Simone Russell
| Simone Russell | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cathy Jenéen Doe as Simone Russell
|
|||||||||||||||
| Passions character | |||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Lena Cardwell (1999–2000) Chrystee Pharris (2000–06) Cathy Jenéen Doe (2006–07) |
||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1999–2007 | ||||||||||||||
| First appearance | July 5, 1999 | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | September 4, 2007 | ||||||||||||||
| Created by | James E. Reilly | ||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former, regular | ||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
|
||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
| Parents |
TC Russell Eve Russell |
|---|---|
| Siblings |
Whitney Russell Vincent Clarkson |
| Grandparents | Reggie Russell (deceased) Warren Johnson (deceased) Ruby Lincoln (deceased) |
| Aunts and uncles | Liz Sanbourne (adoptive) |
| Nieces and nephews | Miles Harris-Crane Unnamed Harris-Crane Unnamed nephew |
| First cousins | Chad Harris-Crane (adoptive; deceased) |
| Other relatives |
Eve Johnson (great-grandmother; deceased) Irma Johnson (great-aunt) |
Simone Russell is a fictional character on the American soap opera Passions, which aired on NBC from 1999 to 2007 and on DirecTV in 2007–08. Simone, a member of Passions' Russell family, is introduced as the youngest daughter of Eve Russell and T. C. Russell, as well as the younger sister of Whitney Russell. While her early appearances center around her love triangle with Chad Harris-Crane and her sister Whitney, the character later receives more prominence on the show through her experience coming out as a lesbian to her family, and her relationship with Rae Thomas. The network defended the show's treatment of Simone's sexuality as a serious commentary on the topic.
Created by the soap's founder and head writer James E. Reilly, the role was portrayed by three actresses over the course of the show: Lena Cardwell (July 5, 1999 to April 16, 2000), Chrystee Pharris (April 17, 2000 to April 22, 2006), and Cathy Jenéen Doe (July 23, 2004 – September 4, 2007). The character was created as a part of the show's effort to represent a full African-American family and full-realized African-American characters on television. The exact reasons behind Cardwell's departure remain unknown while Pharris chose to leave to pursue other acting opportunities. Doe was the third and final actress to play Simone before the character was written off the show shortly before its transition to DirecTV.
Simone's storyline made daytime television history by having the first instance in a soap opera of two women in bed making love. The character is also notable for being daytime television's first African-American lesbian. At the 17th GLAAD Media Awards, the show won Outstanding Daily Drama for its portrayal of Simone's sexual orientation. The show's representation of LGBT topics, and Doe's performance as Simone, received a mixed response from critics; Doe was the principal actress during the storylines focusing on the character's sexuality.
...
Wikipedia