The Young and the Restless’ Jess Walton Celebrates Her Birthday

On The Young and the Restless, Jill is trying to ensure that neither Mamie nor Tucker runs over her at Chancellor-Winters, and she’s enlisted her son, Billy to help. Off-screen, performer Jess Walton is celebrating a major milestone.

Happy Birthday, Jess Walton

That’s because she was born on February 18, 1949, in Grand Rapids, MI, which means that this talented actress is turning 75 years old today! After being raised in Canada since girlhood, Walton left the Great White Way for Hollywood, and upon signing a contract with Universal Pictures, she became one the last actresses to form an exclusive deal with a film studio.

Her first television and feature film appearances were made in The Guns of Will Sonnett and The Strawberry Statement, respectively. Subsequently, she guest-starred on a plethora of television programs, including The Young Lawyers, The FBI, Medical Center, Gunsmoke, Ironside, Cannon, Kojak, and The Rockford Files.

Between 1984 and 1987, Walton portrayed Kelly Harper on the CBS daytime serial Capitol, replacing incumbent Jane Daly. Following that show’s cancellation, she was asked to temporarily replace Brenda Dickson as Jill Foster Brooks Abbott on Y&R but wound up remaining in the role — for decades!

Walton’s performance as the man-hungry businesswoman earned her five Daytime Emmy Award nominations, and she took home two statuettes. The first was in 1991 for Outstanding Supporting Actress, and the second was in 1997 for Lead Actress.

While still working at YR, Walton appeared in the film Wasted on Babylon, as well as in two short features — Paper Bags and The Return of the Muskrats — as well as the made-for-TV film Christmas With A View.

Soap Hub would like to wish Jess Walton a very happy birthday, and you can, too, by clicking on the X (formerly Twitter) link below. Also, share your favorite memory of her work or if you’ve met her personally in the comments section.