Jess Walton hit the ground running when she assumed the role of Jill Foster Abbott in 1987 on Young and the Restless. Veteran CBS soap opera fans recall that Jill wasn’t her first daytime role. She played the part of passionate Kelly Harper on Capitol prior to landing in Genoa City.
A CAPITOL Memory
“Throwback to my days on the soap opera Capitol!” Walton posted on Instagram along with a black and white photograph from that time in her life. “Who else remembers watching that show? It was such an incredible experience being a part of the cast.”
Walton’s Kelly was a former prostitute who had had a fling with Trey Clegg (Nicholas Walker), a congressman. At first, viewers thought that Trey was the father of Kelly’s son, Scotty (Jason Roques) but it turned out that Trey’s dad, Sam Clegg (Richard Egan), was the little boy’s dad! Kelly blasted Trey by telling him that she never said Scotty wasn’t a Clegg!
Despite having a very loyal fan base, Capitol was canceled to make room for The Bold and the Beautiful. Shortly after Capitol‘s finale, which aired on March 20, 1987, Walton was tapped to take on the role of Y&R’s Jill.
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She was thrust immediately into the ongoing story in which Jill attempted to trick Katherine (Jeanne Cooper) into becoming romantically involved with a homeless man, whom she named Rex Sterling. Rex’s true identity was Brian Romalotti — the father of Danny (Michael Damian) and Gina (Patty Weaver).
Jess Walton has won two Daytime Emmys for her portrayal of Jill. She took home the gold in 1991 in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series; in 1997, she won the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
As evidenced by the comments in Walton’s post, soap opera fans have long memories — and fond ones of her time as Kelly on Capitol. “I love Capitol and Kelly is my favorite character!” shared Valentina Franci Ringo. “With Trey she made my favorite relationship: I love the scenes with the two of them, you made them perfect with your skill! But I hated the ending: in my mind and in my heart their love lasts forever, until the White House and beyond.”
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