Deidre Hall, best known for her role as Dr. Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives, has captivated audiences for over four decades.
The actress has won numerous awards for her portrayal of the iconic character, including the Best Television Role Model and the America Women in Radio and Television (AWRT) award in 1994. She has also received five Best Actress awards from Soap Opera Digest.
Hall’s success in her acting career can be attributed to her mentor, Frances Reid, who mentored her from the young age of 29. The two actresses developed a close friendship that lasted 34 years until Reid’s death in 2010.
Hall’s personal life has been just as fulfilling. She married four times and attempted pregnancy in two of those marriages.
After enduring various rounds of artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization, and surgery, she decided to try a new approach to having children with her third husband, writer Steve Sohmer.
They turned to surrogacy, and their surrogate, Robin, gave birth to their first child, David Sohmer, in 1992. Robin acted as the surrogate again for their second child, Tully Sohmer, not long after.
Hall chronicled her infertility journey in the made-for-TV movie Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story in 1995. Despite the challenges, she is now the proud mother of two grown sons and couldn’t be happier with her life. “It’s the best time ever,” she revealed in 2019.
“My kids and my family are in good shape. I’m healthy. I do a job that I love. It doesn’t get any better, and I’m beyond grateful.”