| Darlene Conley | |
| Birth Date: | 18 July 1934 |
| Birth Place: | Chicago, Illinois, U.S |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Years Active: | 1954–2006 |
| Spouse: | Bill Woodson (1959–1966) (divorced) Kurt Hensch (1970–1981) (divorced) |
| Children: | 1 |
Darlene Conley (July 18, 1934 – January 14, 2007) was an American actress. Conley's career spanned fifty years, but she was best known for her performances in daytime television, and in particular, for her portrayal of larger-than-life fashion industrialist Sally Spectra on The Bold and the Beautiful. Conley played the role from 1989 until her death eighteen years later. Darlene's character Sally is the only soap opera character to be displayed at Madame Tussaud's wax figures galleries in Amsterdam and Las Vegas.
Conley, an Irish American, was born in Chicago, Illinois,[1] the daughter of Melba (née Manthey) and Raymond Conley.[2] She began her acting career at age 15 when she was cast in the touring production of the Broadway play The Heiress. After graduating from high school, she appeared in several stage productions, including Cyrano de Bergerac, The Baker's Wife and Night of the Iguana. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Conley was employed with the traveling theater group the Chicago Uptown Circuit Players and Playwrights Company and on Broadway with the Helen Hayes Repertory Theater.
In 1963, Conley landed a bit part in the movie The Birds, which was followed by similar small roles in movies like Valley of the Dolls and Lady Sings the Blues.[3] On television, Conley appeared in a number of made-for-television movies and guest-starred on prime time shows including Ironside, The Bill Cosby Show and Gunsmoke. She also appeared in the first episode of the fifth season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show as a prison warden. Conley appeared on Little House on the Prairie in 1981, in the episode entitled "A Wiser Heart."
Conley's performance as Rose DeVille on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless followed, with Conley playing many small roles on other soaps for most of the 1980s. She was the tough but basically decent prison warden Edith Hopkins on Days of Our Lives in 1983 during Liz Chandler's incarceration for Marie Horton's shooting. As Trixie on General Hospital from 1984 to 1988, she was an old hooker pal of Ruby's who worked at Kelly's. Her role as Rose De Ville on The Young and the Restless inspired William J. Bell to cast her as flamboyant fashion maven Sally Spectra on his newer serial, The Bold and the Beautiful. She earned two Outstanding Supporting Actress Daytime Emmy and six Soap Opera Digest Awards nominations for her role.[3]
She was friends with several actors who appeared on "B&B", including Fabio, who has appeared on the show several times, usually under the guise of celebrating Sally's birthday. She was also friends with Phyllis Diller, who also appeared on the show as Sally's friend, Gladys Pope.
Conley became ill in 2004 due to a fall that broke several bones. She recovered from the fall and returned to work (although she was usually seated during her scenes). Reports surfaced in the media in the fall of 2006 that Conley had surgery and received treatment for stomach cancer. Conley died on January 14, 2007.[4] B&B featured a tribute to Conley; John McCook presented the tribute, which featured her memorable moments on the show.
Sally Spectra is still a character on B&B. Sally's absence has been explained by having her son CJ tell his father, Clarke (and viewers), that Sally had taken a permanent vacation in St. Tropez. Head writer Brad Bell said that Sally is "bigger than life" and will live on forever. [5]
In late 2007, Sally decided to sell her fashion house. Nick Marone and Jackie Marone bought Spectra and ran the company; in a later story in 2017, the show revisited many of the storylines of Sally Spectra to introduce a new younger character, also named Sally, who is the niece of the original Sally Spectra. The younger Spectra relaunched the house of Spectra fashion line. In addition, the show brought back the character of CJ to appear in several episodes.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | The Birds | Waitress | ||
| 1967 | Valley of the Dolls | Nurse in Sanitarium | ||
| 1968 | Faces | Billy Mae | ||
| 1970 | Ironside | Landlady | Episode: "A Killing Will Occur" | |
| 1970 | The Name of the Game | Blanche Reid | Episode: "A Love to Remember" | |
| 1970 | The Bill Cosby Show | Market Cashier | Episode: "The Old Man of 4-C" | |
| 1970 | Gunsmoke | Leelah Case | Episode: " Gentry's Law" | |
| 1970 | Captain Milkshake | Mrs. Hamilton | ||
| 1971 | Longstreet | Mrs. Benbrook | Episode: "A World of Perfect Complicity" | |
| 1971 | Minnie and Moskowitz | uncredited | ||
| 1972 | Lady Sings the Blues | uncredited | ||
| 1972 | Play It as It Lays | Kate's Nurse | ||
| 1972 | Ghost Story | Ruth Jerrold | Episode: "The Summer House" | |
| 1973 | Gentle Savage | Mac Moody | ||
| 1973 | The President's Plane Is Missing | uncredited | ||
| 1974 | Get Christie Love! | Virginia | ||
| 1974 | The Mary Tyler Moore Show | Matron | Episode: "Will Mary Richards Go to Jail?" | |
| 1978 | Return Engagement | Aide | ||
| 1979 | The Stingiest Man in Town | Mrs. Cratchit | Voice | |
| 1979 | Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July | Mrs. Claus | ||
| 1979 | The Jeffersons | Mother | Episode: "The Other Woman" | |
| 1979–80 1986–87 | The Young and the Restless | Rose DeVille | Recurring role | |
| 1981 | The Choice | Marilyn | ||
| 1981 | The Nashville Grab | Rooney | ||
| 1981 | Little House on the Prairie | Mrs. Pierce | Episode: "A Wiser Heart" | |
| 1983 | The Fighter | Mrs. MacCauley | ||
| 1983 | Cagney & Lacey | Charge Nurse | Episode: "Burn Out" | |
| 1983 | I Want to Live | Miss Bain | ||
| 1983 | Days of Our Lives | Warden Edith Baker | Recurring role | |
| 1984 | Capitol | Louise | Recurring role | |
| 1985 | Robert Kennedy and His Times | Moderator | Miniseries | |
| 1985 | Murder, She Wrote | Mims | Episode: "Jessica Behind Bars" | |
| 1986 | Tough Guys | Gladys Ripps | ||
| 1987 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Jenkins | Episode: "The Khrushchev List" | |
| 1987 | Highway to Heaven | Mrs. Parker | Episode: "In with the 'In' Crowd" | |
| 1984–1988 | General Hospital | Trixie Monahan | Recurring role | |
| 1988–2006 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Sally Spectra | Series regular, 1558 episodes Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1991–1992) Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Comic Actress: Daytime (1990, 1993) Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Scene Stealer (1994) Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Female Showstopper (1997) Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress: Daytime (1991–1992) | |
| 1997 | The Return of Mombi | Mombi | Voice | |
| 1998 | Pittige tijden | Sally Spectra | Episode |