Darlene Conley
Deceased
Conley was born on July 18, 1934 in Dublin, Ireland and grew up in Chicago, Illinois. At the age of 15, she was discovered by legendary Broadway impresario Jed Harris who cast her as the Irish maid in a touring production of the 19th century melodrama
The Heiress, which starred Basil Rathbone. After graduating high school, she toured the country with classical theater companies before appearing in Shakespearean roles on Broadway with the Helen Hayes Repertory Theater. She later appeared in a Broadway revival of the Night of the Iguana, with Richard Chamberlain, and in David Merrick's musical
The Baker's Wife. Her Los Angeles theater credits included
Cyrano de Bergerac and
Night of the Iguana (both with Chamberlain),
The Time of the Cuckoo with Jean Stapleton and
Ring Around the Moon with Michael York.
Conley's first feature film was the Alfred Hitchcock suspense thriller,
The Birds. It was Hitchcock himself that cast Conley in the movie. From there, Conley's portfolio of feature films blossomed. Over the next two decades, Conley appeared in such works as
Faces,
Minnie & Moscowitz,
Valley of the Dolls,
Play it as it Lays,
Lady Sings the Blues, as well as
Tough Guys, with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas.
On television, Conley appeared in numerous made-for-television movies and guest starred in countless primetime series. The list of Conley's appearances include
Robert Kennedy & His Times,
The Fighter,
The Choice,
Return Engagement, and
The President's Plane is Missing as well as
The Cosby Show,
Murder, She Wrote,
Cagney & Lacey,
Little House on the Prairie,
The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and
Highway to Heaven.
In 1979, Conley landed her first daytime role as Rose Deville on
The Young and the Restless. Conley appeared on the CBS soap from 1979 to 1980 and then again from 1986 to 1987. Her Y&R role led to minor roles on NBC's
Days of our Lives and ABC's
General Hospital. In December 1988, Conley returned to the world of William Bell's soaps with the role of Sally Spectra on The Bold and the Beautiful.
The actress died on January 14, 2007 following a battle with stomach cancer. She was 72.
The Bold and the Beautiful
Sally Spectra
December 1988 to
November 29, 2006
Robert Kennedy & His Times
Moderator
1985
The Fighter
Mrs. MacCauley
1983
The Choice
Marilyn
1981
General Hospital
Trixie Monahan
1984
Days of our Lives
Edith Baker
The Young and the Restless
Rose Deville
1979-1980, 1986-1987
Capitol
Louie
Tough Guys
Gladys Ripps
1986
Play It As It Lays
Kate's Nurse
1972
Captain Milkshake
Mrs. Hamilton
1969
Faces
Billy Mae
1968
The Birds
Schoolgirl
1963
The Heiress
The Night of the Iguana
The Baker's Wife
Cyrano de Bergerac
The Time of the Cuckoo
Ring Around the Moon
Daytime Emmys Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actress (1991, 1992)
Daytime Emmys Pre-Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actress (2003)
Soap Opera Digest Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actress (1991)
Soap Opera Digest Nomination, Outstanding Female Showstopper (1996)
PLACE OF BIRTH: Dublin, Ireland
DATE OF BIRTH: July 18, 1934
DATE OF DEATH: January 14, 2007
News Archive: Conley goes back to where she started. [Sep 4, 2000]
News Archive: B&B planning on-location shoot in Europe. [Oct 28, 2002]
News Archive: Conley diagnosed with stomach cancer. [Nov 27, 2006]
News Archive: Darlene Conley dead at age 72. [Jan 14, 2007]
