Kimberly Jo Zimmer (born February 2, 1955) is an American actress, best known for her role as Reva Shayne on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light. For this portrayal, she has won four Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Career Zimmer's career began with stage work; an early television role was her portrayal of the character of Bonnie Harmer on One Life to Live in 1978. In 1979, she was tapped to replace Kathleen Turner as Nola Dancy Aldrich on The Doctors. (She later appeared opposite Turner in the 1981 film Body Heat in a plot that addressed similarities in their appearance.) For much of her stint, she was the show's leading lady, but left the show in July 1982 on a maternity leave, escorted off the show by her real life husband, A.C. Weary, who played Nola's newest conquest. She would return one last time later in the year for the funeral of her former mother-in-law, Mona Croft. She had a brief return to One Life to Live from February through November 1983 as Echo DiSavoy.
In 1983, Zimmer was cast in the role for which she is best known, the character of Reva Shayne on the television soap opera Guiding Light. Her portrayal of Reva was a focus of the show until Zimmer left in 1990. She returned to Guiding Light in April 1995 and portrayed Reva until the show's conclusion in September 2009. While Zimmer's Reva was paired with several leading men, her work with Robert Newman (Josh) earned them the label of "supercouple."
Zimmer left Guiding Light in July 1990 and moved to the West Coast for five years, during which she played Jodie DeWitt Walker on Santa Barbara from 1992 to 1993. In 1995, Zimmer appeared in an episode of Seinfeld ("The Diplomat's Club"), as Mr. Pitt's attorney, who suspected Elaine and Jerry were trying to kill Mr. Pitt.
In 2010, Zimmer returned to the role of Echo on One Life to Live. Zimmer was featured in a story along with former Guiding Light co-star Jerry verDorn (Clint Buchanan), Robin Strasser (Dorian Cramer) and Erika Slezak (Viki Lord).
Zimmer has also appeared in several episodic television programs, including Designing Women, MacGyver, Models, Inc., University Hospital, and Babylon 5 (episode "And Now For a Word", year 1995). She also appeared in several made-for-television movies.
Zimmer has starred in a number of theater roles, including several at Augusta's Barn Theatre. In 2011, it was announced that Zimmer would be cast in the Off-Broadway international hit Love, Loss, and What I Wore. She starred as Mrs. Hayes in Connecticut Repertory Theatre's production of Odysseus D.O.A., running through March 4, 2012. Zimmer made her musical theatre debut when she joined the first North American tour of Broadway's Wicked. She played the role of Madame Morrible from 14 August 2012 through 13 December 2013. Zimmer returned to the role with the first North American tour on 30 September 2014. Zimmer has also appeared in several productions of the musical Gypsy, first in 2006 at the Barn Theatre in Augusta, Michigan, and in 2015 at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera opposite former Guiding Light leading man Robert Newman.
In 2011 she released her memoir called I'm Just Sayin'!: Three Deaths, Seven Husbands and a Clone! My Life as a Daytime Diva.
In 2023, after several years off-screen, Zimmer returned to acting starring in the drama film You Sing Louder, I Sing Louder starring opposite Ewan McGregor and her son Jake Weary.
Personal life Zimmer was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the daughter of Burdina Elva (known as "Dede") Zimmer and Walter Jack Zimmer. She has an older sister Karen Ann (née Zimmer) Witzel. She graduated from Forest Hills Central High School in Ada Township, which is just east of Grand Rapids, and then studied at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. She is married to actor/director A.C. Weary (Allen Cudney Weary), and they have three children: Rachel, Max, and Jake Weary. Jake is also an actor; he appeared on As the World Turns as Luke Snyder in 2005, and has had various guest roles, including on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and starred as Deran Cody in Animal Kingdom from 2016 to 2022. She resides in Montclair, New Jersey.
On May 16, 2024, during an appearance on a special Stand Up to Cancer benefit episode of the YouTube podcast series The Locher Room, Zimmer revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2023 and was undergoing treatment.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1978One Life to LiveBonnie Harmon May 3, 1978 – 19781979–1982The DoctorsNola Dancy AldrichSeries regular: August 18, 1979 – 19821981Body HeatMary Ann1983, 2010–2011One Life to LiveEcho DiSavoySeries regular, from March to October 1983, October 1, 2010 – October 14, 20111983–1990, 1995–2009Guiding LightReva ShayneSeries regular, from November 28, 1983 – August 1990, April 28, 1995 – September 18, 2009Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (1985, 1987, 1990, 2006)Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama (1988, 2000)Nominated - Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (1986, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007)Nominated - Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama (1986, 1989, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2003)Nominated — Gold Derby Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (2004, 2006)1989Trenchcoat in ParadiseClaire HollanderTV movie1989Designing WomenMavisEpisode: "The Rowdy Girls"1989–1990MacGyverPolice Lt. Kate Murphy3 episodes1991Hell Hath No FuryMarleneTV movie1991Keeping SecretsMaureenTV movie1992FBI: The Untold StoriesBarbara OswaldEpisode: "Lady Skyjacker"1992–1993Santa BarbaraJodie WalkerSeries regularNominated - Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama (1993)1994The Disappearance of VonnieVonnie Kaczmarek RickmanTV movie1994–1995Models Inc.Joan6 episodes1995University HospitalDr. Karen HaleEpisode: "Shadow of a Doubt"1995Babylon 5Cynthia TorquemanEpisode: "And Now for a Word"1995SeinfeldLenoreEpisode: "The Diplomat's Club"2003Shortcut to HappinessPatty2006Little SecretsNico2008The Van Pelt FamilyJanet Van PeltShort film2010SteamboatRhondaWeb-seriesNominated — Indie Series Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress2010Freshman FatherDean FrostTV movie201323 BlastMary Freeman2019Venice the Series Tori8 episodes2023You Sing Louder, I Sing Louder Elsie
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