Cherie Bennett (born 1960 in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

) is an American novelist, actress, director, playwright, newspaper columnist, singer, and television writer on the CBS Daytime

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 ...

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, ...

''.

Biography

The writing was not Bennett's early focus. Sometimes known as the "Big and Tall Barbie Doll", she attended

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

, and then the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in the early 1980s, as a musical theatre major. She worked frequently as an actress, doing national musical tours, regional theatre productions including Mark Medoff's ''When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?'' and a well-reviewed turn in the off-Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' ''Twenty-Seven Wagons Full of Cotton''. She headed her own improv comedy trio, Zaniac, and performed as a vocalist, singing backup for

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

and in her play, ''Honk Tonk Angels''. Bennett's favourite non-writing activities are reading (

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

s, medical mysteries, and show-biz stories), film, theatre, cooking, politics, and

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

shopping. She lives in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

with her son. Her pseudonyms are C.J. Anders, and Carrie Austen. For many years, she wrote frequently with Jeff Gottesfeld, with whom she shared the

Zoey Dean Zoey Dean is the pseudonym for the creators of ''The A-List'' series and ''How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls'', which has been renamed and turned into a TV show known as '' Privileged'' on the CW in September 2008. Zoey Dean's books are produced b ...

pseudonym.Biography: Zoey Dean

Scholastic Corporation Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

(accessed September 20, 2015) She and Jeff are divorced. Her father was a writer for such shows as ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'', '' Route 66'', and Sid Caesar's ''Your Show of Shows''. Since June 2011, she's been the Artistic Director at Amusings Productions in

Sherman Oaks Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...

Television credits

'' (hired by

Lynn Marie Latham Lynn Marie Latham is an American television writer, producer, and showrunner. Her initial foray into writing for television was as a story editor for the series '' Berrenger's'' in 1985. That same year, Latham became a writer for the nighttime ser ...

; fired by

Maria Arena Bell Maria Arena Bell (born March 10, 1963) is an American novelist, television and freelance writer. She is the former head writer and executive producer of the CBS Daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless.'' Biography Maria Arena Bell grew u ...

) *

Script Writer A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

: December 14, 2006 - December 21, 2007; March 18 - August 19, 2008 *Associate Head Writer: July 2007 - December 21, 2007; March 18 - July 10, 2008 ''

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 s ...

'' (hired by

Hogan Sheffer Hogan Sheffer (June 12, 1958 – September 28, 2019) was an American screenwriter. Personal life Sheffer was born in York, Pennsylvania. His full birth name was Mark Wayne Sheffer; he received his nickname of Hogan from younger brother Craig, who ...

) * Breakdown Writer: 2005 ''

Port Charles ''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes pl ...

'' (hired by

) * Story Consultant: 1998 '' Another World'' * Story Consultant: 1997 '' Girls Got Game'': 2006 '' Smallville'': 2001 - 2002

Books

Book Series *''Sunset Island'' (forty-one book series) *''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college that ran from 1998 to 2003. T ...

'' (seven original novels) *''Mirror Image'' (four book series) *''Hope Hospital'' (three book series) Six Book Series *''University Hospital'' *''Wild Hearts'' *''Teen Angels'' *''Trash'' *''Pageant'' Other Books *''Turn Me On'' (July 2007) *''Girls in Love'' *''Zink'' *''

Life in the Fat Lane ''Fat Music Volume 4: Life in the Fat Lane'' is the fourth compilation album by the Fat Wreck Chords record label, released in 1999. Its title is a parody of the Eagles song " Life in the Fast Lane". Track listing # "May 16" - Lagwagon # "Road ...

'' *''A Heart Divided'' *'' Anne Frank and Me'' *''

Searching for David's Heart ''Searching for David's Heart'' is a 1998 young-adult novel by Cherie Bennett. The author is a screenwriter, novelist, playwright, and columnist for the '' San Diego Union-Tribune'' and other Copley newspapers. Plot summary Darcy Deeton is a twel ...

Plays

*''John Lennon And Me'' *''Sex And Rage In A SoHo Loft'' *''Life In The Fat Lane'' *''Zink'' *''Searching for David's Heart'' fme *''A Heart Divided'' *''Cyra And Rocky'' *''Reviving Ophelia'' (adapted from the book by Dr. Mary Pipher)

Films

*''

Broken Bridges ''Broken Bridges'' is a 2006 film starring Toby Keith, Lindsey Haun, Burt Reynolds and Kelly Preston. The film, a music-drama, is centered on a fading country singer's return to his hometown near a military base in Tennessee where several young m ...

'' (Writer: 2006)

Newspaper column

*"Hey, Cherie!" (Weekly teen advice column through Copley News Service)

Awards and nominations

Daytime Emmy The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (N ...

: Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team, 2008 *

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

Prize For Playwriting: ''Reviving Ophelia'', 2005–2006 *

Humanitas Award The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing, and is given to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of Paulist P ...

: Best children's film for television (''Searching For David's Heart'', 2005) *

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

Best Books For Young Adults The American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults, previously known as Best Books for Young Adults (1966–2010), is a recommendation list of books presented yearly by the YALSA division (Young Adult Library Services Association Th ...

, 2005 nominee (''A Heart Divided'') *

International Reading Association The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly the International Reading Association (IRA), is an international global advocacy and member professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialo ...

: Young Adult Readers' Choice, ''Anne Frank And Me'', 2003 *American Alliance of Theater And Education UPR, 2000 winner (''David's Heart'') *

, 1999

References

External links

Hachette Book Group USA: BennettGreenwich Times: Bennett's ColumnSmart Writers InterviewTeenReads 2003 Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Cherie American women novelists 20th-century American novelists American soap opera writers Screenwriters from New York (state) Daytime Emmy Award winners American women television writers 1960 births Living people Soap opera producers Television producers from New York (state) American women television producers Wayne State University alumni University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni Businesspeople from Buffalo, New York Writers from Buffalo, New York Jewish American writers 21st-century American novelists American women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Women soap opera writers Novelists from New York (state) 21st-century American Jews