The Young And the Restless star Marla Adams, who appeared on the soap on and off for almost 40 years, has died aged 85.
Over the course of 235 episodes, Marla became beloved by fans of the show as the scheming upper-class matron Dina Abbott Mergeron.
After a long absence, he returned to the show in 2017 for a years-long arc in which his character heartbreakingly declined due to Alzheimer’s.
Her character was eventually killed off in 2021, and that year Marla won a Daytime Emmy Award for her portrayal of Dina.
Matt Kane, director of media and talent for The Young And The Restless, said The Hollywood Reporter that Marla died in Los Angeles on Thursday.
The Young And the Restless star Marla Adams, who appeared on the soap on and off for almost 40 years, has died aged 85; Pictured at the 2018 Daytime Emmys.
Over the course of 235 episodes, Marla became adored by the show’s fans as scheming upper-class matron Dina Abbott Mergeron (pictured).
Marla was born and raised in Ocean City, New Jersey, where she became interested in acting at the age of four while singing Santa Claus Is Coming To Town in church.
“I tore down the house,” he told her. Local newspaper with a laugh. “I decided then, at age 4, in the Methodist church, that I was going to become a movie star.”
She started out as a beauty queen, winning Miss Ocean City and runner-up to Miss New Jersey, before studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
When he was just 19 years old, he found himself playing alongside two legends of the American stage, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
The Lunts, who became theater royalty performing together in several plays, were giving their last joint performance in The Visit, with Marla in a supporting role.
Three years later, she was acting with Hollywood’s emerging greats, appearing in Elia Kazan’s film Splendor In The Grass with Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty.
Marla, who played the high school friend of Natalie’s emotionally troubled character, recalled that the screen siren “was incredibly beautiful.”
He soon made a name for himself in the world of soap operas, playing ruthless characters in series such as General Hospital and The Secret Storm.
‘I was the bitch of the day. I played a good bitch,” recalled Marla, who was the main villain in The Secret Storm from 1968 to 1974.