Alison Sweeney | |
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Born | Alison Ann Sweeney September 19, 1976 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1981–present |
Known for | Days of Our Lives The Biggest Loser |
Spouse | David Sanov (m. 2000) |
Children | 2 |
Alison Ann Sweeney (born September 19, 1976) [1] is an American actress, reality show host, director and author. Sweeney is best known for her portrayal of Samantha "Sami" Brady on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives , [2] a role she played under contract with the show from January 6, 1993 [3] to October 30, 2014. [4] In this role, she earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination, four Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Fan Voted Daytime Emmy Award. [5] After making sporadic appearances since then, she returned as a series regular in 2021. In 2007, she became the host of The Biggest Loser in its fourth season, and left the series at the end of the 16th season in 2015.
Sweeney is of Irish descent and has two brothers. [6] [7] She studied economics at UCLA but left due to her commitment to Days of Our Lives. [8] [9] On July 8, 2000, Sweeney married David Sanov, after dating for nearly three years. [10] The couple have two children: a son born on February 25, 2005, and a daughter born on January 12, 2009. [11] The family currently lives in Los Angeles. [12] [13]
Sweeney's television debut was at age five in a Kodak advertisement. [12] A few years later, she was in the episode "I Can't Help Saying Goodbye" of the horror series Tales from the Darkside , playing a young girl who could sense when others were going to die shortly before their deaths. In 1988, she appeared on the short-lived ABC sitcom Family Man ,[ citation needed ] and the following year, was cast as Christy McCray on Brand New Life , a miniseries from future X-Files creator Chris Carter that aired within NBC's Magical World of Disney in October 1989. The miniseries, which co-starred Barbara Eden as Sweeney's mother and Don Murray as her new stepfather, was considered for pick-up as a stand-alone series beyond its Disney tryout, but the regular series never materialized.
On January 6, 1993, then 16-year-old Sweeney first appeared in the role of Samantha "Sami" Brady in the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives—a show of which she was a fan. [14]
In the 1990s, cultural society continued to have very problematic views on weight. Sweeney was a US dress size 12 (UK dress size 16). She was not obese by medical standards, but still larger than her television peers; this it became an issue. She documented all the tabloid talk and personal anguish in her 2004 memoir, All The Days of My Life (So Far). [15]
In 2002, she appeared on a celebrity episode of the NBC reality game show Fear Factor . [12] She has appeared in other NBC shows such as Friends , where she played an actress on Days of Our Lives, and Las Vegas . [13] In 2007, she joined the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon as a co-host for the live television broadcast. [16] She returned to her co-hosting duties for the 2008, 2009, and 2010 telethons. [17] [18]
In 2007, Sweeney took over hosting duties on The Biggest Loser , replacing Caroline Rhea since the fourth season. She was surprised but happy to be offered the role, where she is able to cheer on contestants and share their victories. [14]
Sweeney has written four books: All The Days of My Life (So Far) (released in May 2004), The Star Attraction (released in May 2013), [19] Scared Scriptless: A Novel (released in June 2014) [20] and Opportunity Knocks (released in April 2016). [21]
In July 2013, Sweeney appeared in Second Chances, a Hallmark Original Movie, alongside Days co-star Greg Vaughan. The movie was filmed before Sweeney and Vaughn became siblings on Days of Our Lives. [22]
On January 20, 2014, Sweeney announced on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that after 21 years of being on the air on Days of Our Lives , she was leaving the show, to focus on spending more time with her family, and to work on her other show, The Biggest Loser . She stated in the interview that she would be on the show throughout 2014, and that she would like her character on the show to have a happy ending with a Breaking Bad twist. [23]
On July 9, 2014, it was announced that Sweeney would be joining General Hospital behind the scenes as a director, starting later that month. [24] On April 26, 2015, Sweeney announced that she will be returning to Days of Our Lives to be part of the show's 50th anniversary celebrations. [25]
On August 25, 2015, it was announced that Sweeney would not be returning to The Biggest Loser. [26]
Beginning on October 13, 2017, Sweeney reprised her long-term role as Sami Brady on Days of Our Lives, over 24 years after her first appearance as a teenaged Sami Brady.
