Meg Bennett, an actress, lost her fight with cancer on April 11 at the age of 75.
According to her obituary, the Emmy-winning writer and actress’s family confirmed her passing. Bennett continued to be very busy up to the end, engaging in activities such as writing, helping with children, and maintaining contact with her extensive network of friends and relatives.
Despite her character’s demise, Y&R creator Bill Bell requested her to remain a writer on CBS’s The Young and the Restless. She joined the show as an actress in 1980, playing Julia Newman, wife of Victor Newman (Eric Braeden).
Bennett, a daytime television legend known for her versatility, left an unforgettable impression on legendary soap operas like “General Hospital” and “The Young and the Restless” during her multi-decade career, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR).
Her career in show business started out in 1972 with her Broadway debut in the original cast of “Grease” as Marty Maraschino. According to the source, Bennett made her television debut almost immediately after, playing the role of Liza Walton in the series “Search for Tomorrow,” which also featured Morgan Fairchild and Kevin Kline.
Helen “Meg” Bennett (her middle name is Margaret) grew up in Pasadena after being born on October 4, 1948.
In addition to being a homecoming queen, a Miss America contender, a Life magazine model, and a summer stock performer, Bennett attended Pasadena’s John Muir High School and studied acting at Northwestern University, where Shelley Long was a fellow student.
Upon graduating in 1970, she relocated to New York to pursue an acting career. She was hired as a Cadillac model, had an off-Broadway appearance in Godspell, and eventually joined Grease. She was a winner on Bill Cullen’s NBC game show Three on a Match, where she also received a vehicle, three rooms’ worth of furnishings, a yacht, and a Jamaican vacation.
Throughout her career, Bennett garnered several nominations for her performance in the genre and was rewarded with a Daytime Emmy in 1995 for her portrayal of General Hospital. According to THR, she was also honored with two Writers Guild of America awards for her exceptional writing.
