The character Deidre Hall from “Days of Our Lives” was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 31, 1947, although she spent much of her childhood in Lake Worth, Florida.
She said that her parents had a high degree of ethics and worked very hard, which was something that she had picked up from them. Hall was the third kid out of a total of five in her family. The actress continued by saying that everyone had a duty, which they all took seriously, which is what contributed to her great feeling of family and justice.
However, Hall did end up pursuing a career in acting, for which she was recognized as the “Best Television Role Model” and earned five awards as “Best Actress” from the publication Soap Opera Digest. Hall’s ideal job wasn’t acting.
The actress said that she always intended to be a hairdresser, but life took her in a different direction when she tried her hand at acting in order to earn more money, and she eventually became a legend in the world of soap operas:
“When I came to California to visit friends, I enrolled in college out here, and then I thought I needed to support myself somehow, so I thought I’d try modeling here, and I did, and it worked.”
Following her success in the modeling industry, Hall decided to try her hand at appearing in commercials in order to supplement her income. Soon after, she began pursuing a career in acting. The actress pointed out that:
“I believed that if you’re going to do anything at all, even for pleasure, you need to learn. So I studied for nine to ten years, everything from dance to voice to movement to comedy, everything, and then I ended up on a soap opera…I’ve been here ever since its fate was decided, and there was nothing I could have done to change it.
After putting forth the effort, Hall was rewarded with a part on the legendary serial opera “Days of Our Lives.” She competed at the audition for the part alongside a number of other well-known actresses.
Hall politely declined the job when her agency informed her that she had been cast in it because she believed that the other renowned actress did not want the part. Nevertheless, when it became clear that she was their first option, she decided to take the position.
The first episode of “Days of Our Lives” was shown on NBC on November 8, 1965, and the show continued to air on the channel until 2022. Peacock chose it to air in 2022, and 58 years after it made its debut, the long-running soap opera is still going strong.
In 1979, Hall made her acting debut on “Days of Our Lives” playing the role of Dr. Marlena Evans, a psychiatrist working at University Hospitals in the fictitious city of Salem, Illinois.
She has been acting in the part for more than four decades, during which time her character has been abducted many times, possessed by the devil on two separate occasions, and made to believe that she is a serial murderer via the use of mind control.
The comedian was amused by the fact that the actress had majored in psychology in college and pursued training to become a therapist, only to find herself playing a therapist on television.
Hall was and continues to be a popular favorite throughout several generations of soap opera viewers. She said that her supporters had often expressed to her how enjoyable it was to see her perform throughout the years:
“I hear it all the time from fans, I watched the show with my grandmother when she was babysitting for me, it’s sweet,” the person said. “It was my favorite show to watch with her.”
During the years that she has played Dr. Evans on “Days of Our Lives,” the actress has also participated in a number of romantic relationships.
Before she became famous, Hall was married to William Hudson from 1966 to 1970. Their marriage lasted for a total of ten years. The actress wed her second husband, Keith Barbour, who is also a singer, songwriter, and actor, two years after she finalized her divorce from Hudson. Hudson was a member of the music industry. The divorce between the exes took place in 1978.
In 1987, Hall wed film producer Michael Dubelko, making it her third marriage overall. The couple split in 1989 after maintaining a low profile during their marriage.
The star of the daytime serial drama tied the knot for the fourth time with Steve Sohmer, a writer and Shakespearean scholar. 1991 was the year that the couple said “I do,” and their divorce was finalized in 2006. This happy couple welcomed two little ones into the world: David Atticus Sohmer and Tully Chapin Sohmer. Following the split between Sohmer and Hall, the actress issued a statement that went as follows:
“My primary concern is for my children and for making sure that they are healthy.” I cannot express how appreciative I am for the thoughtfulness that has been shown in many of your remarks. We are grateful for your concern and the continued respect you have shown for our privacy.
Over the years, Hall had difficulty conceiving a child and was transparent about her progress through the process. The actress attempted to produce children using artificial insemination, surgery, and in vitro fertilization for a total of twenty years throughout the course of her two marriages but was unsuccessful.
Because of the physical and mental toll that her efforts to have children had on her, Hall and Sohmer ultimately decided to use the services of a surrogate mother. They decided to use a surrogate whose name was Robin.
On August 23, 1992, Robin gave birth to David, which was Hall’s first kid. Then, on January 19, 1995, Robin gave birth to Tully, who was Hall’s second child. Robin gave birth to David when Hall was 48 years old. According to Hall, the experience of giving birth to her first child was transformative:
“The instant the infant is put in your arms, it is irrelevant how they get there… The atmosphere in the room changes once a new life is brought into this world.
The actress did not get married again after her marriage to Sohmer ended in divorce, and she has said that she has no desire to do so in the future.
She said that keeping out of the sun, exercising for an hour every day on her treadmill, and never going to bed with any makeup on was the key to her flawless appearance.