She played podcast host Alex McPherson in the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries film series Chronicle Mysteries , which started in 2019, with a fifth movie in 2021.
From 2015 to present, Sweeney appeared in the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries film series Murder, She Baked , based on Joanne Fluke's books.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1984 | Simon & Simon | Lyla | Episode: “The Wrong Stuff” |
1985 | St. Elsewhere | Chrissy | Episode: "Santa Claus Is Dead" |
Webster | Beth | Episode: "The Uh-Oh Feeling" | |
Tales from the Darkside | Karen | Episode: "I Can't Help Saying Goodbye" | |
1987, 1993–2015, 2017– | Days of Our Lives | Adrienne Johnson Samantha Brady Colleen Brady | Role: 1987 – Flashbacks Role: January 1993 – October 2014; October – November 2015; October – December 2017; August – November 2018; July 2019; June 2020–present Role: 2007 – September 2007; February 2008 – Flashbacks |
1988 | Family Man | Rosie Tobin | 7 episodes |
1989–1990 | Brand New Life | Christy McCary | 6 episodes |
1994 | Bay State | Casey Mills | Episodes: "Episode #4.4", "Episode #4.5" |
2001 | Friends | Jessica Ashley | Episode: "The One With Joey's Award" |
2002 | Fear Factor | Herself | Episode: "Celebrity Fear Factor" |
2004 | American Dreams | Miss USA | Episode: "Old Enough to Fight" |
Las Vegas | Caroline Pzarchik | Episode: "Nevada State" | |
2007–2015 | The Biggest Loser | Herself | Host (seasons 4–16) |
2010 | Mercy | Becky Sorensen | Episode: I Did Kill You, Didn't I? |
2015 | Beat Bobby Flay | Herself | Episode: "Raising the Bar" Judge / Mentor |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | The Price of Life | Young Alice | Short film |
1990 | The End of Innocence | Stephanie (12–15 years old) | |
1993 | Night Sins | Sami Brady | Television film |
2002 | Happiness | Girlfriend | Short film |
2013 | Second Chances, AKA Hearts on Fire | Jenny McLean | Television film (Hallmark)[ citation needed ] |
2015 | Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder | Hannah Swensen | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)[ citation needed ] |
Love on the Air | Sonia | Television film (Hallmark)[ citation needed ] | |
Murder She Baked: A Plum Pudding Murder Mystery | Hannah Swensen | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)[ citation needed ] | |
Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) | ||
2016 | Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)[ citation needed ] | |
The Irresistible Blueberry Farm | Ellen | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) | |
2017 | Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts | Hannah Swensen | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) [27] |
Christmas At Holly Lodge | Sophie Bennett | Television film (Hallmark) | |
2019 | Chronicle Mysteries: Recovered | Alex McPherson | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) First in a series [28] |
Chronicle Mysteries: The Wrong Man | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) Second in a series | ||
Chronicle Mysteries: Vines That Bind | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) Third in a series | ||
Chronicle Mysteries: The Deep End | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) Fourth in a series | ||
Time For You To Come Home for Christmas | Katherine Moss | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) Executive producer: Blake Shelton | |
2020 | Good Morning Christmas! | Melissa Merry | Television film (Hallmark) |
2021 | Chronicle Mysteries: Helped to Death | Alex McPherson | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) Fifth in a series |
Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery | Hannah Swensen | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) | |
Open By Christmas | Nicky | Television film (Hallmark) | |
Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas | Sami Brady | Peacock Original Movie | |
2022 | The Wedding Veil | Tracy Goodwyn | Television Film Trilogy (Hallmark) |
The Wedding Veil Unveiled | |||
The Wedding Veil Legacy | |||
A Magical Christmas Village | Summer | Television film (Hallmark) | |
2023 | The Wedding Veil Expectations | Tracy Serchio | Television Film Trilogy (Hallmark) |
The Wedding Veil Inspiration | |||
The Wedding Veil Journey | |||
Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery | Hannah Swensen | Television film (Hallmark) | |
A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery | |||
2024 | Love and Jane | Lilly Thorpe | |
One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery | Hannah Swensen |
Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1994 | Young Artist Award | Best Youth Actress in a Soap Opera | Days of Our Lives | Nominated | |
1996 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Villainess | Days of Our Lives | Won | |
