Margaret Mason
| Margaret Mason | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 31, 1940 Phoenixville, Pennsylvania |
| Died | March 26, 1999 (aged 58) Silverdale, Washington |
| Years active | 1959–1993 |
| Spouse(s) | E. Nick Alexander (1970–1999) |
Margaret Mason (December 31, 1940 – March 26, 1999) was an American actress best remembered for her work on soap operas in the 1970s.
Born and raised in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, Mason was of Polish-Czechoslovakian descent. As a child, she went to a convent boarding school. In 1958, she graduated from Saint Cyral's Girls Academy in Danville, Pennsylvania.
In 1962, Mason moved from Iowa to Hollywood. In an interview, she mentioned it was tough to get acting jobs, having to take other part-time jobs and acting lessons while looking for roles. In 1963, sponsored by Rock Hudson, she was a 'Deb Star' of Universal Studios. She appeared in The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and guest starred in several television shows. Meanwhile, her husband E. Nick Alexander wrote a script No More Trees, which would star Mason. The film was never made.
Following an extended break due to health issues, Mason returned to acting in 1970. Although advised to keep her health conditions a secret, she was open about them, and ironically became more successful than in the 1960s. She first landed the role of Linda Patterson in Days of Our Lives, which she played for a year and a half until December 1971. Concerning her role, she told the press in a 1978 interview: "It's always been a love-hate relationship between Linda and the viewers. I'm the misunderstood bad lady." She played Linda as "a well-meaning troublemaker who wants to help others, only to see her efforts boomerang."
From late 1972 until its cancellation in 1974, Mason portrayed main character Selena Cross in the daytime soap opera Return to Peyton Place. In an interview, she said she "just loves working on R.T.T.P." She returned to Days of Our Lives in 1975, and remained on the soap opera until 1980, returning once more in 1982. During the late 1970s, Linda became one of the few female business executives on daytime, taking over Anderson Manufacturing while her husband Bob was recovering from a heart attack. Afterwards, she starred as the devious Eve Howard, Victor Newman's former secretary and lover on The Young and the Restless on and off from 1980 to 1984, and briefly in 1993. Eve notoriously tried to kill Nikki on her wedding day to Victor Newman (after trying to poison Victor the year before), then snuck into their trunk before they decided not to leave on their honeymoon. Her 1993 return saw a less calculating version of Eve, more concerned about the fact that her son Cole might be in love with his own sister, Victoria. In between, she appeared briefly on General Hospital as a relationship consultant who was really a secret madame.
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