Kate Linder celebrates 43 years as Esther Valentine on The Young and the Restless 

Kate Linder was cast in the role of her lifetime — Esther Valentine on The Young and the Restless — over 43 years ago. When she made her debut on the CBS show on Wednesday, April 16, 1982, her first line was "Dinner is served."

Kate Linder on The Young and the Restless

It only made sense that wealthy Katherine Chancellor (the late, great Jeanne Cooper) would have a maid to do chores in her mansion, but did you know that the role was originally referred to as, well, "maid" in the scripts? One day, Cooper ad-libbed calling Kate Linder's character "Esther," and it stuck!

Years later, a magazine ran a contest about what Esther's surname should be. "Diamond" and "Valentine" were among the options. Linder recalled that the head writer/co-creator/executive producer of The Young and the Restless, William J. Bell, let her choose which last name Esther would have. She opted to go with Valentine as she and her late husband, Ron Linder, were wed on Valentine's Day.

While Esther has performed maid duties at the Chancellor mansion, she has been involved in major storylines, too. Esther joined most of Genoa City in 1991 at a masquerade ball, where many citizens performed for charity. Linder tapped into her days as a dancer and singer and performed the Stephen Sondheim song "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid."

At the gala, she met Miguel (Anthony Pena), Victor's butler. Alas, this pairing never developed into anything serious.

Lovers, Friends, and Foes

Esther left Kay's employee to go and work for Nina Webster (Tricia Cast), but she returned to Kay at an inopportune time. A gang of crooks had infiltrated Kay's life. They were working with Kay's double, Marge (also played by Cooper), to steal the Chancellor millions. Thanks to Marge going rogue, the two women survived. During their captivity, Esther gave birth to a baby, whom she named Kate, but is better known in Genoa City as Chloe Mitchell (Elizabeth Hendrickson).

Esther sought to have romance in her life and met with varying results. Sadly, most of them were not positive ones. A one-night stand with Tiny the plumber resulted in her daughter Kate's conception. Later, Esther was taken in by a man named Norman (Mark Haining), whom she married under a pretense. Esther pretended to be wealthy while Katherine and her husband Rex (Quinn Redeker) acted as a maid and butler as they tried to figure out if Norman was on the up and up. Alas, he wasn't. Norman turned out to be a thief who shot and killed Rex while trying to rob Kay's safe.

Devastated, Kay blasted Esther for her indirect role in Rex's death. In a gripping scene, Esther tried to walk out of Kay's life. Rex's widow, still grieving, emotionally told Esther she could stay.

Esther supported Katherine after legal documents were discovered that proved Jill (Jess Walton) was half-owner of the Chancellor mansion.

Double Trouble

Nearly 20 years after Esther and Kay survived the adventure with Marge and her kidnappers, the mastermind of that ordeal — Clint Radison (James Michael Gregary) — resurfaced and attempted to get revenge. His cohort, Roger Wilkes (David Leisure), tricked Esther into marrying him. In time, Esther took on a new role as a counselor, in part, to help Kay with her alcoholism. She also welcomed Kate — now called Chloe — back to Genoa City.

Trending

More recently, Esther had taken on another new job: helping out Sharon (Sharon Case) at the Crimson Lights coffee shop, where she doles out a few words of advice along with serving up lattes and scones.

Soap Central congratulates Kate Linder on 43 years on The Young and the Restless as Esther Valentine. You can watch her on Y&R weekdays on CBS or stream on Paramount Plus.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback