Amelia Marshall

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Amelia Marshall
Born (1958-04-02) April 2, 1958 (age 66)
Albany, Georgia, U.S.
Alma mater The University of Texas at Austin
OccupationActress
Years active1983–present
Known for
Children1

Amelia Marshall (born April 2, 1958) [1] is an American actress. She is best known for playing the roles of Gilly Grant Speakes on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light (1989 to 1996), Belinda Keefer on the ABC soap opera All My Children, (1996 to 1999), and Liz Sanbourne on the NBC soap opera Passions (2001 to 2007).

Contents

Early life

Marshall was born in Albany, Georgia and lived in Atlanta, Georgia and Amityville, New York before her family settled in Houston, Texas. Her mother was a math teacher and her father was an executive for a large insurance company. [2] She has an older sister and a younger brother. She was named after her great aunt. [3]

A friend talked Marshall into trying out for the vocal department at the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. Even though she had little training, she auditioned at age thirteen by singing "Ave Maria." She was accepted and decided to take Survey of Dance as an elective. [4] She studied with the Houston Ballet and was a member of the Houston Jazz Ballet Company. She enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin, earning a bachelor's degree in business administration. [3] [1] Marshall was a cheerleader in college. After graduation, she worked as a telephone repair supervisor for Southwestern Bell for two years. She learned how to repair telephones and climb telephone poles. [2]

Career

While working for Southwestern Bell, Marshall danced with a regional company at night. She auditioned for a professional theater company in Fort Worth and won a role. For the next seven years, she made a living in theater. [4] Her early credits include roles on Broadway in Porgy and Bess (1983), Harrigan 'n Hart (1985), and Big Deal (1986). [5]

Marshall appeared as a dancer in Robert Klein on Broadway, a 1986 special. She performed at the Kennedy Center in Duke Ellington's Queenie Pie, and at the Houston Grand Opera in Scott Joplin's Treemonisha . She also performed in national tours of Cats and West Side Story . [1]

Marshall played Miranda on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live in 1984. The role was supposed to be long term, but the show experienced backstage turnover when Paul Rauch was hired as executive producer. Marshall was written out after two weeks. [4]

She was cast as Gillian "Gilly" Grant Speakes on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light in 1989. Marshall worked as a day player on the show for more than a year before she was put on contract. [3] She was the second African American actor to receive a contract role on Guiding Light (her co-star, Vince Williams, was the first). [6] Marshall was dismissed from the series, last airing in July 1996. [7] She said she was let go because of changes in the show's writing staff and a lack of interest in writing for Gilly. [4]

She was cast on All My Children as Belinda Keefer in September 1996, replacing Kim Hawthorne. She was released from the show in July 1999. Fans were outraged by her dismissal. [8]

In 1997, she starred Off-Broadway, playing Diane Gardner in Minor Demons at the Century Center for the Performing Arts. [9]

On September 27, 2001, Marshall made her first appearance on Passions in the role of the villainess Liz Sanbourne, sister of Dr. Eve Russell. [10] Marshall was on contract for four and a half years, until she was dismissed from the soap in July 2007 as a result of budget cuts.

In 2001 and 2002, she appeared in the films Stuart Little 2 and According to Spencer . On television, she guest-starred on Lizzie McGuire and The District . [11]

Personal life

She married Daryl Waters on November 28, 1992, at St. Paul's Chapel on the campus of Columbia University. [12] They dated for five years prior to getting married. [3] They divorced in 1995. [11]

Marshall married Kent Schaffer in 1997 and they divorced in 2001. [11] They have a son, who was born in January 1998. [1]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2001 According to Spencer Gloria
2002 Stuart Little 2 Will's Mom
2015BabysitterVice Principal

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1984 One Life to Live Miranda
1989-1996 Guiding Light Gilly Grant SpeakesContract role
1996-1999 All My Children Belinda KeeferContract role
2001 Lizzie McGuire Mrs. MillerEpisode: "Between a Rock and a Bra Place"
The District Dr. Janis JeffersEpisode: "Fools Russian: Part 1"
Strong Medicine Olivia ButlerEpisode: "Zol Zein Gezint"
2001-2007 Passions Liz SanbourneContract role

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "About the Actors: Amelia Marshall". Soap Central. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Rout, Nancy E.; Buckley, Ellen (1992). The Soap Opera Book: Who's Who in Daytime Drama. Todd Publications. p. 177. ISBN   978-0-915344-23-9.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Hoke Kahwaty, Donna (June 9, 1992). "Brilliant Disguise". Soap Opera Digest . 17 (12): 12–15.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Fissinger, Laura (March 25, 1997). "The Girl Most Likely...". Soap Opera Weekly . 8 (12): 24–26.
  5. ↑ "Broadway World: Amelia Marshall". Broadway World. Archived from the original on May 2, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  6. ↑ Sloane, Stephanie (May 26, 1992). "Behind the Scene: A Touch of Class". Soap Opera Digest . 17 (11): 130–132.
  7. ↑ "Who's Who in Springfield: Gillian "Gilly" Gail Grant". Soap Central. Archived from the original on May 2, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  8. ↑ Kroll, Dan J. (July 30, 1999). "Amelia Marshall's contract will not be renewed; Fans mobilize". Soap Central. Archived from the original on May 2, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  9. ↑ Waxman, Howard (March 29, 1997). "Reviews: Minor Demons". Variety. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  10. ↑ Kroll, Dan J. (August 24, 2001). "Former AMC, GL star joining cast". Soap Central. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 "Encyclopedia: Marshall, Amelia 1958-". Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  12. ↑ Smith Brady, Lois (December 6, 1992). "Vows: Amelia Marshall and Daryl Waters". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
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