Meg Bennett dead at 75 following cancer battle: Emmy

Release time：2024-05-21 09:07:38 Source：Planet Pulse news portal

Veteran soap opera actress Meg Bennett has died after a cancer battle at the age of 75.

Bennett's family announced that she had died April 11, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Bennett has a prolific career in the soap opera sphere as both an actress and a writer, having worked on a number of high profile daytime shows. 

As an actress, Bennett appeared on 52 episodes of The Young and the Restless from 1980–2020 playing the role of Julia Martin/Julia Newman, the spouse of Eric Braeden’s character Victor Newman.

Bennett played the role of Megan Richardson on 55 episodes of the series Santa Barbara in 1989.

Veteran soap opera actress Meg Bennett has died after a cancer battle at the age of 75. Pictured in 1982 during her run on The Young and the Restless

Bennett has a prolific career in the soap opera sphere as both an actress and a writer, having worked on a number of high profile daytime shows

She had also appeared on Broadway, appearing in the initial run of the musical Grease in 1972 playing the role of Marty Maraschino (portrayed by Dinah Manoff in the 1978 film adaptation) for more than two years.

Following her run on Broadway, she played the role of Liza Walton on the CBS series Search for Tomorrow on three episode from 1975-1977.

Bennett also racked up a significant credit as a writer on a number of soaps.

As her character on The Young and the Restless was being phased out of the storyline, Bennett said she had been asked by Bill Bell, the creator of the soap, to continue contributing creatively on the series as a writer.

'I'd been acting on the show for almost two years when this happened, so I knew the characters,' she told the outlet Daily TV in 1985.

She also appeared on two episodes of General Hospital as Allegra Montenegro in 2005. 

Bennett's writing credits also included stints on the NBC soap Santa Barbara between 1991-93; and the ABC stalwart General Hospital between 1993-2011. 

Bennett and her colleagues on the General Hospital writing staff took home the honors for Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team in 1995.

As an actress, Bennett appeared on 52 episodes of The Young and the Restless from 1980–2020 playing the role of Julia Martin/Julia Newman. Pictured in 1982 

Pictured opposite co-star Pictured opposite costar Eric Braeden, who played her storyline husband Victor Newman on the soap

She had also been nominated for her writing efforts as part of creative staffs on a number of other soaps. They included General Hospital (2012, 2000), The Bold and the Beautiful (2003), and The Young and the Restless (1986).

In the interview in 1985, Bennett opened up about the differences in her approach to acting and writing.

She said: 'I'll admit, acting makes me a little crazy sometimes: You wait to audition. You wait for the part. When you're writing, you're in control. I can initiate things on my own when I'm writing.'

Bennett was born Helen Margaret Bennett October 4, 1948, and grew up in Pasadena, California. She went to Pasadena's John Muir High School and later Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she studied drama.

Her background in show business also on included modeling stints in Life magazine and as a contestant in the Miss America pageant, with acting work in summer stock theater, according to THR.

Following her colleague graduation in 1970, she moved to New York City to further pursue her acting career. Prior to working on Broadway, she had done modeling work for the auto company Cadillac and had done off-Broadway in the production Godspell.

She had also made an appearance on the NBC game show Three on a Match, according to the outlet, coming home with cash, a vehicle, furniture, a boar and a Jamaica vacation in a successful run on the Bill Cullen-hosted program.

Bennett is survived by her spouse of 19 years Robert Guza Jr., as well as two stepdaughters, four grandchildren, a brother and a sister. 

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