The Young and the Restless Alum Marla Adams Celebrates Her Birthday

The Young and the Restless‘ Dina Abbott had a grand send-off, as soaps do best when her iconic character lost her battle with Alzheimer’s. Dina still taught her children some valuable lessons before she passed away — an accomplishment worth celebrating. Similarly, actress Marla Adams recently feted an extraordinary milestone that deserves recognition.

Happy Birthday, Marla Adams

And that’s because she was born on August 28, 1938, in Ocean City, New Jersey, which means that this talented veteran actress turned 85 years old! Adams began her career with a role in the 1961 feature film Splendor in the Grass (starring Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty) — which she quickly followed up with an appearance in ABC’s General Hospital (ex-Mildred Deal).

Between 1968 and 1973, she played The Secret Storm’s oft-married-resident villainess, Belle Clemens Britton Kincaid. She subsequently guest-starred on series such as The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Harry O, Adam-12, Starsky and Hutch, Phyllis, and Emergency!

Adams made frequent return trips to daytime fare, most notably Y&R, where she starred as Dina Abbott Mergeron on and off since 1984. Dina is a fascinating character who left her children to be raised by their father when they were young but has always regretted her decision. The aftermath of that decision was played out as Dina dealt with her Alzheimer’s before her character’s demise in October 2020.

Through it all, she kept returning to soaps. She has also appeared on Capitol (ex-Myrna Clegg), Generations (ex-Helen Mullins), The Bold and the Beautiful (ex-Beth Logan), and Days of Our Lives (ex-Dr. Claire McIntyre).

Adams’s silver screen credits include Special Delivery, Gotcha!, and Beneath the Leaves. She also appeared in many made-for-TV movies, including The Secret Night Caller, Concrete Beat, Maybe Baby, and White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd.

Soap Hub would like to wish Marla Adams a very happy birthday and many more.