Alison Sweeney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alison Sweeney
Sweeney in 2009
Born	Alison Ann Sweeney (1976-09-19) September 19, 1976 (age 48) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress director author reality show host
Years active	1981–present
Known for	Days of Our Lives The Biggest Loser
Spouse(s)	David Sanov ​ (m. 2000)​
Children	2

Alison Ann Sweeney, born on September 19, 1976, is a talented American actress. She is also a TV host, director, producer, and author. Many people know her best for playing Samantha "Sami" Brady on the TV show Days of Our Lives. She played this role for a long time, from January 1993 to October 2014.

Alison earned several awards for her role as Sami. These include four Soap Opera Digest Awards. She also received a special Fan Voted Daytime Emmy Award. After leaving the show, she made guest appearances. She returned as a regular cast member in 2021. In 2007, Alison became the host of The Biggest Loser. She hosted this show until 2015.

About Alison's Life

Alison Sweeney has Irish family roots. She grew up with two brothers. She started studying economics at UCLA. However, she left college to focus on her acting career. This was because of her busy schedule with Days of Our Lives.

On July 8, 2000, Alison married David Sanov. They had been dating for almost three years. Alison and David have two children. Their son was born in February 2005. Their daughter was born in January 2009. The family lives in Arizona.

Alison's Acting Journey

Early Career and TV Shows

Alison Sweeney started acting very young. Her first TV appearance was at age five. It was in a Kodak advertisement. A few years later, she acted in an episode of Tales from the Darkside. She played a young girl with a special ability.

In 1988, she appeared in the sitcom Family Man. The next year, she starred in Brand New Life. This was a miniseries that aired on NBC.

Becoming Sami Brady

On January 6, 1993, Alison joined Days of Our Lives. She was 16 years old at the time. She took on the role of Samantha "Sami" Brady. Alison was already a fan of the show.

During the 1990s, there were some challenges. Alison was a US dress size 12. This was considered larger than many other TV stars. She wrote about these experiences in her 2004 book. The book is called All The Days of My Life (So Far).

Other TV Appearances and Hosting

In 2002, Alison was on a celebrity episode of Fear Factor. She also appeared on other NBC shows. These included Friends and Las Vegas. From 2007 to 2010, she co-hosted the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. This was a live TV event.

In 2007, Alison became the host of The Biggest Loser. She took over from Caroline Rhea. Alison was excited about this new role. She enjoyed cheering on the contestants.

Writing Books

Alison Sweeney is also an author. She has written four books. Her first book, All The Days of My Life (So Far), came out in 2004. She also wrote The Star Attraction (2013). Her other books are Scared Scriptless: A Novel (2014) and Opportunity Knocks (2016).

Recent Projects

In July 2013, Alison starred in a Hallmark Original Movie. It was called Second Chances. She acted alongside her Days of Our Lives co-star Greg Vaughan.

In January 2014, Alison announced she was leaving Days of Our Lives. She had been on the show for 21 years. She wanted to spend more time with her family. She also wanted to focus on The Biggest Loser.

In July 2014, Alison joined General Hospital. She worked behind the scenes as a director. In April 2015, she returned to Days of Our Lives. This was for the show's 50th anniversary.

In August 2015, it was announced that Alison would not return to The Biggest Loser. She continued to play Sami Brady on Days of Our Lives. She reprised her role in October 2017.

From 2019, she starred in the Chronicle Mysteries film series. She played podcast host Alex McPherson. The fifth movie in the series came out in 2021. Since 2015, Alison has also appeared in the Murder, She Baked film series. These movies are based on Joanne Fluke's books.

Film and Television Roles

Television Series

Movies

Awards and Recognitions

Alison Sweeney has won several awards for her acting. Here are some of them:

• 1996: Won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Villainess for Days of Our Lives.
• 1998: Won another Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Villainess.
• 1999: Won a third Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Villainess.
• 2001: Won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Younger Lead Actress.
• 2002: Won a Daytime Emmy Award for America's Favorite Villain. This was a special fan award.
• 2005: Won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite New Couple (shared with Bryan Dattilo).
• 2005: Won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
• 2020: Won a Soap Hub Award for Favorite Social Media Star.

See also

In Spanish: Alison Sweeney para niños