Kassie DePaiva

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SOAP STAR STATS

Kassie DePaiva (Blair, OLTL)

Vital Statistics

The 411

Kassie DePaiva's interest in the arts started when she was still in grade school. She first took to the stage when she was in the fifth grade. Throughout her childhood and teen years, she continued to sing in her church choir, participate in school plays and she was involved in class government. After graduating high school, DePaiva attended Indiana University and worked at Opryland in Nashville, TN. She then debuted as a singer at the Grand Ole Opry at just 18 years old. Soon after, she went to California (and the University of California, Los Angeles) to pursue acting and landed the first job she auditioned for — a Wendy's ad. During this time, DePaiva joined a singing group called Newport, which gave her the opportunity to perform all over Asia. She also sang backup for Bobby Womack.

In 1986, DePaiva returned to acting, playing Bobbie Joe in the horror flick Evil Dead II. Shortly after the movie wrapped, she debuted as GUIDING LIGHT's good girl, Chelsea Reardon. She played the role until 1991, then left to make a variety of prime-time appearances. DePaiva came back to daytime in 1993, when she took over the part of OLTL's Blair from Mia Korf. Despite looking nothing like her predecessor, who was of Asian descent, DePaiva quickly gained fans. She and her co-star, James DePaiva (ex-Max), fell in love and wed on May 31, 1996. The next May, the DePaivas welcomed their first child together, James Quentin (J.Q.; James has a daughter, Dreama, from his previous marriage). Upon learning that their son had a hearing deficiency, J.Q. received a cochlear implant. The DePaivas became active in the League for the Hard of Hearing.

While consistently enjoying front-burner status on OLTL, she has also continued to pursue her singing career. In addition to performing on the show once in a while, she put out a CD, Naked, in 2001. Her latest CD, I Want To Love You, is for sale on her Web site, www.kassiedepaiva.com.

Et Cetera

Five Random Facts
—Kassie is short for Katherine, and her middle name is Virginia; she was named for two of her aunts.
—In addition to singing and acting, DePaiva also enjoys painting.
—Voted "Most Talented" in her high school class.
—Favorite movies are The Sound of Music and Gone With the Wind.
—Childhood heroine is Mary Tyler Moore.

Career Highlights

Soap Roles
GUIDING LIGHT (Chelsea, 1986-91)
TV Roles
BAYWATCH (guest star, 1994)
MELROSE PLACE (guest star, 1994)
TIME TRAX (guest star, 1993)
THE PRO SHOP (Herself, 1993)
Film Roles
Undone (2006)
Exit (Andie, 2005)
Evil Dead II (Bobbie Joe, 1987)

Look Who's Talking

"Unless I'm really cornered, I do try to keep a good sense of humor about my life. You have to make the most of things; you have to laugh. That's all you can do." — Soap Opera Digest, 3/3/98

"You can't just fluff out lines and chew some scenery. I've had to have people explain things to me because the old Blair is showing up, and I'm not recognizing her!" — Digest, 5/9/00

"When you get an opportunity to be a hero, it feels good, but at the same time, Blair is delicious to play." — Digest, 7/17/01

"[Todd and Blair are] not the all-American, loving, white-picket-fence kind of family, but what they feel is real and they don't hold anything back." — Digest, 12/4/01

Official Web Site

www.kassiedepaiva.com

RELATED RESOURCES

• Trevor St. John (Todd, OLTL)