Hillary Bailey Smith (born May 25, 1957) is an American actress, best known for her daytime soap opera roles as Margo Hughes on As the World Turns and Nora Gannon Buchanan on One Life to Live.
Life and career Smith was born as Hillary Bailey in Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Dana Hall School, Pine Manor College and Sarah Lawrence College. At Sarah Lawrence, she performed in off Broadway and Broadway productions, including The Heidi Chronicles, as a senior. She married Philip Webster Smith, III in 1983. She met her husband at age 14 and married him a few years later after the two reconnected at a friend's wedding. They have two children, a daughter, Courtney and a son, Philip. (As an infant, Smith's son played her on-screen son briefly on As the World Turns.)
Smith is best known for her roles in daytime soap operas. She made her soap debut in 1982, as Kit McCormick on The Doctors and one year later, she assumed the role of Margo Hughes on As the World Turns, a role she played from 1983 to 1989.
After taking maternity leave from acting in 1988, after the birth of her son, Smith returned to daytime television, originating the role of Nora Gannon Buchanan on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. She played Nora from 1992 until the series' cancellation in 2012. She later returned to the show in the 2013 The Online Network short-lived reboot. Smith won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1994 for her performance in One Life to Live. From 1994 to 1995, Smith also appeared in the NBC sitcom Something Wilder.
Smith was a producer of the web soap Venice: The Series, and also appeared as Guya. As a producer, Smith won a Daytime Emmy in 2014. In 2014, Smith was also a supervising producer for the soap opera web series Beacon Hill, and was nominated for a 2015 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding New Approaches Drama Series. In late January 2017, it was reported by Soap Opera Digest and Deadline Hollywood that Smith would reprise her role as Nora on General Hospital.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1984Purple Hearts Jill1992Love Potion No. 9 Sally1997Lifebreath Edie Weinreb2000It Had to Be You Jewelry Saleswoman2001Maid in Manhattan Mrs. Lefferts2004Palindromes Robin Wallace2005Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up PaleontologistVoice2019ValAlso producer
Television Year Title Role Notes1981NurseTina"Best Friends"1982No Soap, RadioKarenMain role1982Kit McCormac"1.5280"1983Baby Makes FiveSusan"Jennie Gets a Job"1983Too Close for ComfortDonna Stewart"Family Business"1983–1989As the World TurnsMargo HughesRegular role1988Sharing RichardRozTV film1991Acting SheriffAsst. D.A. Donna SingerUnsold TV pilot1992Driving Miss DaisyFlorine WerthanTV film1992–2013One Life to LiveNora BuchananMain role1994–95Something WilderAnnie BergmanMain role2005Law & Order: Special Victims UnitMrs. Stanton"Identity"2009–2016Venice: The SeriesGuyaMain role2011–2013Fumbling Thru the PiecesEllie DanielsWeb series2012Dr. Stacy BartonGuest role (13 episodes)2017, 2019General HospitalNora BuchananGuest role (9 episodes)2020Beacon HillIsabelGuest role (3 episodes)
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Nominated work Result1986Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Actress in a Supporting Role on a Daytime SerialAs the World Turns1988Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Heroine: DaytimeAs the World Turns1989Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Heroine: DaytimeAs the World Turns1994Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Lead ActressOne Life to Live1994Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesOne Life to Live1998Online Film & Television AssociationBest Actress in a Daytime SerialOne Life to Live1999Online Film & Television AssociationBest Actress in a Daytime SerialOne Life to Live2000Online Film & Television AssociationBest Actress in a Daytime SerialOne Life to Live2000Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesOne Life to Live2001Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Lead ActressOne Life to Live2010Indie Series AwardsBest Performance in a Comedic RoleVenice the Series2011Indie Series AwardsOutstanding Supporting ActressVenice the Series2012Indie Series AwardsBest Actress (Comedy)Fumbling Thru the Pieces2012HollyWeb FestivalBest ActressFumbling Thru the Pieces2013Indie Series AwardsBest Actress (Comedy)Fumbling Thru the Pieces2014Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding New Approaches - Drama SeriesVenice the Series2015Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding New Approaches - Drama SeriesBeacon Hill2017Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding Digital Daytime Drama SeriesVenice the Series
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