Deidre Hall, the longtime star of Days of Our Lives, recently made a rare appearance on Instagram, giving fans a glimpse of herself on the set of the legendary daytime drama. The 78-year-old actress posed in a stylish suit while filming the show that has defined much of her career.
Hall is best known for portraying Dr. Marlena Evans, a role she has played for nearly five decades. Over the years, her performance on the soap opera has earned her three nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award and made her one of the most recognizable faces in daytime television. Even as she approaches her eighties, the veteran actress continues to impress fans with her timeless look and enduring presence on screen.
Before becoming synonymous with Days of Our Lives, Hall built her résumé with appearances on popular series such as The Streets of San Francisco, Emergency!, and Columbo. More recently, she also appeared on the comedy series Hacks.
Born in Wisconsin and raised in Florida, Hall moved to Los Angeles after studying at Palm Beach Junior College. There, she began modeling and landing commercial work before transitioning into television acting. In 1976, she took on the role of Electra Woman in the children’s live-action series Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, which aired on Saturday mornings.
That same year, she joined Days of Our Lives as Dr. Marlena Evans, a character that would become central to the soap’s success. During the 1980s, Hall briefly stepped away from the series to star as Jessie Witherspoon in the family drama Our House, where she acted alongside Shannen Doherty, who played her daughter. However, balancing two television shows proved challenging, and Hall ultimately left Days of Our Lives in 1987.
After Our House ended in 1988, Hall spent some time making guest appearances on primetime shows before returning to Days of Our Lives in March 1991. She remained a major part of the series for another 18 years until 2009, when budget cuts led to her temporary departure.
In addition to acting, Hall has pursued other creative projects. In 1995, she produced and starred in the television film Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story, which chronicled her personal journey toward starting a family. Later, she published a cookbook titled Deidre Hall’s Kitchen Closeup in 2010 and continued appearing on television, including a guest role in Drop Dead Diva in 2011. In 2024, she portrayed a fictionalized version of herself in another appearance on Hacks.
Hall’s personal life has included four marriages—to William Hudson, singer Keith Barbour, producer Michael Dubelko, and writer Steve Sohmer. She and Sohmer share two sons, David Atticus Sohmer and Tully Chapin Sohmer, who were born via surrogate.
In December, Hall spoke to People about celebrating the 60th anniversary of Days of Our Lives, describing the series as more than just a job. According to the actress, the show has been like a family and a place where she built her life while raising her children. She credits its longevity to the dedication of the people behind it and the strong leadership guiding the production.
Hall even joked that she plans to remain part of the series for as long as possible—until the day her key no longer opens the studio gate. She also fondly recalled her very first day on set, when she accidentally introduced herself by the wrong character name during a scene with veteran actor Macdonald Carey. The mix-up quickly became a memorable lesson: always remember which character you’re playing.
