Monday, April 29, 2024

R.I.P. Marla Adams (Y&R's Dina Abbott Mergeron)

 


Marla Adams (August 28, 1938 – April 25, 2024) was an American television actress, best known for her roles as Belle Clemens on The Secret Storm, from 1968 to 1974, and as Dina Abbott Mergeron on The Young and the Restless, for which she received Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Life and career

Adams was born on August 28, 1938, in Ocean City, New Jersey, and began her career on stage. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Adams appeared on Broadway in the 1958 production of The Visit at the Morosco Theater with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. She later made her film debut, appearing opposite Natalie Wood in the period drama Splendor in the Grass (1961). Her other film credits include Special Delivery (1976) and Gotcha! (1985).

Adams was best known for her daytime soap opera roles. She starred as Belle Clemens on The Secret Storm from 1968 to 1974. As Belle Clemens, she was the show's reigning villainess for the last years of its run, stopping at almost nothing to destroy the life of the show's leading heroine, Amy Ames. The two rivals were, at one time, related through marriage. In 1983, she began playing Dina Abbott Mergeron on The Young and the Restless. As Dina Abbott on The Young and the Restless from 1983–86, in 1991 and again in 1996, she caused major disruptions in the lives of her three children and ex-husband John Abbott and his wife Jill. She reprised her role as Dina for three episodes of The Young and the Restless in 2008 when Katharine Chancellor was presumed dead. In May 2017, Adams returned to her role. The following March, her performance garnered her first Emmy Nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In October 2020, it was announced that she would exit the role. She won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her character's storyline tackling Alzheimer's disease, after her second nomination, on June 25, 2021.

Right before joining The Young and the Restless, Adams stepped into the role of Myrna Clegg on the defunct daytime drama Capitol after the departure of actress Carolyn Jones for health reasons, before Marj Dusay, who remained until the end of the show's run. As Helen Mullin on Generations, she was involved in a storyline with her husband, Charles, and his black mistress. She was the third actress to play Beth Logan, mother of Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang), Donna (Carrie Mitchum, now Jennifer Gareis), and Katie (Nancy Sloan, now Heather Tom) on The Bold and the Beautiful (1991). In 1999, she appeared on Days of Our Lives as Dr. Claire McIntyre.

In addition to her daytime works, Adams made more than 40 appearances on primetime television. She guest-starred on The New Dick Van Dyke Show; Adam-12; Starsky and Hutch; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Phyllis; The Streets of San Francisco; Emergency!; The Love Boat; Barnaby Jones; Hart to Hart; Happy Days; Hill Street Blues; Who's the Boss?; Matlock; and Columbo. She also had a recurring role on Walker, Texas Ranger from 2000 to 2001. In 2000, she played First Lady Matthews in the television film The President's Man, starring Chuck Norris and Dylan Neal.

Adams died in Los Angeles on April 25, 2024, at the age of 85.

Selected filmography

1961       Splendor in the Grass     June     

1968–1974           The Secret Storm             Belle Clemens Britton Kincaid    

1975       Emergency!        Rita Hudson        S5Ep8

1976       Special Delivery                Mrs. Hubert Zane           

1983–2021           The Young and the Restless        Dina Abbott Mergeron  Recurring role; 1983–1986, 1991, 1996, 2008, 2017–2020

Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2021)

Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2018)

1983       Capitol  Myrna Clegg      

1985       Gotcha!                Maria Moore    

1989–1990           Generations       Helen Mullin     

1991       The Bold and the Beautiful          Beth Logan        

1999       Days of Our Lives             Claire McIntyre

2000       The President's Man      First Lady Matthews      

2000–2001           Walker, Texas Ranger    Betsy Harper      3 Episodes

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