Emma Samms
Encyclopedia
Emma Samms is a British
television
actress
best known for her role as Holly Sutton on the American daytime soap opera
General Hospital
and for replacing Pamela Sue Martin
as Fallon Carrington Colby
on the primetime soap opera Dynasty
.
, London
, England
, the daughter of Madeleine U. (née White), a ballet
dancer, and Michael E. W. Samuelson, who owned a film equipment rental company. Her grandfather, G. B. Samuelson
, was a pioneer of British cinema. Samms was raised in the Jewish
religion. She trained as a ballet dancer at the Royal Ballet School
but stopped dancing at 15 after a hip injury. Next training as an actress, she changed her name to "Emma Samms" as there was already an "Emma Samuelson" registered at the actors union Equity.
daytime soap opera
General Hospital
from 1982 to 1985. With Samms choosing to leave the series amicably to go to ABC's prime time hit Dynasty
, her character Holly seemingly perished in a plane crash. On May 15, 1985, Samms appeared in the fifth season finale "Royal Wedding" as Fallon Carrington Colby
, a role originated by Pamela Sue Martin
in 1981. The character was immediately transplanted into the new Dynasty spin-off
The Colbys
for two seasons (1985–1987), until reintroduced back into Dynasty in the September 23, 1987 eighth season premiere "The Siege - Part 1." Samms remained with Dynasty for two seasons until its last episode on 11 May 1989. She later returned for the 1991 miniseries
Dynasty: The Reunion
. After the show's run, Samms did some films, but those she did
failed to get her noticed. She stayed with TV.
"Fan favorite" Samms had been so popular at General Hospital that Holly was brought back from the dead in January 1992 after a seven-year absence. She stayed in the role until 1993, during this time also playing Holly's lookalike half-sister Paloma, a heroic revolutionary. In 1995, Samms appeared as the villainous Grayson Louder in the prime time soap Models Inc., a spin-off of Melrose Place, both produced by former Dynasty producer Aaron Spelling
.
Samms appeared in four episodes of the BBC
series Holby City
in 2003, and had a small run on the BBC daytime series Doctors in 2005. She made a seven-episode return to General Hospital as Holly in February 2006. After serving as a presenter (alongside General Hospital costar Tristan Rogers
) for the Daytime Emmy Awards on 28 April 2006, Samms reappeared on General Hospital for a three-week run starting 1 May 2006, and then again on June 30, 2006. She subsequently stepped into the BBC Children in Need
reality series Celebrity Scissorhands
as a hairdresser from 3 November to 17 November 2006. On 20 September 2007 Samms guested on the long-running ITV
series The Bill
as drug addict Ella Winstanley. Most recently, she made a brief return to General Hospital starting 15 May 2009. On July 17, 2009, Samms appeared on chat show Loose Women
.
Samms is due to perform in Shall We Dance, a dance revue of musicals by Richard Rodgers
. The show is choreographed by former Royal Ballet principal dancer Adam Cooper
who stars, alongside his wife Sarah Wildor
who is also a former Royal Ballet principal dancer. The show is being staged at the Sadler's Wells Theatre
.
, once during her run on General Hospital and the second during Dynasty. In 1983, Samms and her cousin, film producer Peter Samuelson
, co-founded the Starlight Children's Foundation, an organization that helps seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities. The organization was Samms's response to losing her brother, Jamie, who died at age nine from aplastic anemia
.
In 1984, Samms and Tristan Rogers went public with their real-life romance, but the relationship ended around the time she left General Hospital the next year. Engaged to Marvin Hamlisch
in the early 1980s, Samms has been married three times: to Bansi Nagji from 1991 to 1992, to Tim Dillon from 1994 to 1995, and to John Holloway from 1996 to 2003. She and Holloway have two children, Cameron (born 1997), and Beatrice (born 1998).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actress
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for her role as Holly Sutton on the American daytime soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
and for replacing Pamela Sue Martin
Pamela Sue Martin
Pamela Sue Martin is an American actress best known for playing Nancy Drew on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries TV series and Fallon Carrington Colby on the ABC nighttime soap opera Dynasty.-Biography:...
as Fallon Carrington Colby
Fallon Carrington Colby
Fallon Carrington Colby is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty, and its spin-off The Colbys.The role was originated by Pamela Sue Martin in the show's first episode in 1981; Martin left in 1984. The role was recast with Emma Samms in 1985, and the character was spun off onto a...
on the primetime soap opera Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
.
Early life
Samms was born in WillesdenWillesden
Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the daughter of Madeleine U. (née White), a ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
dancer, and Michael E. W. Samuelson, who owned a film equipment rental company. Her grandfather, G. B. Samuelson
G. B. Samuelson
George Berthold Samuelson was one of the pioneers of British cinema.Born in Southport, England, Samuelson had an extensive film career and was the creator of Southall Studios, one of the earliest film production companies in the United Kingdom.He was the father of Sir Sydney Samuelson.-Selected...
