She is best known for playing Adrienne Johnson Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives, but that’s hardly the only role Judi Evans has had on a soap — actually, it’s not even the only role she’s had on DAYS. Evans has also played Bonnie on the NBC show, as well as Beth Raines on Guiding Light, Paulina on Another World, and Maeve on As the World Turns.
Evans has also been on shows like The Mentalist and TV movies like Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story with Cliff Robertson and M*A*S*H star Loretta Swit. From where she was raised to the real-life person she portrayed, here are five fast facts about veteran soap actress, Judi Evans.
In The Beginning
Evans was born on July 12 in Montebello, California. Though she was born in California, she grew up in a traveling circus with her family. Her parents were trapeze artists and took their kids on the road with them. In fact, Evans’s brother juggled in the circus and Evans herself was a baby clown!
First Role
Though she spent a lot of time on the road, Evans became interested in acting at a young age. She made her television debut on the now-defunct soap Guiding Light as the troubled Beth Raines, a character she played for three years.
Big Winner
After playing the character of Beth, who had been raped by her stepfather, for about a year, Evans won a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. At the time, she was the youngest person to ever win that award at just 19 years old!
Real Life vs. Reel Life
In 2000, Evans was in the TV movie Getting Away with Murder: The JonBenet Ramsey Mystery, playing the real-life victim’s mother, Patsy Ramsey. She worked alongside fellow AW alumni, Alice Barrett (ex-Frankie), who played a reporter.
Getting Personal
Evans was first married to Robert Eth, but the couple divorced after two years of marriage. She then went on to marry her current husband, Michael Luciano, in 1993. The couple has one child together, a 23-year-old son named Austin Michael. Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.
Holiday highs and corporate lows. Read More
It's the last thing she wants to see. Read More
It was a week filled with drama in Genoa City. Read More
They're more alike than you'd think! Read More
Taylor needs to cut Ridge off before this goes too far. Read More
Claire's gift to Nikki will brighten her whole day. Read More