There's nobody quite like Deidre Hall.
The iconic actress has earned the love and respect of fans worldwide for playing Dr. Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives for 50 years. She's even made history by starring on both daytime and primetime shows at the same time.
Her legacy has opened countless doors throughout her established career, including her most recent appearance in the hit series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Hall's guest stint resonated with her passionate soap fans as she plays a character similar to her trailblazing role on Days of Our Lives.
"I'm so pleased! How could I not say yes? My character will feel familiar because she is a psychiatrist. She is treating Pike for some past trauma. The sets? The clothing? My goodness! People were very excited about my appearance," Hall tells Out.
Hall's storylines on Days of Our Lives are incredibly vast as she's portrayed everything from a devil possession to a tragic plane crash. Through her character's unconditional love for her grandson Will Horton (played by Chandler Massey), Dr. Evans also became part of daytime television's landmark LGBTQ+ representation.
In April 2012, Hall set the tone for emotional coming-out moments on screen when her character lovingly accepted her grandson after he comes out as gay. As a supportive grandmother and psychiatrist, Evans immediately offers him reassurance.
The scene made such a pivotal impact for queer people across the globe, so it eventually led to daytime television's first male same-sex wedding two years later in April 2014, which Evans proudly officiated.
"My grandson coming out to me was the first ever done on television. There was a whole lot of conversation about it. We knew Marlena would be accepting and embracing. We had so much mail from young gay men! They said, 'I didn't know how to tell my mom, so I put on the show.' It was such an event for the gay community. I was so proud of us for doing it so well!"
Hall has helped bring families together through her lucrative storytelling over the years, but her personal favorite storyline on Days of Our Lives involved her actual twin sister.
"We don't talk about my sister joining the show! My identical twin played my identical twin on the show. She had to leave her job as a school teacher teaching special ed to come and do it. The tragic irony is that she has a Master's in Education, but doing Days of Her Lives enabled her to pay off her college loan. I loved playing with her!"
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is streaming now on Paramount+. Days of Our Lives is streaming on Peacock.
