Linda Dano
Encyclopedia
Linda Dano is an American
soap opera
actress. A longtime performer in daytime dramas and a bestselling author and businesswoman, Dano was married for over 20 years to advertising executive Frank Attardi.
alongside such actors as Tom Selleck
, Dano joined the ABC
soap opera One Life to Live
in the role of Gretel Cummings
from 1978 to 1980. From 1981 to 1982 she played Cynthia Haines on the CBS
soap opera As the World Turns
.
Dano next portrayed romance novelist Felicia Gallant
on Another World
from 1982 until the show's cancellation on June 25, 1999, her performance winning her the Daytime Emmy Award
for Lead Actress
in 1993. She was also nominated for Leading Actress Emmys in 1994 and 1996, and for Supporting Actress
in 1992.
On June 28, 1999, Dano returned to One Life to Live as Gretel, now calling herself "Rae" Cummings. The character also appeared on the three other ABC soap operas at the time — All My Children
, General Hospital
, and Port Charles
— in a crossover
storyline which was the first time a daytime character had ever appeared on four series. In 2003 Dano was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Supporting Actress for the role, and left One Life to Live on March 13, 2004. In 2005, Dano appeared briefly as Lena Kendall on CBS's Guiding Light
. Dano was also impersonated on NBC's Saturday Night Live in the late 1980s.
dedicated an episode of its Intimate Portrait
celebrity biography series to Dano in 2000. From 1987 until 1992, she co-hosted the Lifetime talk show Attitudes
, and she has both been a guest and guest-host on The View. Dano hosted an Another World reunion special on SOAPnet
in 2003 for which she was later nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Special.
Dano has written a style and fashion column for Soap Opera Digest
on and off for years, and has had her own merchandise lines on QVC
. In 1999 she won the Accessories Council
of Excellence (ACE) Award for outstanding contributions to consumer awareness.
During and since her run in daytime Dano has guest-starred on television series like Homicide: Life on the Street
(1997), Desperate Housewives
(2005), and What I Like About You
(2006), as well as the 2007 film Reservation Road
. In 2005 Dano appeared as the title character in Mame at Pennsylvania
's Bucks County Playhouse
.
and Alzheimer's disease
. Her father's life was taken by the effects of Alzheimer's and she would battle depression later after the double loss of her husband as well as her mother, Evelyn, a week-and-a-half afterward, with mother showing signs of dementia before her death. Dano is active in such groups as HeartShare, the National Osteoporosis Foundation, the National Alzheimer's Association and Support Partners, among others. Dano is also a patron of the Catholic Guardian Society of New York.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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,...
actress. A longtime performer in daytime dramas and a bestselling author and businesswoman, Dano was married for over 20 years to advertising executive Frank Attardi.
Personal life
Dano was born Linda Rae Wildermuth in Long Beach, California to parents Evelyn and Ted Wildermuth. Dano was married to advertising executive Frank Attardi for over 20 years. She has two stepchildren, and three step grandchildren, Jenna, Hannah, and Abigail.Daytime series
After years of being on contract to 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
alongside such actors as Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
, Dano joined the ABC
American 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...
soap opera One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
in the role of Gretel Cummings
Rae Cummings
Dr. Gretel Rae Cummings, PhD is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live.-Casting and awards:Gretel was originated by Linda Dano from 1978 to 1980...
from 1978 to 1980. From 1981 to 1982 she played Cynthia Haines on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
soap opera As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
.
Dano next portrayed romance novelist Felicia Gallant
Felicia Gallant
Felicia Gallant is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera Another World. The character is a professional romance novelist who lives in Bay City....
on Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
from 1982 until the show's cancellation on June 25, 1999, her performance winning her the Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
for Lead Actress
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974...
in 1993. She was also nominated for Leading Actress Emmys in 1994 and 1996, and for Supporting Actress
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys since the 6th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony in 1979....
in 1992.
On June 28, 1999, Dano returned to One Life to Live as Gretel, now calling herself "Rae" Cummings. The character also appeared on the three other ABC soap operas at the time — All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, 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 Port Charles
Port Charles
Port Charles was a daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from June 2, 1997 to October 3, 2003. It is a spin-off of the serial General Hospital, which has been running since 1963 and takes place in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York...
