Eileen Davidson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eileen Davidson
Davidson in 2014
Born	Eileen Marie Davidson (1959-06-15) June 15, 1959 (age 66) Artesia, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress author television personality model
Years active	1982–present
Spouse(s)	Christopher Mayer ​ ​ (m. 1985; div. 1986)​ Jon Lindstrom ​ ​ (m. 1997; div. 2000)​ Vincent Van Patten ​ ​ (m. 2003)​
Children	1

Eileen Marie Davidson, born on June 15, 1959, is an American actress and author. She has also been a TV personality and a model. Eileen is famous for her roles in popular TV shows called soap operas. She played Kristen DiMera and Susan Banks on Days of Our Lives. She also played Ashley Abbott on The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful. She was also the last actress to play Kelly Capwell on Santa Barbara.

In 2014, Eileen won a special award called a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She won it for her role on Days of Our Lives. She was the second actress to win this award for that show. In 2018, she won the same award again for her work on The Young and the Restless.

Eileen also acted in the movie The House on Sorority Row (1983). She had a main role in a short TV crime series called Broken Badges (1990–91). In the 2000s, she wrote several mystery novels. In 2014, Eileen joined the TV show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Bravo. She was a full-time cast member until 2017.

About Eileen Davidson

Early Life and Education

Eileen Davidson was born in Artesia, California. She is the youngest of seven children. Her mother, Charlotte, was a homemaker. Her father, Richard, made airplane parts. Eileen grew up in a Roman Catholic family. She went to Corona Del Mar High School in Newport Beach, California. Later, she studied at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.

Starting Her Acting Career

Eileen began playing Ashley Abbott on The Young and the Restless in March 1982. She was chosen from over 100 people who tried out for the part. Ashley became a very important character on the show. Eileen was a key part of the series. She left the show in December 1988. She even suggested an actress named Brenda Epperson to take over her role.

During the 1980s, Eileen also appeared in several movies. These included The House on Sorority Row (1983) and Easy Wheels (1989). She also acted in a TV show called Broken Badges (1990–1991). However, that show was canceled.

Famous Soap Opera Roles

Eileen returned to daytime TV as Kelly Capwell on Santa Barbara. She played this role from November 1991 until the show ended in January 1993. Next, she joined Days of Our Lives in May 1993 as Kristen Blake. Kristen was first shown as a good person. But the show's main villain, Stefano, had raised her.

Later, the show's writer, James E. Reilly, made Kristen more of a villain. He also created an amazing second role for Eileen. She played Susan Banks, who looked exactly like Kristen. Reilly even wrote three more roles for Eileen: Sister Mary Moira, Thomas, and Penelope. Kristen tried to keep Susan trapped on an island. But Susan escaped, and Kristen stayed on the island. Kristen returned to the show in 2012. Eileen's five roles earned her a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1998.

Davidson in 2010

After taking a year off, Eileen returned to The Young and the Restless in March 1999. She was very successful as Ashley Abbott. She even got her second Daytime Emmy nomination for this role. However, she was later let go from the show. In December 2006, Eileen said she was fired because there were no new stories for her character. Her last episode as Ashley was on January 11, 2007.

Many people on the show, including co-star Melody Thomas Scott, thought this was unfair. A few months later, Eileen signed a contract with The Bold and the Beautiful. This show is a sister soap opera to The Young and the Restless. She played Ashley Abbott again on this show, starting March 9, 2007.

Writing and Continued Acting

Eileen co-wrote her first book with author Robert J. Randisi. It was a mystery novel about the soap opera world called Death in Daytime. It came out in October 2008. She then wrote three more books in the series: Dial Emmy for Murder (2009), Diva Las Vegas (2010), and Swinging in the Rain (2011).

In July 2008, Eileen's role on The Bold and the Beautiful became smaller. She then returned to The Young and the Restless full-time as Ashley on September 26, 2008. In 2012, it was announced that Eileen would return to Days of Our Lives as Kristen Blake DiMera. This happened because the company that owned the shows wanted her to work on both.

Davidson at the 2014 Daytime Emmy Awards.

Eileen made a short appearance on The Young and the Restless in February 2013. This was for the show's 40th anniversary. In July 2013, Eileen decided to leave Days of Our Lives after a year as Kristen. Her last episode was on November 13, 2013. However, she returned for one episode on December 3, 2013.

On January 28, 2014, it was announced that Eileen would return as Kristen in the summer of 2014. On May 1, 2014, she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Days of Our Lives. This was her third Emmy nomination and her second for Days. She won the award on June 22, 2014.

On June 17, 2014, Eileen signed a contract to return to The Young and the Restless. Her contract was for two years. It allowed her to keep working on Days of Our Lives in the future. It also gave her the option to take breaks if she was too busy. Eileen also joined the fifth season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

She returned to Days of Our Lives for a short time in spring 2015. She appeared from April 15–30, 2015. On June 12, 2017, it was announced that Eileen would return to Days of Our Lives again. She played Susan from November 2–21. She also briefly played Kristen and Sister Mary Moira on November 21 of that year.

In 2019, Eileen shared that she had been offered a role on All My Children earlier in her career. But she turned it down because she could not afford to move to New York with her five dogs.

Recent Projects

Eileen starred in the 2019 comedy movie 7 Days to Vegas. In 2020, she was in the Christmas movie Middleton Christmas. She played Alana D'Angelo, the dean of a high school. From 2021 to 2022, she starred in the limited series Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem on Peacock. She also appeared in the Christmas movie Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas in 2021. Also in 2021, Eileen starred in the thriller movie Symphoria. In 2023, she was in the Netflix Christmas movie Holiday in the Vineyards.

Eileen Davidson's Work

Movies

Television Shows

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Eileen Davidson para niños