Y&R Star Colleen Zenk Celebrates Her Birthday

Aunt Jordan is down and out on The Young and the Restless. She’s vowed revenge on Claire and the Newmans, but she’s stuck in prison for the time being. Thankfully, in real life, her portrayer Colleen Zenk has something big to celebrate.

Happy Birthday, Colleen Zenk

That’s because she was born on January 20, 1955, and turns 69 today. Zenk was born in Barrington, Illinois. Later, she studied drama at The Catholic University of America. Originally, she intended to be a dancer. Unfortunately, an untimely knee injury ended her career in dance. (Get more details about her here.)

Of course, her misfortune ended up leading to a different career, which soap fans appreciate. Early on, Zenk appeared in both print ads and commercials on TV, including several for Kellogg’s.

Zenk made her way to New York City in 1975. There, she had 12 failed soap opera screen tests, which included tryouts for The Edge of Night, Guiding Light, and Search for Tomorrow. Ultimately, she ended up securing the role of Barbara Ryan on the CBS daytime drama As The World Turns in 1978. Throughout her time on the soap, she received three Daytime Emmy nominations.

In 1980, Zenk made her big screen debut in the horror film Christmas Evil. That year, she also starred on Broadway in Bring Back Birdie. She appeared in John Huston’s musical film Annie, in 1982 alongside Albert Finney and Carol Burnett. That same year, she appeared in a L’eggs pantyhose commercial.

In 2005, Zenk took to the stage again with a regional tour of Hello Dolly! where she portrayed Dolly Levi. She played Phyllis Stone in Stephen Sondheim’s Follies in 2007. In 2011, she debuted her one-woman show Colleen Zenk: LIVE. That same year, she did an off-Broadway show,  Odyssey – The Epic Musical, and debuted another one-woman show, Still Sassy.

Zenk was married to actor Michael Crouch from 1983 to 1986. In 1987, she married Mark Pinter (ex-Brian, ATWT; ex-Grant, Another World, etc.), and together, they raised six children, two of whom they had together. The couple divorced in 2010. The actress also fought and beat oral cancer in 2007 and 2008. She’s been in remission since 2013.

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