Jill Larson (born October 7, 1947) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Opal Cortlandt on the ABC daytime soap opera, All My Children (1989–2011, 2013), and as titular character in the 2014 supernatural horror film The Taking of Deborah Logan.
Early life Larson has three sisters. Larson attended the same high school as Dorothy Lyman, who played Opal on All My Children before her. She enrolled at the University of Minnesota (eventually, she finished her education at Hunter College), and began singing in nightclubs with a group called Just Us. It was not long before Just Us was discovered and headed to New York City, where they recorded several soundtracks, including the one for the film, Rachel, Rachel, starring Joanne Woodward.
Career Larson and her sister traveled throughout Europe in a bus, before she settled in Paris, France. She became a model, and was soon appearing in major American and European fashion spreads. While in Paris, she also landed her first film role (as a Swedish au pair) in Deadly Trap, starring Faye Dunaway and Frank Langella. Her next film role was as Jeanne Moreau's rival for her character's younger lover in the film, Dear Louise.
Larson made her Broadway debut in Death and the King's Horseman (1987). Other Broadway credits include Romantic Comedy by Bernard Slade and Dancing in the End Zone by Bill Davis. Her Off-Broadway credits include Mayo Simon's two-person play These Men (1980) and Terrence McNally's It's Only a Play (1982). Other regional credits include Private Lives, Full Gallop (a one-woman show portraying the famous editor of Vogue, Diana Vreeland), Holiday, The Seagull, the title roles in Agnes of God and Gypsy. In addition to performing, Larson produced the cabaret revue Serious Bizness (1983). One of her proudest accomplishments was producing and appearing in Wicked & My So Called Life - a comedy revue written by Winnie Holzman and David Babcock, which ran successfully Off-Broadway for 8 months.
In 1986, Larson made her daytime television debut as TV columnist Judith Clayton on CBS's As the World Turns. In 1988, she briefly played bomb-loving psycho Ursula Blackwell on One Life to Live before landing the role of Opal on All My Children. She received two Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series nominations for her performance. In June 2006, after approximately 17 years on contract at All My Children, Larson was taken off contract and reassigned to recurring status. But in early December 2009, ABC announced that, effective immediately, Larson would go back to contract status to ensure her stay with the show through its move to LA. She returned to All My Children on the short-lived revival web series in 2013. In 2014, Larson guest starred on The Young and the Restless.
In addition to her career on the daytime television, Larson appeared in a number of films, such as White Squall (1996), Were the World Mine (2008) and Shutter Island (2010), and guest starred on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Desperate Housewives, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. In 2014 she had the leading role in the horror-thriller film, The Taking of Deborah Logan. Larson received positive reviews for her performance in film. She later co-starred in horror films Can't Take It Back (2017) and The Manor (2021).
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1971 The Deadly TrapAu pair 1972 Dear Louise 1986Wise Guys Mrs. Fixer 1996 White SquallPeggy Beaumont 1996 Vertical City 2005 Barry Dingle 2007 The Living WakeAlma Binew 2008Were the World Mine Nora Bellinger 2008 ManhattanitesMrs. Grimm 2010 Shutter IslandManacled Woman 2012Soap LifeHerselfDocumentary film 2014First Kiss KisserShort film 2014 Red Velvet CakeDeniseShort film 2014The Taking of Deborah LoganDeborah Logan 2015 ForeverRachel2016Maya RoseVioletShort film2017Can't Take It BackMaya Rose2018The Neighborhood WatchMary 2021 The ManorTrish2022A Holiday I DoMary Ellen McSurely2023The Wrath of BeckyDarryl Sr.
Television Year Title Role Notes 1980The Day the Women Got EvenPaula RobinsonTV movie 1985 The EqualizerSingle Female Episode: "Mama's Boy" 1986-1987 As the World TurnsJudith ClaytonRecurring role 1988 Kate & AllieFelicia BromptonEpisode: "Working Women"1988-1989One Life to Live Ursula BlackwellSeries regular: August 23, 1988 – 1989 1989 Santa BarbaraGarnetteRecurring role1989-2011, 2013 All My Children Opal CortlandtSeries regularNominated — Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1991, 1993)Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Best Wedding: Daytime (1992) 1990 Over the LimitMrs. WalshTV movie 2007 Law & Order: Criminal IntentClara HollandEpisode: "Bombshell" 2011Desperate Housewives Sister MartaEpisode: "Farewell Letter" 2012CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Lucinda KempEpisode: "Tressed to Kill" 2014The Young and the Restless Connie RossRecurring role2016VinylBellamyRecurring role. 3 episodes2018Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane Rachel JacobsTV movie 2020Hunters Frannie FischerEpisode: "The Mourner's Kaddish"
References
External links Official site