Louise Sorel

A flashy, aggressive, cold and calculating villainess and eternally hopeless meddler on a number of daytime soap operas, 'Louise Sorel' (qv) has given her opulent, show-stopping characters major doses of humor and grit that have allowed her to become one of daytime's more popular figures for over six decades.Of Jewish heritage, Louise, whose roots are in theatre, was born on August 6, 1940 in Los Angeles to entertainment professionals. Studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York, she made her Broadway debut playing a teenager in the 1961 comedy "Take Her, She's Mine" starring 'Art Carney' (qv) and also had subsequent roles in "Lorenzo" (1963) and "Man and Boy" (1963). Her initial interest obviously was sparked by her actress/concert pianist mother 'Jeanne Sorel' (qv), and father 'Albert J. Cohen' (qv), who produced films in the 1940s and 1950s. Louise went on to co-star on Broadway with 'Rita Moreno' (qv) in "The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window" in 1964 and appeared with 'George C. Scott' (qv) and 'Colleen Dewhurst' (qv) as Princess Alais in the 1967 Bucks County Playhouse production of "The Lion in Winter."Given a bit part (billed as Jacqueline Sorel) in the exploitation teen film _Eighteen and Anxious (1957)_ (qv), Louise, in 1964, married comic actor 'Herb Edelman' (qv), best known for his recurring role of 'Bea Arthur' (qv)'s ex husband Stan in _The Golden Girls (1985)_ (qv). Around this time, she began setting her sights on TV drama, appearing on various dramatic shows including "Dr. Kildare," "The Defenders," "The Trials of O'Brien," "Route 66," "The Rat Patrol," "The Virginian," "Run for Your Life," "Star Trek," "The Big Valley," "The Fugitive," "Night Gallery," "The Bold Ones," "Banacek," "Hawaii Five-0," "Owen Marshall," "Kojak," "Hart to Hart," "The Incredible Hulk," "Ironside" and several episodes of "Medical Center," as well as a recurring part on the short-lived nighttime soap opera _The Survivors (1969)_ (qv) starring 'Lana Turner' (qv) and 'George Hamilton' (qv). In a change of pace, Louise turned to comedy as 'Don Rickles' (qv)' wife on his poorly-received series The 'Don Rickles' (qv) Show (1972).Though she divorced Edelman in 1972, Louise nevertheless co-starred with him again in the failed sitcom _Ladies' Man (1980)_ (qv). She met second husband actor 'Ken Howard' (qv) in 1972 while appearing with him in a Philadelphia stage production of "Volpone." They married a year later but divorced a couple of years later in 1975.Appearing in support in the films _Plaza Suite (1971)_ (qv), _Every Little Crook and Nanny (1972)_ (qv), _Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)_ (qv), _Where the Boys Are (1984)_ (qv), and _Crimes of Passion (1984)_ (qv), Louise moved quite steadily ahead not only with a regular role in the short-lived comedy series _Ladies' Man (1980)_ (qv), but with co-star/featured roles in the TV movies _The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped (1974)_ (qv), _The Mark of Zorro (1974)_ (qv), _When Every Day Was the Fourth of July (1978)_ (qv), _Mazes and Monsters (1982)_ (qv), _Sunset Limousine (1983)_ (qv) and _A Masterpiece of Murder (1986)_ (qv).Various daytime soap operas reinvigorated Louise's career tenfold in the late 1980s. She began her road to sudsy infamy in 1984 as the eccentric archvillainess Augusta Lockridge for the entire run of _Santa Barbara (1984)_ (qv). From there she was given recurring roles as Judith Sanders on _One Life to Live (1968)_ (qv) and as Donatella Stewart _Port Charles (1997)_ (qv). In 1992, Louise joined the cast of _Days of Our Lives (1965)_ (qv) as the manipulative Vivian Alamain. By the time she left in 2000, she had won five Soap Opera Digest 'Awards' (qv).More recently, Louise has had devilish fun in the quirky soap _Passions (1999)_ (qv) and in a recurring role on the political drama _Beacon Hill (2014)_ (qv).::Gary Brumburgh / [email protected]