When Hall portrayed herself in the movie “Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story,” she was able to be more candid about her struggle with infertility.
The actress served as the film’s executive producer, while Sohmer, writing under the alias Bill Tyndale, was the person responsible for the screenplay.
Hall initially rejected the idea of playing herself in the movie, but Sohmer was able to convince her otherwise. She said that she wasn’t entirely confident in her ability to relive or reconstruct the events of her life. Hall also said that the movie would have been more difficult to make with another actress:
“The movie was a lot of fun, but the casting process was challenging. We had film of when my kid was born that we wanted to utilize, and it wasn’t going to work if we had another actress portray me and then have ‘the real’ me in the delivery room.”
The actress said that the most terrifying aspect of portraying herself was showing the day David was born. This was because on the same day that Robin was giving birth to her baby, Hall’s close friend and attorney was passing away in the same hospital where Robin was giving birth to her son.
After the film was aired, Hall discussed her experience of having a child via surrogacy on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” When she asked Sohmer whether the two of them could have their kid by using a surrogate, she said that he was fine with the idea.
The woman who already had two children said that when she first met Robin, she had no doubt in her mind that the latter would serve as their surrogate. According to Hall, the first attempt at insemination was unsuccessful; however, the pregnancy that resulted from the second attempt may be attributed to Robin.
The children of Hall are now adults. In the year 2019, she revealed that Tully had enrolled in college and that David, who had been attending college in Paris, was receiving his diploma.
The star of “Lucky in Love” is a doting mother, and in the year 2022, she posted a photo of her sons when they were younger. Within the shape of a heart, the photograph depicted the boys’ faces pressed together.
In the accompanying caption, Hall said that she had performed an echocardiography, which positioned the images of his son inside a beating heart. She said that the photograph demonstrated how her children always had a place in her heart.
When David was 12 years old and Tully was 10 years old, Hall and Sohmer had a divorce. When asked whether there was anything from her prior marriages that she regretted, the actress said the following:
“You’ve got a lousy picker, my buddy says, and I believe that’s not totally wrong. I think that’s not entirely untrue. But when I consider how far I’ve come in my life, I realize that every experience contributed to my current standing.
Hall said that one of her marriages was responsible for her relocation from Florida to California, which resulted in the opening of a thousand different doors for her. She went on to say that she had learned a lot from her prior marriages and had also developed some wonderful friendships as a result of them.
Aside from her marriages, Hall’s career went through a period of significant transition when the producers of “Days of Our Lives” decided to remove her from the cast of the program. The executive made the announcement that, as a result of changes to the budget, they were forced to let both Hall and Drake Hogestyn go:
“The couple will be happily reunited after a long period of anguish and separation. However, after the month of January, they will be absent from the screen for an indeterminate amount of time.”
At this point in time, there was a possibility that the program might be canceled. The last episode featuring Hogestyn and Hall was shown in January 2009, and the pair made their comeback in September 2011. The executive producer of the program said that they wanted to go back to the show’s roots in order to satisfy the expectations of the audience.
After being reinstated, the actress from “My Christmas Dream” is having the same good time on “Days of Our Lives” as before. She has been a main character on the daytime soap drama for almost 45 years. She said that the duration of her profession was the accomplishment of which she felt the greatest pride:
“…to have been around for this long and to have been doing it for this long is extraordinary.” “…that is such a gift in any field, but in television it is extraordinary.”
Hall has said that there are currently no plans for her to retire. She said that whenever the show “Days of Our Lives” is extended for another year, it provides her with an overwhelming feeling of relief:
“It’s a running joke amongst my castmates and me that whenever I pull up to the studio security gate with my key card, I pause for a moment, hold my breath, and think, Oh, it opened — I guess I get to come in today!”
The actress continued by saying that she would not leave the business until the gate could no longer be opened with a key.
Even after 75 years of service, Hall maintains a magnificent appearance. She said that keeping out of the sun, exercising for an hour every day on her treadmill, and never going to bed with any makeup on was the key to her flawless appearance.
Her admirers, particularly the male users of the internet who never tire of praising her appearance, are quick to point out Hall’s stunning good looks. When the actress posted a photo of herself online, many male internet users rushed to the comments section to compliment her appearance.
One person said that Hall was “so beautiful,” while another user named Larry also praised Hall for her attractiveness. “You are as hot as you’ve ever been. “OMG,” said a second male participant.
Another gentleman complimented Hall on her appearance, telling her that she looked “smashing,” while a third said that the actress looked “as beautiful as ever.” The actress was praised by a guy named Jonathan, who called her “beautiful and distinguished.” Even though she was in her 70s, more guys remarked on how gorgeous Hall was.
Hall devotes the most of her time these days to caring for her family and preparing meals with her boys. In one of her pictures that she uploaded on Instagram, Hall showed herself and one of her boys working together in the kitchen to prepare a vibrant food.
