B&B Icon Susan Flannery Celebrates Her Birthday

It’s been some time since Susan Flannery graced the daytime airwaves with her presence, but the uber-talented actress, director, and producer remains busy. But not busy enough to ignore the special milestone that she is celebrating.

Happy Birthday, Susan Flannery

And that’s because she was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on July 31, 1939, which means that this talented multi-hyphen is turning 84 years old today! Flannery began her career with a bit part in the police procedural Burke’s Law which was quickly followed by roles in Slattery’s People, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and the feature film Guns of Diablo.

Between 1966 and 1975, Flannery starred on Days of our Lives as Dr. Laura Spencer Horton, a character who found herself at the center of one of the longest-running secrets ever kept on a soap: Who fathered her son? Husband Mickey believed that he had, but in truth, his brother Bill was the natural parent.

Though a major player on the daytime serial, Flannery continued to pursue outside opportunities including a plum role in the disaster picture The Towering Inferno – a project that netted her a Golden Globe award for “New Star of the Year: Actress.”

After deciding to retire from DAYS – due in large part to the expansion from a half-hour program to a full one-hour – Flannery continued to act in a variety of film and TV projects.

She had a recurring role in Dallas, a starring part in the NBC mini-series The Moneychangers, and she appeared in a plethora of made-for-TV films, including Anatomy of a Seduction and Money on the Side.

In 1987, Flannery agreed to join the inaugural cast of William J. Bell’s newest effort The Bold and the Beautiful. She remained in the part of Stephanie Forrester for 25 years and earned herself three Daytime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Lead Actress category.

Soap Hub would like to wish Susan Flannery a very happy birthday and many more.