Leann Hunley currently stars on Days of Our Lives as Anna DiMera, a role she originated back in the ‘80s. She has returned several times over the years but while she was away, Hunley has also starred in a number of other iconic television shows — some that may even surprise you.
From where she was born and raised to how she got her first acting role, here are five fast facts to know about Days of Our Lives star Leann Hunley.
In The Beginning
Hunley was born to a commercial fisherman dad and a beautician mom and was raised in Forks, Washington. If that town sounds familiar, it’s probably because that’s where the Twilight book series is based! Hunley is the youngest of four children and she decided to attend Washington University in St. Louis for college.
A Model Actress
Hunley got into modeling and beauty pageants following college, even winning Miss Hawaii in 1977. She then booked Hawaii Five-O twice — once in 1977 and again in 1978, thanks to a modeling agency she was working with. Those were her first two acting roles. She later was a regular on The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo.
Getting Soapy
After recurring roles on several primetime shows, Hunley won the part of Anna on DAYS back in 1982. She stayed until 1986, at which point she moved on to Dynasty where she played Dana Waring Carrington. Hunley also won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1986 for Best Supporting Actress, thanks to her work on DAYS.
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Naughty Teacher
Along with being a soap opera legend, Hunley has acted on some major television shows, including Dawson’s Creek, where she played Tamara Jacobs during the first season of the hit show. Tamara was a teacher who had an affair with her student, Pacey. She also appeared on Gilmore Girls in 2005 as Shira Huntzberger, Logan’s mom.
Getting Personal
Hunley married Bill Sheridan, a real estate investor, in 1980. However, they decided to part ways in 2001 after over 20 years of marriage. The actress recently returned to DAYS and has been reunited with her close friend of over 30 years, Thaao Penghlis, who also returned, as Anna’s one true love, Tony DiMera.
Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.
Video Credit: Ryan WN
Video Credit: Days of our Lives
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