Anna Stuart
| Anna Stuart | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 1, 1948 Bluefield, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1952–present |
| Spouse(s) | James Cromwell (m. 2014) |
Anna Stuart (born November 1, 1948 in Bluefield, West Virginia) is an American actress. Stuart has been primarily featured in roles in daytime soap operas.
Stuart got her start on The Doctors as lab technician Toni Ferra, a role she played from 1971 to 1977. Her character was involved in a triangle with her husband, Dr. Mike Powers, and old boyfriend Dr. Alan Stewart. She followed up her work on The Doctors originating the role of Dr. Gina Dante Lansing on rival soap General Hospital (1977-1978) where she was reunited with her former "The Doctors" co-star Gerald Gordon who played her brother, Dr. Mark Dante.
In 1981, she filled in for Maeve Kinkead on Guiding Light as Vanessa Chamberlain while Kinkead was on maternity leave. It was during this time that Vanessa was a prime suspect in the murder of Diane Ballard. This was Stuart's first time playing a schemer on the soaps, and led to playing other sophisticated trouble-maker on practically every New York based soap.
Stuart is best known for her role as Donna Love Hudson on Another World, which she played from January 1983 to November 1986 and again from February 1989 to the show's final episode in June 1999. The role of Donna Love was originally written as a very complex society snob (resembling Iris Cory), interfering in the love life of her brother Peter (by succeeding in busting up his relationship with the divorced Sally Frame and then conspiring against her former friend, Cecile de Poulignac) and dating Iris's ex-husband, Bay City mayor Brian Bancroft. At first a supporting character, Donna was slowly made a lead as she became involved in a triangle with ex-husband Carl Hutchins and flashy novelist Felicia Gallant. Her storyline became more complex when it was revealed that not only was her sister Marley really her illegitimate daughter, but had actually given birth to her twin, Victoria, as well. As Stuart became more popular, a major romance was created for her with Michael Hudson (Kale Browne) who was Victoria and Marley's father. The Michael/Donna pairing remains one of the show's top supercouples.
When Stuart left the show in 1986, the role of Donna was recast with Philece Sampler, who had previously played Renee Dumonde DiMera Banning Marshall on Days of Our Lives in the early 1980s. The recast however was panned by soap periodicals and after two years, Sampler's contract was terminated when Stuart expressed interest in returning to Another World. Her return was highlighted by her being asked to be a part of the show's 25th-anniversary Soap Opera Digest cover.
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