1997 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Daytime Drama: Young Actress | Days of Our Lives | Nominated | |
1998 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Villainess | Days of Our Lives | Won | |
1999 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Villainess | Days of Our Lives | Won | |
2000 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Younger Lead Actress | Days of Our Lives | Nominated | |
2001 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Younger Lead Actress | Days of Our Lives | Won | |
2002 | Daytime Emmy Award | America's Favorite Villain — Special Fan Award | Days of Our Lives | Won | |
2003 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress | Days of Our Lives | Nominated | |
2005 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Favorite New Couple (shared with Bryan Dattilo) | Days of Our Lives | Won | |
2005 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress | Days of Our Lives | Won | |
2015 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Days of Our Lives | Nominated | |
2020 | Soap Hub Awards | Favorite Social Media Star | Days of Our Lives | Won | |
2022 | Just Jared Awards | Favorite Hallmark Channel Star of 2022 | Herself | Nominated |
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Eric Brady is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on NBC/Peacock, played since 2012 by Greg Vaughan, the longest tenured actor in the role. Eric was introduced in the episode of October 16, 1984, together with his twin sister, Sami Brady.
Belle Black is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created by the head writer James E. Reilly, she was born on October 21, 1993, as the only child of supercouple John Black and Marlena Evans. She is also one-half of the supercouple Shawn Brady and Belle Black. Initially portrayed by several child actors between 1993 and 1999, Belle was rapidly aged to a teenager when Kirsten Storms took over the role from 1999 to 2004. Charity Rahmer briefly portrayed Belle for a month before being replaced by Martha Madison, who played the character from August 2004 to March 2008, when Belle departed the show. Madison returned as Belle for the soap's 50th Anniversary Celebrations in 2015 but departed the following year. Belle then appeared for various stints of different lengths before rejoining the regular cast again in 2020. She departed again in 2023. Madison returned to the role when Belle returned to Salem in November 2024.
Kristen Blake DiMera is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network. The role was portrayed by Eileen Davidson. Davidson joined the cast of Days of Our Lives in 1993, and departed in 1998 after a five-year stint. After a 14-year absence, Davidson returned to the role of Kristen in the fall of 2012. Kristen and her brother Peter were raised by super villain Stefano DiMera at a very young age following the deaths of their parents; however, their mother Rachel was later revealed to be alive.
Nicole Walker is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, a long-running series about working-class life in the fictional town of Salem. She was introduced in 1998 by head writer Sally Sussman Morina, and executive producer Ken Corday. Actress Arianne Zucker has portrayed the character since her introduction to the series in 1998. In 2006, Zucker left the soap in pursuit of other acting possibilities. She returned to the role in 2008. In 2016, Zucker also appeared as Helena Tasso, a deceased woman who bears a resemblance to Nicole, in flashbacks. In March 2017, Zucker announced she would once again leave the role. She made her final appearance in the role on October 20, 2017. Following her departure, media outlets began to report that Zucker was to reprise the role for a short-term visit in December 2017 after being spotted on-set; Zucker explained her visit, stating that her daughter was included in the annual telling of the Christmas Story at the University Hospital.
Carrie Brady Reed is a fictional character from the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, a long-running serial set in the fictional town of Salem, Illinois. Created by head writer Margaret DePriest, the role of Carrie has been most notably portrayed by Christie Clark, who took over the role in 1986 as a teenager. Clark remained with the series from April 1986 to January 1991 and from December 1992 to November 1999. She returned in 2005, leaving in October 2006, and returned in September 2011 as part of a reboot of the series. Her character left the show the following July, and in September 2016, it was announced that Clark would return as Carrie in 2017. Carrie, a lawyer, also returned for several weeks in early 2018 when her mother, Anna, was accused of the murder of Andre DiMera. She returned in June 2019 for the funeral of Caroline Brady. In 2021, Carrie appeared in the spinoff series Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem.
