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PROFILE

Hillary B. Smith

ON SOAP OPERA DIGEST AND WEEKLY ONLINE

SOAP STAR STATS

Hillary B. Smith (Nora, OLTL)

— ABC

Vital Statistics

Birthday:: May 25
Hails From:: Born in Massachusetts and raised in Palm Beach, FL
Marital Status:: Married to Phillip "Nip" Smith since 1983
Children:: Daughter Courtney, born in 1986, and son Phillip "Phips," born in 1988
Years On Show:: 1992-present
Awards:: Smith won an Outstanding Lead Actress Emmy for her portrayal of Nora in 1994 and was nominated again in 2000.

THE 411

Smith caught the acting bug at age 5, but she got her "big break" while attending Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY, where a school production of Song Night in the City made it to off-Broadway. After several theater roles and prime-time TV gigs like NO SOAP, RADIO with Steve Guttenberg, Smith entered the daytime world. Her first soap role was Nurse Kit McCormick on THE DOCTORS in 1982. The following year, she replaced Margaret Colin as Margo on AS THE WORLD TURNS, but after six years in the popular role, she left the show to explore other opportunities. With the frenzied pace of shooting pilots on both coasts, however, the time away from her family eventually inspired a return to daytime.

When she won the role of Nora on ONE LIFE TO LIVE, producers were impressed with her hard-nosed approach to the character, but wanted Smith to become a redhead and show Nora's soft side. Her first front-burner storyline was a six-week trial in which she defended Todd Manning and his fraternity brothers, who were accused of gang-raping Marty. "When [then-Executive Producer] Linda Gottlieb told me [Nora] would be representing the rapists and would get them off, I was nauseated," Smith told Digest. "To let the rapists get off — I thought that was a really bad message." But Smith persuaded the writers to change the outcome and a mistrial was declared. Smith also became part of a daytime supercouple, playing opposite Robert S. Woods (Bo). In 1995, Nora and Bo tied the knot in one of daytime's quirkiest and most memorable weddings — a rock 'n' roll ceremony officiated by none other than Little Richard.

After a few strong years as Nora, Smith became antsy. Tired of being back-burnered, she took a role in the short-lived Gene Wilder sitcom SOMETHING WILDER. Since then, she has struggled with her ever-changing amount of story, and considered leaving the show on several occasions. When her contract was set to expire at the end of 2005, Nora was put into a coma that lasted a whopping six months, but much to the fans' delight, Smith signed on for another four years in December 2006.

ET CETERA

10 Random Facts
— She met husband Nip when she was 14 years old.
— Her 2005 stroke storyline hit close to home because Smith overcame facial paralysis caused by the removal of a tumor from her salivary gland when she was 19 years old.
— While studying at Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, MA, she was turned on to genetics and transferred to Sarah Lawrence because it had a masters program in genetics as well as theater.
— Her first OLTL audition was for the role of Becky Lee Abbott, one of Bo's love interests.
— Enjoys vacationing in Maine with her family and observing the local wildlife.
— She became friends with Alec Baldwin while working on THE DOCTORS, where he played Billy, and they lived together in California for a while as friends.
— The first Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony she ever attended was the year that she won.
— Son Phips originated the role of her ATWT TV son, Adam, which he played from 1988-89.
— When Smith was filming Love Potion No. 9 in Georgia, co-star Sandra Bullock baby-sat for Phips and "spoiled him rotten."
— Her father, a former lieutenant commander in the Navy, designed razors for Gillette and scuba-diving equipment.

OTHER ROLES

Theater Roles
A Real American Hero (Broadway)
The Heidi Chronicles (Broadway)
A World of Black & White (off-Broadway)
Lips Together, Teeth Apart (off-Broadway)
Song Night in the City (off-Broadway)

Other Soap Roles
THE DOCTORS (Kit McCormick, 1982)
AS THE WORLD TURNS (Margo, 1983-89)

TV Roles
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT (Mrs. Stanton, 2005)
STANLEY'S DINOSAUR ROUND-UP (Archeologist, voice, 2004)
JOJO'S CIRCUS (Mrs. Tightrope, 2004)
SOMETHING WILDER (Annie Bergman, 1994-95)
DRIVING MISS DAISY (Florine Werthan, 1992)
SHARING RICHARD (Roz, 1988)
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT (Dottie Stewart, 1983)
NO SOAP, RADIO (Karen, 1982)
NURSE (Tina, 1981)

Film Roles
Palindromes (Robin Wallace, 2004)
Maid in Manhattan (Mrs. Lefferts, 2002)
It Had to Be You (Saleswoman, 2000)
Lifebreath (Edie Weinreb, 1997)
Love Potion No. 9 (1992, Sally)
Purple Hearts (Jill, 1984)

SAY ANYTHING

"The whole thing was very upsetting for everybody involved. So I thought that ... a year would be plenty of time to respect the fans who are so deeply involved in the character. I think the fans, at this point, would just hope that something definitive happens with Nora or have her go away. They were just hurt — as was I — that she was kind of discarded like an old shoe after everything." — Smith on her decision to give OLTL a one-year extension on her contract to write a Nora story or tie up loose ends for the character, Soap Opera Digest, 6/27/06

"She makes me laugh and she laughs at me. We think we're funny [laughs]. She makes me feel pretty and I make her feel pretty because we tell each other how pretty we are. She's real honest. My kids love her and she loves my kids." — On her real-life friendship with on-screen rival Catherine Hickland (Lindsay), Soap Opera Weekly, 10/12/04

"Nora is mine; I created her. She's smart, sexy, funny and still interesting.... I'll leave when I feel that Nora has no more story left. But right now, I'm having way too much fun." —Digest, 8/31/04

"I felt ONE LIFE TO LIVE wasn't getting any attention.... We felt like the foster child of ABC. The crown jewels are ALL MY CHILDREN and GENERAL HOSPITAL. Even PORT CHARLES is a spin-off of a crown jewel [GH] — so where did that leave OLTL? We always have to work harder to get attention." — Digest, 6/30/98

"Daytime is a very important medium: I vote for any soap opera that can hold its head up and keep doing better. And actors should never have a problem moving back and forth between day and evening shows. If you're a good soap actor, you're going to be a phenomenal prime-time actor." — Weekly, 1/23/96

"Ultimately, I'd like to do the show for the rest of my life if I could get out to do other things, but if I can't get out to do other things, I've got to go." — On loving her gig at ATWT, Digest, 9/23/86

YOU SHOULD HEAR WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT YOU!

"When I first met Hillary, I realized right away that she knows what choices to make, and she knows what the audience is going to like. She's very aware not to step on other actor's toes; she's very subtle.... Without her, I absolutely would not have gotten my job." — Ty Treadway (ex-Colin/Troy, OLTL), Digest, 1/2/01

"We get along well, but that's not to say we haven't had a couple of little blow-ups, you know. I think when you really care about people, you also have moments where they can hurt you, and you can hurt them. But the good thing about [Hillary] is that she will get in your face right away about it, which has helped me to become more the same way." — Catherine Hickland (Lindsay, OLTL) on Smith's tough-love approach to friendship, Weekly, 7/18/00

"I think we complement each other. She makes me better. She's funny, and maybe the fact that I'm working with her makes me a little funny." — Robert S. Woods (Bo, OLTL), Digest, 3/16/93