, was a pioneer of British cinema. Samms was raised in the Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
religion. She trained as a ballet dancer at the Royal Ballet School
Royal Ballet School
The Royal Ballet School is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the Royal Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in London...
but stopped dancing at 15 after a hip injury. Next training as an actress, she changed her name to "Emma Samms" as there was already an "Emma Samuelson" registered at the actors union Equity.
Career
Samms first played Holly Sutton Scorpio on the ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
daytime soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
from 1982 to 1985. With Samms choosing to leave the series amicably to go to ABC's prime time hit Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
, her character Holly seemingly perished in a plane crash. On May 15, 1985, Samms appeared in the fifth season finale "Royal Wedding" as Fallon Carrington Colby
Fallon Carrington Colby
Fallon Carrington Colby is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty, and its spin-off The Colbys.The role was originated by Pamela Sue Martin in the show's first episode in 1981; Martin left in 1984. The role was recast with Emma Samms in 1985, and the character was spun off onto a...
, a role originated by Pamela Sue Martin
Pamela Sue Martin
Pamela Sue Martin is an American actress best known for playing Nancy Drew on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries TV series and Fallon Carrington Colby on the ABC nighttime soap opera Dynasty.-Biography:...
in 1981. The character was immediately transplanted into the new Dynasty spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
The Colbys
The Colbys
The Colbys is an American prime time soap opera, which originally aired on ABC from November 20, 1985 to March 26, 1987. The Aaron Spelling-produced series was a spin-off of Dynasty, which had been the highest rated series for the 1984-1985 U.S. television season...
for two seasons (1985–1987), until reintroduced back into Dynasty in the September 23, 1987 eighth season premiere "The Siege - Part 1." Samms remained with Dynasty for two seasons until its last episode on 11 May 1989. She later returned for the 1991 miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Dynasty: The Reunion
Dynasty: The Reunion
Dynasty: The Reunion is a 1991 miniseries reuniting the characters from the American prime time television soap opera Dynasty, a series which aired on ABC from 1981 to 1989 and was the highest-rated U.S. series in 1985. The miniseries, like the series, revolves around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil...
. After the show's run, Samms did some films, but those she did
failed to get her noticed. She stayed with TV.
"Fan favorite" Samms had been so popular at General Hospital that Holly was brought back from the dead in January 1992 after a seven-year absence. She stayed in the role until 1993, during this time also playing Holly's lookalike half-sister Paloma, a heroic revolutionary. In 1995, Samms appeared as the villainous Grayson Louder in the prime time soap Models Inc., a spin-off of Melrose Place, both produced by former Dynasty producer Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
.
Samms appeared in four episodes of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
in 2003, and had a small run on the BBC daytime series Doctors in 2005. She made a seven-episode return to General Hospital as Holly in February 2006. After serving as a presenter (alongside General Hospital costar Tristan Rogers
Tristan Rogers
Tristan Rogers is an Australian–American actor. He is best known for playing Robert Scorpio on the ABC soap opera General Hospital...
) for the Daytime Emmy Awards on 28 April 2006, Samms reappeared on General Hospital for a three-week run starting 1 May 2006, and then again on June 30, 2006. She subsequently stepped into the BBC Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
reality series Celebrity Scissorhands
Celebrity Scissorhands
Celebrity Scissorhands is a reality show that is part of the BBC's Children in Need charity campaign, in which celebrities attempt to cut people's hair to raise money for the campaign while trained and watched by professional hairdresser Lee Stafford...
as a hairdresser from 3 November to 17 November 2006. On 20 September 2007 Samms guested on the long-running ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
series The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
as drug addict Ella Winstanley. Most recently, she made a brief return to General Hospital starting 15 May 2009. On July 17, 2009, Samms appeared on chat show Loose Women
Loose Women
Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...
.
Samms is due to perform in Shall We Dance, a dance revue of musicals by Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
. The show is choreographed by former Royal Ballet principal dancer Adam Cooper
Adam Cooper
Adam Bryce Cooper was a fictional character in the Australian police drama series Blue Heelers. He joined the cast in late 1994 while the programme was still in its first season...
who stars, alongside his wife Sarah Wildor
Sarah Wildor
Sarah Wildor is an English ballerina and theatre dancer. She is most noted as a former principal dancer with The Royal Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London.- Overview :...
who is also a former Royal Ballet principal dancer. The show is being staged at the Sadler's Wells Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue located in Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington. The present day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500 seat main auditorium and the Lilian Baylis Studio, with extensive...
.
