You’ve loved her on four different soaps playing numerous roles, but to most she’ll always be Ashley Abbott on The Young And The Restless. Now, her portrayer, Eileen Davidson is celebrating something amazing!
The actress was born on June 15 and so, today, she’s celebrating her birthday and she’s now making birthday wishes!
Davidson auditioned for the role of Ashley Suzanne Abbott back in 1982 and won the role after doing something other contenders didn’t — she gave a sisterly nudge to her brother, Jack (then Terry Lester; now, Peter Bergman) with her leg after he wouldn’t allow her to pass by him during her scene.
She played the part of the beautiful cosmetics heiress until 1988. After appearing in primetime (Broken Badges) and film (Easy Wheels), the actress returned to soaps in 1991 as Santa Barbara’s Kelly Capwell. In 1993, she joined Days Of Our Lives as Kristen Blake.
That role expanded greatly when it was revealed both that Kristen was the adopted daughter of legendary Stefano DiMera (the late Joe Mascolo) and late head writer James E. Reilly created four additional characters for her to play including Susan Banks.
In 1999, Davidson returned to Genoa City, resuming the role of Ashley. She left YR a second time in 2007 but she didn’t stop playing Ashley; The Bold And The Beautiful, which exists in the same universe as YR, hired the actress to bring Ashley to BB.
Later, Davidson returned to the mother show and opted to leave YR again in the fall of 2018. She has returned sporadically this year for family gatherings.
The actress has won two Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series, one for playing Kristen on DAYS (in 2014) and another for her portrayal of Ashley on YR (in 2018).
Davidson has been wed to actor/ex-professional tennis player/host Vincent Van Patten since 2003. The couple has a son, Jesse.
Davidson was also a cast member of the reality series The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills from 2014-18.
Soap Hub joins Davidson’s family, friends, and fans in wishing the actress a happy birthday and many happy returns! And, you can too with the tweet link below.
The Young And The Restless airs weekdays on CBS. Check local listings for air times.
Video Credit: The Young and the Restless
Video Credit: The Young and the Restless
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