Sami Brady is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the Peacock streaming service, portrayed by Alison Sweeney since 1993. The character is first seen as a newborn baby in the episode of October 16, 1984, in which mom Marlena Evans gives birth to her and her twin brother Eric Brady. Initially played by a series of child actresses, Sweeney took over the role of Sami when the character was rapidly-aged from a pre-teen to a teenager, in January 1993, under the pen of head writers Sheri Anderson and James E. Reilly.
Ava Vitali is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created by and introduced by then-executive producers Ken Corday and Edward J. Scott, the role is portrayed by Tamara Braun, who won a Daytime Emmy Award for the role in 2009. Introduced as a "mysterious woman from Steve's past," Ava was later revealed as a woman from a Mafia family. Ava appeared for six months in 2008, and returned in December 2015 for a three-month guest appearance. Following a brief voice appearance in 2017, Ava returned to the show on a regular basis in November 2020. She departed again on December 20, 2022 and returned on August 8, 2023
Caroline Brady is a fictional character from the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional United States town of Salem. Matriarch of the series' Brady family, the character has been continually featured since her debut. Created by writer Margaret DePriest, the role was originated by actress Peggy McCay on February 7, 1983. Jody Carter stepped into the role briefly in 1984, followed by Barbara Beckley from 1984 to 1985. McCay returned to portray Caroline from July 17, 1985, to December 5, 2003, when the character was seemingly murdered by a serial killer. McCay returned in 2004 when Caroline was found alive. She played Caroline for another 12 years; last appearing in August 2016.
Arianna Hernandez is a fictional character from the American NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, played by Lindsay Hartley. Arianna made her first appearance on April 15, 2009. In July 2009, it was announced that original actress Felisha Terrell had been axed from the soap and would be replaced by Lindsay Hartley. Hartley made her first appearance on August 28, 2009. In July 2010, it was announced that Hartley would be departing Days of our Lives and Arianna made her final appearance on November 8, 2010.
Will Horton is a fictional character from the American daytime TV soap opera Days of Our Lives, known for a highly praised coming out story, award-winning performances by actor Chandler Massey, and as one half of US daytime drama's first male gay wedding and marriage. The character first appears in the episode of November 16, 1995, when his mom Sami Brady gives birth to him. Initially portrayed by a series of child actors, the character grew up in real-time as the show aired, eventually to be played by adult actors Chandler Massey, and Guy Wilson (2014–2015).
Taylor Walker is a fictional character from the American NBC soap opera, Days of Our Lives, a long-running series about working-class life in the fictional town of Salem. She was introduced in 1998 by head writer Sally Sussman Morina, and executive producer Ken Corday by actress Katherine Ellis. The character was reintroduced in 2011, by former General Hospital actresses Natalia Livingston and Tamara Braun, the latter of whom also portrayed the character of Ava Vitali on the same show. Taylor's last appearance was on September 22, 2011.
Days of Our Lives is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from 1965 to 2022 and currently streams new episodes on Peacock. The soap is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday since November 8, 1965. A co-production of Corday Productions and Sony Pictures Television, the series was created by husband-and-wife team Ted Corday and Betty Corday. During Days of Our Lives' early years, Irna Phillips served as a story editor for the program and many of the show's earliest storylines were written by William J. Bell, who would depart the series in 1975 to focus full-time on The Young and the Restless, which he created for CBS in 1973. Following the 2007 cancellation of Passions, Days of Our Lives remained the only soap opera airing on NBC. On August 3, 2022, NBCUniversal announced that it would relocate the series exclusively to its Peacock streaming service beginning September 12 after 57 years on the network and leaving NBC as the only Big Three network without a daytime serial.
Madison James is a fictional character from the Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created by head writers Marlene Clark Poulter and Darrell Ray Thomas, Jr., she was portrayed by Daytime Emmy Award winning actress Sarah Joy Brown, who made her debut in October 2011. Introduced into the series as the headstrong CEO of Mad World Cosmetics and as a potential love interest for Brady Black, Madison is the longtime competitor and rival against series veteran Kate Roberts, and her resurrection of Countess Wilhelmina. Originally introduced with an unknown past. In April 2012, it was announced that Brown was let go; she last appeared in August 2012, when the character was killed off following an explosion.