— in a crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
storyline which was the first time a daytime character had ever appeared on four series. In 2003 Dano was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Supporting Actress for the role, and left One Life to Live on March 13, 2004. In 2005, Dano appeared briefly as Lena Kendall on CBS's Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
. Dano was also impersonated on NBC's Saturday Night Live in the late 1980s.
Other genres
Lifetime TelevisionLifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
dedicated an episode of its Intimate Portrait
Intimate Portrait (TV series)
Intimate Portrait is a biographical television series on the Lifetime Television cable network focusing on different celebrities, which includes interviews with each subject....
celebrity biography series to Dano in 2000. From 1987 until 1992, she co-hosted the Lifetime talk show Attitudes
Attitudes (TV series)
Attitudes was an American television talk show on Lifetime Television from 1985–1991. Hosted originally by Linda Dano and Nancy Glass, it was taped before a live studio audience at EUE Screen Gems Studios, 222 East 44th Street in New York City...
, and she has both been a guest and guest-host on The View. Dano hosted an Another World reunion special on SOAPnet
SOAPnet
SOAPnet is an American cable television channel that broadcasts current and past soap operas and primetime dramas, along with some original programming. The channel launched on January 20, 2000, and is owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
in 2003 for which she was later nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Special.
Dano has written a style and fashion column for Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
on and off for years, and has had her own merchandise lines on QVC
QVC
QVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...
. In 1999 she won the Accessories Council
Accessories Council
The Accessories Council is a not-for-profit, national trade association that was established in 1994 with the mission of increasing consumer use and awareness of accessories. As of 2005, Karen Giberson is the group’s president...
of Excellence (ACE) Award for outstanding contributions to consumer awareness.
During and since her run in daytime Dano has guest-starred on television series like Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
(1997), Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
(2005), and What I Like About You
What I Like About You (TV series)
What I Like About You is an American television sitcom set mainly in New York City, following the lives of two sisters, Valerie Tyler and Holly Tyler . The series ran on The WB Television Network from September 20, 2002, to March 24, 2006, with a total of 86 episodes produced...
(2006), as well as the 2007 film Reservation Road
Reservation Road
Reservation Road is a 2007 film directed by Terry George and based on the book of the same title by John Burnham Schwartz, who, along with George, adapted the novel for the screenplay. The film, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Ruffalo, deals with the aftermath of a tragic car accident...
. In 2005 Dano appeared as the title character in Mame at Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
's Bucks County Playhouse
Bucks County Playhouse
The Bucks County Playhouse is the State Theater of Pennsylvania, and is located in New Hope, Pennsylvania.When the Hope Mills burnt in 1790, the grist mills were rebuilt as the New Hope Mills by Benjamin Parry. ....
.
Romance novels
During her run on Another World, Dano co-wrote at least one romance novel under her character's name, Felicia Gallant.- Dreamweaver (1984) Harlequin ISBN 0-373-97012-9 (co-authored with Rebecca Flanders)
Style guides
- Dano, Linda (1998). Living Great: Style Expert and Television Star Linda Dano Shows You How to Bring Style Home With Her Easy, Affordable Decorating Ideas and Techniques. Putnam Pub Group. ISBN 0-399-14392-0 (with Anne Kyle)
- Dano, Linda (1998). Looking Great: Fashion Authority and Television Star Linda Dano Shares Her Style and Beauty Secrets to Help You Look Your Best. Perigee Books. ISBN 0-399-52387-1 (with Anne Kyle)
Causes
For several years, Dano has worked with organizations to tackle medical conditions such as depressionClinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
and Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
. Her father's life was taken by the effects of Alzheimer's and she would battle depression later after the double loss of her husband as well as her mother, Evelyn, a week-and-a-half afterward, with mother showing signs of dementia before her death. Dano is active in such groups as HeartShare, the National Osteoporosis Foundation, the National Alzheimer's Association and Support Partners, among others. Dano is also a patron of the Catholic Guardian Society of New York.