Barbara Rodell ( Wohl, ) is an American actress known for roles on numerous

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

s during the 1960s and 1970s.

Early years

The daughter of a Brooklyn truck driver and his wife, Rodell was a premature baby who weighed 1.5 pounds at birth. She was born in Brooklyn and moved to Manhattan when she was four. The

Henry Street Settlement The Henry Street Settlement is a not-for-profit social service agency in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City that provides social services, arts programs and health care services to New Yorkers of all ages. It was founde ...

and the

Dramatic Workshop Dramatic Workshop was the name of a drama and acting school associated with the New School for Social Research in New York City. It was launched in 1940 by German expatriate stage director Erwin Piscator. Among the faculty were Lee Strasberg and Ste ...

provided early training in drama, and she studied liberal arts at

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...

. At age 17 she disregarded her father's opposition to her becoming an actress and left home. She worked as a waitress and a model while she sought acting opportunities.

Career

Barbara Rodell Micki Grant Another World 1968

Rodell debuted as a professional actress when she worked in

summer stock theatre In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock the ...

in State College, Pennsylvania. Performing in other stock theater companies added to her experience. Her first television part was on the short-lived serial ''

A Flame in the Wind ''A Flame in the Wind'' (renamed ''A Time for Us'' in 1965) is an American soap opera that aired on ABC Daytime from December 28, 1964, to December 16, 1966. It was created by Raphael Hayes, co-author of the Cannes Film Festival winner ''One Potat ...

'' in which she played the character of Linda Skerba in 1965. She then took over the role of Lee Randolph on '' Another World'', playing the part from 1967 until 1969, when the character was killed off in a car crash. Rodell next appeared on ''

The Secret Storm ''The Secret Storm'' is an American soap opera that the CBS television network transmitted from February 1, 1954, to February 8, 1974. It was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas ''Search for Tomorrow'' and ''Love ...

'' during 1969–1970, playing Jill Clayborn, until that character perished in an airplane crash. She subsequently took over the role of Leslie Jackson Bauer Norris at ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'', appearing there from 1971 until 1973. Rodell then moved to ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

'' where she had her longest tenure (1973–1981) playing the part of Joyce Colman. Rodell also was in the film ''The Devil's Commandment''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodell, Barbara American soap opera actresses Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women