Hillary B. Smith Explained

Hillary B. Smith
Birth Name:Hillary Bailey
Birth Date:25 May 1957
Spouse:Philip Smith (m. 1983)
Children:2
Birth Place:Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation:Actress
Yearsactive:1981–present

Hillary Bailey Smith (born May 25, 1957) is an American actress, best known for her daytime soap opera roles as Margo Hughes on As the World Turns and Nora Gannon Buchanan on One Life to Live.

Life and career

Smith was born as Hillary Bailey in Boston, Massachusetts.[1] She attended Dana Hall School, Pine Manor College and Sarah Lawrence College.[1] At Sarah Lawrence, she performed in off Broadway and Broadway productions, including The Heidi Chronicles, as a senior. She married Philip Webster Smith, III in 1983. She met her husband at age 14 and married him a few years later after the two reconnected at a friend's wedding.[1] They have two children, a daughter, Courtney and a son, Philip. (As an infant, Smith's son played her on-screen son briefly on As the World Turns.)

Smith is best known for her roles in the daytime soap operas. She made her soap debut in 1982, as Kit McCormick on The Doctors and one year later, taking over the role of Margo Hughes on As the World Turns, a role she played from 1983 to 1989.

After taking maternity leave from acting in 1988, after the birth of her son, Smith returned to daytime television, originating the role of Nora Gannon Buchanan on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. She played Nora from 1992 until the series' cancellation in 2012. She later returned to the show in the 2013 The Online Network short-lived reboot.[2] Smith won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1994 for her performance in One Life to Live.[1] From 1994 to 1995, Smith also has starred as lead in the NBC sitcom Something Wilder.[3]

Smith appeared and produced web soap-type series . As a producer, in 2014 she has won Daytime Emmy.[4] In 2014, Smith was the supervising producer for the soap opera web series Beacon Hill, and was nominated for a 2015 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding New Approaches Drama Series.[5] [6] In late January 2017, it was reported by Soap Opera Digest and Deadline Hollywood that Smith would reprise her role as Nora on General Hospital.[7] [8]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1984Purple HeartsJill
1992Love Potion No. 9Sally
1997LifebreathEdie Weinreb
2000It Had to Be YouJewelry Saleswoman
2001Maid in ManhattanMrs. Lefferts
2004PalindromesRobin Wallace
2006Stanley's Dinosaur Round-UpPaleontologistVoice
2019ValAlso producer

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1981NurseTina"Best Friends"
1982No Soap, RadioKarenMain role
1982Kit McCormac"1.5280"
1983Baby Makes FiveSusan"Jennie Gets a Job"
1983Too Close for ComfortDonna Stewart"Family Business"
1983–1989As the World TurnsMargo HughesRegular role
1988Sharing RichardRozTV film
1991Acting SheriffAsst. D.A. Donna SingerUnsold TV pilot
1992Driving Miss DaisyFlorine WerthanTV film
1992–2013One Life to LiveNora BuchananMain role
1994–95Something WilderAnnie BergmanMain role
2005Mrs. Stanton"Identity"
2009–2016GuyaMain role
2011–2013Fumbling Thru the PiecesEllie DanielsWeb series
2012Dr. Stacy BartonGuest role
2017, 2019General HospitalNora BuchananGuest role

Awards and nominations

YearAssociationCategoryNominated workResult
1986Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Actress in a Supporting Role on a Daytime SerialAs the World Turns
1988Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Heroine: DaytimeAs the World Turns
1989Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Heroine: DaytimeAs the World Turns
1994Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Lead ActressOne Life to Live
1994Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesOne Life to Live
1998Online Film & Television AssociationBest Actress in a Daytime SerialOne Life to Live
1999Online Film & Television AssociationBest Actress in a Daytime SerialOne Life to Live
2000Online Film & Television AssociationBest Actress in a Daytime SerialOne Life to Live
2000Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesOne Life to Live
2001Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Lead ActressOne Life to Live
2010Indie Series AwardsBest Performance in a Comedic RoleVenice the Series
2011Indie Series AwardsOutstanding Supporting ActressVenice the Series
2012Indie Series AwardsBest Actress (Comedy)Fumbling Thru the Pieces
2012HollyWeb FestivalBest ActressFumbling Thru the Pieces
2013Indie Series AwardsBest Actress (Comedy)Fumbling Thru the Pieces
2014Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding New Approaches - Drama SeriesVenice the Series
2015Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding New Approaches - Drama SeriesBeacon Hill
2017Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding Digital Daytime Drama SeriesVenice the Series

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hillary B. Smith Biography . Tvguide.com . 2014-06-25.
  2. Web site: Perlman . Jake . Who's returning to online edition of All My Children, One Life to Live | Inside TV | EW.com . Insidetv.ew.com . 2013-01-22 . 2014-06-25.
  3. Web site: Hillary B. Smith 411 . Soap Opera Digest . 2014-06-25 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150919094355/http://www.soapoperadigest.com/hillary-b-smith-411 . 2015-09-19 .
  4. Web site: Published: June 23, 2014 9:14 AM By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS . Daytime Emmy Awards 2014 winners: Ellen DeGeneres, Steve Harvey . Newsday . 2014-03-13 . 2014-06-25.
  5. Web site: General Hospital, Ellen DeGeneres, CBS Lead Daytime Emmy Nominations . . Cynthia . Littleton . March 31, 2015 . September 17, 2015.
  6. Web site: The Team . Beaconhilltheseries.com . September 26, 2015 . August 11, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150811140259/http://beaconhilltheseries.com/team.html . dead .
  7. News: SOD. HILLARY B. SMITH TO GH!. February 2, 2017. Soap Opera Digest. American Media, Inc.. January 31, 2017. United States.
  8. News: 'One Life To Live' Soap Vet Hillary B. Smith Checks In To 'General Hospital'. Greg. Evans. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. United States. January 31, 2017. February 2, 2017.