Nancy Lee Grahn Biography

Nancy Lee Grahn (born April 28, 1956) is an American actress known primarily for her work in daytime soap operas, portraying Julia Wainwright Capwell on Santa Barbara from 1985-93 and Alexis Davis on General Hospital since 1996.

Early life and career

Grahn was born in Skokie, Illinois, to a Jewish mother and a Lutheran father. Her parents were both involved with their local community theater in Skokie. Grahn's first stage appearance was as a pony in a community production of Oklahoma! At Niles North High School, she played "Daisy Mae" opposite future Broadway actor Gregg Edelman in the school's production of Lil' Abner. As a freshman at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Grahn landed her first credited role, as Mimi in Guys and Dolls at the Goodman Rep Theater, 1973-74 season.

Grahn subsequently went to New York City, where she studied acting with noted drama teachers Sandy Meisner and Bill Epsen. Here she had roles in productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Barefoot in the Park. She also appeared in commercials and several industrial films; in an interview, Grahn recalled crossing paths with fellow future soap star Kim Zimmer at the production of several of those films. She also continued to perform in numerous plays, such as Father's Day and Two for the Seesaw, among others.

Television roles

Grahn has made a number of appearances in episodic prime time television, including Little House on the Prairie, Murder, She Wrote, Magnum, P.I., Diagnosis: Murder, Perry Mason, The Incredible Hulk, Knight Rider and Babylon 5. She has also been seen in the recurring role of Denise Fielding on Melrose Place, as Connie Dahlgren on Murder One, and as Principal Russell on 7th Heaven.

Grahn also has had several roles on daytime dramas. Her first television role was as Beverly Wilkes, Marco Dane's secretary on ABC's One Life to Live from 1980 to 1982. In 1985, she was cast as headstrong lawyer Julia Wainwright Capwell, on the now-defunct soap opera Santa Barbara. Julia was a departure from the traditional "damsel in distress" or vixen roles; she was an intelligent, uncompromising woman. Julia was paired with Mason Capwell, and the two had a Tracy/Hepburn-esque romance. Offscreen, Grahn was briefly involved with Mason's portrayer, actor Lane Davies; conflict over their storylines eventually led to Davies' departure from the series. Grahn's performance garnered her a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1989, an award which she shares with All My Children actress Debbi Morgan. She portrayed the role of Julia until the show's cancellation in 1993.

In 1996, she was cast as Alexis Davis, another headstrong lawyer, on General Hospital. She was nominated for several additional Daytime Emmys, winning in the Outstanding Supporting Actress category in 2012. In July 2010, Grahn re-signed with General Hospital for another four years on the show.

Political views

A liberal, Grahn is outspoken in political matters. In 2000, she organized a television conference for fellow Democratic daytime stars titled "Daytime for Gore/Lieberman". The event was held at the home of Gary Tomlin, director of NBC's Passions, and in attendance were Sharon Davis, wife of California Governor Gray Davis, and Kristin Gore, daughter of Vice President Al Gore. During the 2008 presidential election, she hosted an online chat along with fellow daytime actors to discuss the election with fans.

Grahn is an active proponent of reproductive rights. She created "Daytime for Choice" in 1988, and discussed with the New York Times in 2007 her decision to have an abortion when she was in her 20s as well as her desire to see abortion depicted in a fair and unbiased light within film and television. Grahn is also a supporter of LGBT rights and has participated in the NOH8 Campaign.

Personal life

Grahn is a single mother to one daughter, Katherine Grace, born in 1998. She is also involved in various charities.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	Obsessed with a Married Woman"	Bianca
1985	Kids Don't Tell	Puppet Lady
1985	Streets of Justice	Young Lawyer
1990	The Girl Who Came Between Them	Jann
1991	Perry Mason: The Case of the Glass Coffin	Kate Ford	Television film
1995	Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest	Amanda Porter

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	Little House on the Prairie	Saloon Girl	Episode: "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not: Part 2"
1980-82	One Life to Live	Beverly Wilkes	200 episodes
1982	The Incredible Hulk	Patty Knowlton	Episode: "A Minor Problem"
1982	Magnum, P.I.	Wendy Gilbert	Episode: "Try to Remember"
1982	Quincy, M.E.	Melanie Dumont	Episode: "For Love of Joshua"
1982	The Phoenix	Holly	Episode: "A Presence of Evil"
1982	Simon & Simon	Joan	Episode: "Mike & Pat"
1982	Knight Rider	Jane Adams	Episode: "Just My Bill"
1985-1986	Murder, She Wrote	Erin Carey	2 episodes
1986	Blacke's Magic	Major Crawford	Episode: "Address Unknown"
1985-93	Santa Barbara	Julia Wainwright Capwell	722 episodes
1994	Babylon 5	Shaal Mayan	Episode: "The War Prayer"
1995	Models Inc.	Det. Towers	3 episodes
1995	Renegade	Liza	Episode: "Studs"
1995-96	Murder One	Connie Dahlgren	7 episodes
1996	Diagnosis: Murder	Terri Michaels	Episode: "Left-Handed Murder"
1996"?	General Hospital	Alexis Davis	1040 episodes
1997	Melrose Place	Denise Fielding	7 episodes
1997-99	7th Heaven	Principal Russell	6 episodes
1997-2003	Port Charles	Alexis Davis	7 episodes
2013	Castle	Samantha Peterman	Episode: "Significant Others"

Awards and nominations

List of acting awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Title	Result
1989	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Santa Barbara
1991	Soap Opera Digest Award	Outstanding Super Couple: Daytime	Santa Barbara
1993	Soap Opera Digest Award	Hottest Female Star	Santa Barbara
1993	Soap Opera Digest Award	Outstanding Lead Actress	Santa Barbara
2000	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	General Hospital
2000	Soap Opera Digest Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress	General Hospital
2001	Soap Opera Digest Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress	General Hospital
2003	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	General Hospital
2003	Soap Opera Digest Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress	General Hospital
2004	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	General Hospital
2005	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	General Hospital
2005	Soap Opera Digest Award	Favorite New Couple	General Hospital
2006	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Special Class Special	SOAPnet Reveals ABC Soap Secrets
2011	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	General Hospital
2012	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	General Hospital
2017	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	General Hospital

See also

• List of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign people