Shirley Spectra – this The Bold and Beautiful character was so eclipsed by the shadow of her more theatrically inclined sister that no one even knew she existed until decades after the fact.
Who Is Shirley Spectra?
Shirley is the heretofore unmentioned younger sister of Spectra Creations founder Sally Spectra as well as the grandmother of her sister’s namesake Sally Spectra and her younger sister Coco. Life was not kind to Shirley, who spent her early days eking out a modest living with her small bakery.
At some point, Shirley became Sally and Coco’s guardian after their carney parents ran afoul of the authorities and chose to go on the lam. Despite her circumstances, Shirley encouraged Sally’s passion for design and did her best to provide for the girls.
L.A. Calling
Shirley initially bristled at young Sally’s plan to reestablish Spectra Creations as a force to be reckoned with – especially when she learned that the property was being eyed by publishing magnate Bill Spencer.
However, once she realized how determined Sally truly was, Shirley sold her business and invested most of her savings in the new venture. With the duo having been given six months to establish themselves or lose the building for good, Sally went to work designing and Shirley busied herself with staffing duties.
Though it was Sally who eventually hired Darlita as the front office manager, it was Shirley who charmed Saul Feinberg – the grandson and namesake of the original Spectra tailor – into taking a position at the company.
All For Sally
Hoping to bolster Sally’s online presence and daily profile, Shirley helped her fuel a one-sided feud with Forrester heiress Steffy and even went so far as to record a Sally-instigated food fight.
Next, the dynamic duo donned disguises, infiltrated the Forrester mansion-set nuptials of Zende Forrester Dominguez and Nicole Avant, and indulged in some mischief.
In the aftermath of a poor review of Sally’s designs, Shirley concluded that necessity dictated the, “taking from Peter and giving to Paul.” To that end, Shirley colluded with Saul to install a camera inside of Coco’s necklace, knowing that the young woman’s recent hiring at Forrester Creations would allow them access to all the recently completed designs.
In the meantime, Shirley castigated Sally for falling in love with Steffy’s elder brother Thomas and she did her utmost to convince Sally to break things off. She felt vindicated when word got out about Thomas’s affair with Caroline Spencer and her resulting pregnancy but then she had to quickly change her tune when Thomas swooped in and rescued the gang once Shirley’s corporate espionage became public knowledge.
For a time, the Spectra gang were happy and content. Thomas had ponied up $100,000 dollars to keep the business afloat and he even joined the staff as a full-time designer. However, thanks to Bill’s machinations, Thomas eventually abandoned them for a life with Caroline and the building that housed their fashion business was leveled – with Sally and Liam Spencer still inside!
Subsequently, Shirley’s appearances have been few and far between. She broke bread with the Forrester family during one of their many Thanksgiving dinners and on her last visit to L.A. (having apparently relocated to New York), Shirley got to witness Sally’s triumph as a designer for Steffy’s Intimates line.
But with her granddaughter battling a degenerative and fatal disease, might Shirley make a return visit and offer her support? Not if a stubborn Sally has anything to say about it… The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes.
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