Personal life
Samms twice declined offers to appear in PlayboyPlayboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, once during her run on General Hospital and the second during Dynasty. In 1983, Samms and her cousin, film producer Peter Samuelson
Peter Samuelson
Peter Samuelson is an American and British TV and film producer and executive producer.- Career :Peter Samuelson is President of Film Associates, Inc. http://www.samuelson.la a media consultancy and production company...
, co-founded the Starlight Children's Foundation, an organization that helps seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities. The organization was Samms's response to losing her brother, Jamie, who died at age nine from aplastic anemia
Aplastic anemia
Aplastic anemia is a condition where bone marrow does not produce sufficient new cells to replenish blood cells. The condition, per its name, involves both aplasia and anemia...
.
In 1984, Samms and Tristan Rogers went public with their real-life romance, but the relationship ended around the time she left General Hospital the next year. Engaged to Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch is an American composer. He is one of only thirteen people to have been awarded Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and a Tony . He is also one of only two people to EGOT and also win a Pulitzer Prize...
in the early 1980s, Samms has been married three times: to Bansi Nagji from 1991 to 1992, to Tim Dillon from 1994 to 1995, and to John Holloway from 1996 to 2003. She and Holloway have two children, Cameron (born 1997), and Beatrice (born 1998).
Television filmography
- General HospitalGeneral HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
as Holly Sutton Scorpio (1982–1985, 1992–1993, 2006, 2009) - DynastyDynasty (TV series)Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
as Fallon Carrington ColbyFallon Carrington ColbyFallon Carrington Colby is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty, and its spin-off The Colbys.The role was originated by Pamela Sue Martin in the show's first episode in 1981; Martin left in 1984. The role was recast with Emma Samms in 1985, and the character was spun off onto a...
#2 (1985; 1987–1989) - The ColbysThe ColbysThe Colbys is an American prime time soap opera, which originally aired on ABC from November 20, 1985 to March 26, 1987. The Aaron Spelling-produced series was a spin-off of Dynasty, which had been the highest rated series for the 1984-1985 U.S. television season...
as Fallon Carrington Colby (1985–1987) - The Magic of David Copperfield XI: Explosive Encounter (1989)
- Dynasty: The ReunionDynasty: The ReunionDynasty: The Reunion is a 1991 miniseries reuniting the characters from the American prime time television soap opera Dynasty, a series which aired on ABC from 1981 to 1989 and was the highest-rated U.S. series in 1985. The miniseries, like the series, revolves around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil...
as Fallon Carrington Colby (1991) - Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of SupermanLois & Clark: The New Adventures of SupermanLois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...
as Arianna Carlin Luthor (1993) - Models Inc. (TV series) as Grayson Louder (1994–1995) 18 episodes
- Dynasty Reunion: Catfights & Caviar (2006)
Filmography
- 1979 - Arabian AdventureArabian AdventureArabian Adventure is a 1979 fantasy adventure film directed by Kevin Connor and starring Christopher Lee and Oliver Tobias. The film was shot at Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire, U.K.-Plot synopsis:...
- 1981 - Goliath AwaitsGoliath AwaitsGoliath Awaits is a 1981 American television movie originally broadcast in two parts in November 1981 on various stations as a part of Operation Prime Time's syndicated programming...
(TV) - 1984 - Ellis Island (TV series)
- 1986 - Murder in Three ActsMurder in Three ActsMurder in Three Acts is a 1986 British-American television film produced by Warner Bros. Television, featuring Peter Ustinov as Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot...
- 1989 - The Lady and the HighwaymanThe Lady and the HighwaymanThe Lady and the Highwayman is a 1989 UK TV movie based on Barbara Cartland's Romance Novel Cupid Rides Pillion. The working title of the film was Dangerous Love....
- 1990 - The Shrimp on the BarbieThe Shrimp on the BarbieThe Shrimp on the Barbie is a 1990 comedy film directed by Michael Gottlieb and starring Cheech Marin. In Australia this movie was released as The Boyfriend From Hell...
- 1991 - Bejewelled (TV)
- 1991 - DeliriousDelirious (film)Delirious is a romantic comedy film starring John Candy, Mariel Hemingway, Emma Samms and Raymond Burr . It was released in 1991, but it did not achieve commercial success at the box offices.-Plot:...
- 1993 - Robin Cook's Harmful Intent (TV)
- 1994 - Treacherous Beauties (TV)
- 1994 - Terminal VoyageTerminal VoyageTerminal Voyage is a 1994 science fiction film directed by Rick Jacobson. The film was released by Saban Entertainment and distributed by New Concorde. The film was broadcast on the TV as Starquest.-Plot:...
- 2002 - Pretend You Don't See Her (TV)
- 2005 - The Marksman (direct to DVD)
- 2005 - Supernova (TV)