Kassie DePaiva facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kassie DePaiva
DePaiva in 2015
Born	Katherine Virginia Wesley (1961-03-21) March 21, 1961 (age 64) Morganfield, Kentucky, U.S.
Alma mater	Indiana University Bloomington University of California, Los Angeles
Occupation	Actress and singer
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Richard C. Hankins ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 1995)​ James DePaiva ​ (m. 1996)​
Children	1

Kassie DePaiva (born March 21, 1961) is an American actress and singer. She is famous for her roles in popular TV shows called soap operas. Kassie played Chelsea Reardon on Guiding Light from 1986 to 1991. She was also known as Blair Cramer on One Life to Live from 1993 to 2013. Later, she joined Days of Our Lives as Eve Donovan from 2014 to 2020 and again in 2023. Kassie has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award three times for her acting. She also starred in the horror movie Evil Dead II in 1986. Besides acting, Kassie is a singer and has released three music albums.

Early life and education

Kassie DePaiva was born Katherine Virginia Wesley in Morganfield, Kentucky. She grew up there with her two older brothers and a younger sister. Her father was a lawyer in their small town.

From a young age, Kassie loved to sing in her church choir. She also enjoyed performing in school plays. In high school, she was even voted "Most Talented" by her classmates. After high school, Kassie went to Indiana University Bloomington. She also worked at Opryland USA in Nashville, Tennessee. When she was 18, she sang two songs at the Grand Ole Opry, which was her first professional singing performance. After this, she decided to study theater at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Acting and singing career

Starting out in acting and music (1979-1993)

While studying at UCLA, Kassie got her first acting job in a TV commercial for Wendy's. She also joined a singing group called Newport. They performed in cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas. Kassie left college to go on a tour with Newport for the USO. They performed for troops in Japan, Korea, and Okinawa. When she returned to the U.S., Kassie became a backup singer for Bobby Womack. She toured with him across the U.S. and Great Britain.

Kassie then returned to acting. She got a role as Bobby Joe in the movie Evil Dead II. Soon after, she joined the cast of the CBS soap opera Guiding Light. She played Chelsea Reardon starting in November 1986. Her character was a singer, which allowed Kassie to sing on the show often. She left the show in 1991 after four years. After Guiding Light, Kassie appeared in other TV shows like Time Trax, Melrose Place, and Baywatch. She also hosted a sports show called The Pro Shop because she loves golf.

Becoming a soap opera star (1993-2006)

In 1993, Kassie was cast as Blair Cramer on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. Her first episode aired on December 17, 1993. This role became one of her most famous.

In 2000, Kassie released her first music album, Naked. She said the songs were very honest and focused on women's experiences. In 2002, she performed in a play called Love Letters with her husband, James DePaiva. In 2005, she released her second album, No Regrets, which had pop country songs. She also sang a duet with Jim Brickman on his album, The Disney Songbook.

Kassie was nominated for her first Daytime Emmy Award in 2005 for her role on One Life to Live. She also acted in a short film called Exit. In 2006, she starred in and produced a film called Undone, which her husband directed. Kassie also sang on two special albums in 2006. One album, One Life: Many Voices for Hurricane Relief, raised money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The other, A Holiday Affair, featured holiday songs by ABC soap opera actors.

Continuing her journey (2007-present)

Kassie released her third album, I Want to Love You, in 2007. She described this album as having a more natural, bluegrass sound. In 2009, she appeared in a TV ad with her husband for a music CD collection.

Playing charity golf at the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival in Fayetteville, NC. ca 1994

Kassie continued to play Blair Cramer on One Life to Live until the show ended on ABC in 2012. She also made guest appearances as Blair on General Hospital that same year. In 2013, she played Emma Parker in the thriller movie We Are What We Are. She also performed in a musical with her husband.

In 2014, Kassie joined the cast of Days of Our Lives as Eve Donovan. Her first episode aired on June 18, 2014. She left the show in 2016 but returned for short periods in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award again in 2016 and 2019 for her work on Days. In 2016, she also made a guest appearance on the TV show Castle. In 2020, she appeared in the film Killian & the Comeback Kids. She also starred in the short film Common as Red Hair in 2022. In 2023, Kassie returned to both General Hospital and Days of Our Lives for special appearances.

Personal life

Kassie DePaiva married Richard C. Hankins in 1988. They later divorced in 1995. She met her second husband, James DePaiva, in the late 1980s. They met again in 1993 when they were cast as a couple on One Life to Live. They got married on May 31, 1996, in her hometown of Morganfield, Kentucky.

Kassie and James have one son together, James Quentin (J. Q.) DePaiva, born in 1997. When J.Q. was a baby, his parents learned he was completely deaf due to an inner-ear condition. He received his first cochlear implant when he was 18 months old and a second one at age eight. In 2007, J.Q. even had a small role on the soap opera All My Children.

Kassie is very involved in helping people with hearing loss. She is on the board of the League for the Hard of Hearing, a group that supports deaf people and their families. She also created and sold "Happy Hats" online, donating the money to charities for the deaf. She has also worked to make sure all newborn babies in the U.S. get hearing tests.

In 2016, Kassie shared that she had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. In 2023, she announced she had also been diagnosed with breast cancer. She has since recovered from both illnesses and is now cancer-free.

Film and TV roles

Movies

Television shows

Music albums

• Naked (2000)
• No Regrets (2005)
• I Want to Love You (2007)

Awards and nominations

Kassie DePaiva has been recognized for her acting with several nominations:

See also

In Spanish: Kassie DePaiva para niños

• Todd Manning and Blair Cramer