Anne Heche
Anne Heche has died after sustaining injuries in a car accident on August 5. Although the award-winning star last worked in the soap opera world over 30 years ago, the mark she made on the daytime community both as an actress and as a human being has resulted in an emotional outpouring of support from her fellow actors.
“My first BIG audition was for #anotherworld when I was just 18 years old,” recalls Rena Sofer (Quinn Fuller Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful). Sofer tested for the coveted role of Amanda Cory, Rachel and Mac’s daughter along with Heche and Sandra Ferguson. “We all three were fortunate enough to land roles on the show. Sandy GOT the job we were up for, and I got a small recurring role, but Anne shined so brightly she got a double role as the twins Vicky and Marley.
“She obviously went on to do such great things both in her career and in her life,” Sofer continued. “I would bet her greatest achievement was being a mom to her two sons. I was not friends with Anne, but I remember watching her work and being in awe of her talent. It always struck me that we started at pretty much the exact same time in the same way, and I never forgot that. My heart goes out to her family and friends but especially to her sons. My heart breaks for them. Rest In Peace, Anne.”
One of Heche’s leading men on the show was actor Russell Todd (ex-Jamie Frame). “I’m incredibly saddened and pained by this tragedy,” Todd wrote on his personal Instagram page. “Annie was my ex-wife and girlfriend on the NBC soap opera, Another World for a year and a half while playing identical twins Vicky and Marley to my character Dr. Jamie Frame. We worked together almost every day, sharing laughs, love scenes, preposterous stories, long hours, drama, and triumphs, including a remote shoot we did in Nice, France, where our characters fell in love.
“[Anne] was a force of nature,” Todd continues. “A beautiful and wonderfully talented actress. She was a guide and mentor to me, always there with advice and support. God bless you Annie. I am eternally grateful for our time together and will never forget your talent, devilish smile, indomitable spirit, and endless energy. Godspeed, my friend. My condolences as well to the family and friends. Love, your Jamie…Russell.”
AW was shot in Brooklyn, New York, but Heche’s talent didn’t go unnoticed 3,000 miles away in Burbank, Calif. where NBC sister soap Days of our Lives was taped. Robert Mailhouse (ex-Brian Scofield, DAYS) recalled meeting Heche at an awards show in Beverly Hills in 1992. “She came up to me, introduced herself, and immediately gave love and encouragement to this young actor,” he shared on social media.
“Anne was so intoxicating, always giving,” the actor says. “She was an old soul, full of wisdom and passion. During that first encounter, I was secretly trying to hold in my secret: in the Days Of Our Lives make-up room, whenever Anne’s scenes from Another World would come on the TV, the entire cast and make-up crew would freeze; we would all just look up at the monitor, and quietly, in absolute awe, study her work. We were all floored. She was intense, mysterious. What she offered on screen was beyond anything I’d ever seen on daytime TV. She was the yardstick. She was my secret hero.”
Mailhouse included in his post that years later, he and Heche, who had moved to Los Angeles, became friends, sharing dinners and laughs. “She could stare at a hummingbird, and it was more interesting than half of Hollywood,” Mailhouse raves. “No actor listened like her. She was just so brilliant and artful to watch…She moved away from Beachwood and became what the world now knows or thinks they know. I never really knew the Anne that was underneath. It was just a glorious brief chapter, a wonderful time in our lives, where the only worry was artistic choices or if the chicken soup at Victor’s Deli was better than Canter’s. Rest easy, Anne. Thank you for being so kind to the 29-year-old me. I’m a better person for knowing you.”
On AW, Heche’s Vicky squared off against Lisa Grady, played by Joanna Going, for Jamie’s affections. “I had the honor of working with Anne Heche…We had enormous fun as rivals onscreen and a lovely friendship off screen,” Going tweeted of Heche. “She was a breathtaking star right out of the box and an extraordinary woman. My deepest condolences to her family, friends, & co-workers.”
“It is with a very heavy heart that I say goodbye to this beautiful artist & woman,” posted Elisabeth Rohm (ex-Dorothy Hayes, One Life to Live), who directed Anne Heche in an upcoming film. “You will be missed, sweet Anne. It was a privilege to direct Anne in her last movie this June and build a friendship. She put her heart and soul into this film and actually everything she did — I hope everybody sees Girl In Room 13 to celebrate her and her legacy of passion. She lit the room like a ⭐️ and elevated everyone. Generous, kind, and brilliant. Rest In Peace, beautiful spirit. Praying for her family and, most of all, her boys.”
“Miss Heche, you have lived your life with your head high, admirably,” tweeted Lesley-Anne Down (ex-Jackie, B&B), “you did not waiver from your beliefs. You are a formidable talent that I have always respected and loved. My prayers for you and your family.”
Heche is one of several from the daytime world who appeared on Dancing With the Stars as a contestant. The former AW star competed in Season 29 of the dance competition reality series. She and dance pro Keo Motsepe were eliminated after three weeks into her quest for mirror ball gold. “I love you @anneheche,” Motsepe tweeted.
“I’ve been thinking of her since her accident last week, and like many of you, my heart is heavy…” shared Carrie Ann Inaba, one of the DWTS judges. “Anne…truly touched my heart. Her personal story was one that reached into my heart and squeezed it. I could feel the pain she felt, and I could also feel her resilient and courageous soul. And it was touching.
“I had no idea all that she had gone through in this lifetime, and I felt a connection to her and the struggles she faced in life,” Inaba added. “Despite her trials and tribulations, she had a bright light when she came out on that stage to dance. Every time she performed, there was a sense of complete joy and a celebration of life. It was pure. And it was special.
“Anne, I just wanted to say I’m grateful to have had the chance to SEE you,” Inaba shared. “You had a great impact on many of us not only with your talent, but also with your free spirit. Thank you for the unique being you are.”
“I met Anne a couple of years ago at a @theartofelysium fundraiser,” shared Finola Hughes (Anna Devane, General Hospital), who, ironically, also won a Daytime Emmy the same year that Anne Heche did. “We talked outside on a stairwell about life, art, families. Smart and insightful, and so full of life. I am very sad to hear of her passing, my heart goes out to her children and her family.”
“I met her once at an Emmy party when I was young,” responded Kimberly McCullough (ex-Robin, GH). “She was kind and powerful. Even though Anne went on to be a movie star, this feels like losing one of our own. #anneheche, my love goes out to her loved ones.”
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