actors.

[EricMontreal22]

There may have been some network pressure about salaries too--OLTL wasn't in the trouble GH was in at '76, but it wasn't exactly top rated.

[teplin]

I remember her from OLTL, of course, and The Doctors ... and I was always happy to see her in prime time and big screen roles, usually small parts, but they always made a big impression on me due to her vibrant talent. RIP.

[MontyB]

Ha Ha Love YouTube. Brings back great memories. Look at Chris Goutman as Sharkey.

[LoyaltoAMC]

She also briefly played Mayor Dolly Clark on AMC circa 1986 when they had an PV mayoral election storyline going on.

[DRW50]

January 1977 TV Radio Mirror

[DRW50]

There is no question that Miss Belack knows her character. "there isn't anything anyone could tell me about Anna Craig that I don't already know," she says, looking into the mirror and then checking the clock - forty-five minutes to go before the next run-through. Another actress rushes in to make a phone call, script in hand, nervous. Doris' youthfulness and fitness, as well as her experience over the years, enable her to keep a busy schedule without getting the least bit frazzled.

Doris has been with the show nine years, ever since the part of Anna was created especially for her by Agnes Nixon, a close friend. I've been with the character since she was an inception in Agnes' brain. She created two parts - one for me and one for Tony Ponzini, the original Vinnie Wolek. it was lovely, very flattering.

"I know Anna inside out - that's the good part about working daytime, the writers allow me to create a character of flesh and bones. She's a collaborative character."

Working with Don Wallace (formerly of Another World) and Agnes, is special and rewarding, according to Doris. But, she has one slight complaint. "Personally, I think Anna Craig is too supportive. I would like to see her branch out a little on her own as a separate entity - to assume a little independence. She is the Mother Earth figure, without any independence of her own, unfortunately."

Miss Belack does not criticize or disagree with a woman who finds happiness in being totally involved with her family, without a career, although she has not chosen this life for herself. But she feels that sometimes, no matter how satisfying a marriage or lifestyle, a woman gets the urge to do something else, if only for a moment.

"We've all experienced this - the feeling 'if I'd only done this, or that.' Perhaps women experience it more than men. No - I guess men feel the same. Women over a certain age feel it more than men. Younger women now seem to be doing what they want, most of the time."

It seemed a good time to ask Miss Belack about her own sense of independence. Like the younger women she admires, Doris says, "I've always known what I wanted to do. I knew very early on what I wanted to do - ate the age of four, to be exact. My first love was dancing. Then I decided to become a singer. I was told I was a listener in school, which was an absolute lie. But I knew I was going to be a performer." Asked about the support she received from her parents, Doris hesitated only a moment, "My parents were nice, middle-class parents who were naturally afraid about the career and the business aspects of it. They were totally supportive, but with the usual parental concerns. They helped me financially as much as they could. When you have those vast periods of unemployment that sometimes go with the profession, you say to yourself, this is insane, why am I not living a 'normal life'? Being a character actress, you can have a great deal of difficulty getting work. It took awhile for me to grow into how I looked."

I asked about the current myth that there aren't enough good parts for women in theater and film. "Myth? It's a reality! It's never been a myth. If you go through literature from its inception and tally the male as opposed to the female parts, you'll be disabused of the idea that it's a myth. Only recently have women been allowed to act. In Shakespeare's time, female parts were played by young boys. Only recently, since the women's movement, have we moved in the direction of more parts for women." She points out that doctors and lawyers are still primarily played by men, even though there are many women professionals. Recently Doris was up for an interesting role as a judge in a film with Lee Remick. "My expectations were high, but unfortunately, a man got the part."

Indeed, Doris' schedule rivals that of a busy lawyer or doctor. "I don't have a typical day," she says, leading me down the hall so that we can chat for a few more minutes in the lobby, near the entrance onto the street, and some sunshine. "We gravitate here like plants to the sun so that we can see a little daylight during the show," exclaimed Doris. Unfortunately, with the expansion of the show to forty-five minutes, the day itself doesn't expand. Doris arrives at the studio at 7:45 for a morning rehearsal followed by makeup and hairdressing. She learns her lines in-between. At 11:15 she's on the set again for a run-through with the camera crew, which takes at least two hours. At 1:00, she grabs a quick lunch, and at 2:15 she again joins the cast for a run-through in full regalia followed by "notes" (criticism) from the director. The afternoon continues with dress rehearsal, taping and retaping, usually until 5:30 or 6:00. "It's a long day. We start at 7:45 and never really stop." She describes the experience as "intensive," "very difficult," and "grueling," but she enjoys it too, of course. "We're in this business because that's what we want to do." It would seem that Doris loves a challenge, whether in a sport or in her profession. In addition to the show, members of the cast can perform on Broadway or in film.

It's time for Doris to rush off again to audition for a commercial she has somehow fit into her one open time-slot. She waves good-bye to two stage managers who are relaxing in the lounge. Like the plants at the windowsill, she seems to be thriving. Her healthy spirits and warm personality are a tribute to her ability to manage quite well, with a little help from her friends, to say nothing of her favorite director, Philip.

[EricMontreal22]

It's interesting that's from '77, and they still mainly give credit to Don Wallace and Agnes Nixon...