While Vivian Alamain fans are holding out hope that she didn’t succumb to that seemingly fatal gunshot wound her portrayer, Louise Sorel, has certainty found a reason to celebrate.
That’s because she was born on August 6, 1940, in Los Angeles, California, meaning that she is turning 79 years old today! While this talented actress is mostly known for her work on the small screen, especially on daytime dramas, Sorel actually began her storied career by appearing in a number of well known theatrical productions.
Aside from acting in productions of The Lion in Winter and The Sign in Sidney Burstein’s Window, Sorel also appeared on the Grand White Way in both Man and Boy and Taker Her, She’s Mine.
Sorel’s first motion picture credit was a cameo part in Eighteen and Anxious in 1957 and she had a starring role in a 1965 sleazy potboiler called The Party’s Over. Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, she guest-starred in over 50 highly popular primetime series including Bonanza, Night Gallery, Daniel Boone, and The Big Valley.
She continued to work in night time TV well into the 80s with appearances on shows like Vegas, Hart to Hart, and Magnum P.I.
In 1984, Sorel joined the premiere cast of a new NBC soap opera called Santa Barbara. The serial was launched on July 30 of that year and Sorel’s character, Augusta Lockridge, quickly became a fan favorite.
Sorel stayed in the role until August of 1986 before departing but she would return for two other stints — the first from November 1988 to May 1989 and finally from October 1990 to October 1991. In between her first exit and subsequent return she played lawyer Judith Sanders on ABC’s One Life to Live.
In 1992, Sorel joined the cast of NBC’s Days of Our Lives to play the deliciously gothic Vivian Alamain. For that role, Sorel won five Soap Opera Digest Awards including Outstanding Villainess in 1994 and Outstanding Showstopper in both 1997 and 1999.
After being let go from DAYS, Sorel also made brief appearances on Port Charles, All My Children, and Passions. She rejoined DAYS in 2009 until being fired yet again in 2011. Although semi-retired, Sorel agreed to come back to the show in a limited timed guest spot in 2018.
Soap Hub would like to wish Louise Sorel a very happy birthday and many more. Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.
Video Credit: mindschmootz
Video Credit: exquisiteXproduction
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