Louise Sorel

Early life

Sorel was born Louise Jacqueline Cohen in Los Angeles, California. Her parents were Albert J. Cohen, a film producer, Jeanne ( Sorel), a concert pianist. Sorel is Jewish.

Sorel received theatrical training at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York. She briefly attended the Institut Français, where she studied French. She began performing on stage when she was 15 years old.

Career

Sorel's early career was on the stage; she spent several years on Broadway, playing roles in Take Her, She's Mine and Man and Boy. She appeared in stage productions of The Lion in Winter and The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window.

Sorel's first feature film appearance was in the film The Party's Over (1965). She appeared in Plaza Suite (1971), Night Gallery episode "Pickman's Model" (1971), B.S. I Love You (1971), Every Little Crook and Nanny (1972), The Return of Charlie Chan (1973), Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), Mazes and Monsters (1982), Where the Boys Are '84 (1984), and Crimes of Passion (1984), among others. Sorel has made guest appearances on more than 50 prime-time programs and TV movies, including Star Trek (as "Rayna", in the episode "Requiem for Methuselah", which aired in 1969). She also portrayed Terry Waverly, the sister-in-law of Dr. Richard Kimble, in an episode of The Fugitive in 1965.

Her first daytime dramatic role was as eccentric, meddlesome Augusta Wainwright on the NBC daytime drama Santa Barbara. She appeared on Santa Barbara from July 1984 to August 1986, then from November 1988 to May 1989, returning the following October. She remained until October 1991.

In between stints, she also spent a year appearing as a strong-willed but decent District Attorney, Judith Russell Sanders, on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, from August 1986 through November 1987. She played the villainous Vivian Alamain on the NBC daytime serial, Days of Our Lives from March 1992 until February 2000. Sorel's performance as Alamain garnered her five Soap Opera Digest Awards as "Outstanding Villainess" in 1994, "Outstanding Showstopper" in 1997, and again in 1999 as "Outstanding Scene Stealer".

In 2000, shortly after her dismissal from Days of Our Lives, Sorel briefly joined the cast of the Port Charles as fashion maven "Donatella Stewart" (a play on the names Donatella Versace and Martha Stewart). The role lasted for a month. In 2001, she had a brief role on another ABC soap opera, All My Children, as "Judge Kay Campobello," who blackmailed Adam Chandler into sleeping with her. She made a brief appearance on Passions as cannery worker Dort in 2004. In December 2009, she was invited to reprise her villainous role on Days of Our Lives.

In June 2011, Sorel was let go from Days of Our Lives along with many other actors to make room for the return of super couple John and Marlena and several other characters. In 2014, Sorel played Emily Tanner in the soap opera web series Beacon Hill.

On December 29, 2017, Sorel returned to Days of Our Lives as Vivian. However, she was briefly replaced by Robin Strasser. On December 30, 2019, it was announced that Sorel would once again return to the role in 2020.

In 2023, Sorel returned to her role as Vivian Alamain, in Days of Our Lives and again in 2025.

Partial Filmography

• 2014, 2020: Beacon Hill – Emily Tanner
• 1992–2000, 2009–11, 2017–18, 2020, 2023-present: Days of Our Lives – Vivian Alamain
• 2004: Passions – Dort
• 1998: Sabrina the Teenage Witch – Mrs Saberhagen
• 1996: Law & Order – "Causa Mortis" as Marcy Fletcher Wrightman
• 1984–1991: Santa Barbara – Augusta Lockridge
• 1986–87: One Life to Live – Judith Sanders
• 1984: Matt Houston – “Eyewitness” as Barbara Daniels
• 1983: Diff'rent Strokes – Robin Saunders
• 1982: Mazes and Monsters – Julia
• 1982: Airplane II: The Sequel – Nurse
• 1982: Hart to Hart – "Blue and Broken Harted" season 3 episode 16 – Pat Yankee
• 1982: Knots Landing – Bess Riker
• 1982: Trapper John, M.D. – Marty Katz
• 1982: Magnum, P.I. – Eleanor Greeley
• 1979: The Incredible Hulk – Doctor Renee Dubois, S3E10
• 1977: Kojak – Janice Maclay
• 1974: Kojak – Vicky Brewer
• 1973: Circle of Fear – Nisa King
• 1973: The President's Plane Is Missing – Joanna Spencer
• 1973: Hawaii Five-O - Diane Foxton
• 1972: The Don Rickles Show – Barbara Robinson
• 1972: Banacek – Alicia Danato
• 1971: B.S. I Love You – Ruth
• 1971: Night Gallery – Mavis Goldsmith
• 1969: Star Trek: The Original Series – "Requiem for Methuselah" as Rayna
• 1968: Mannix – "Delayed Action" as Danielle Michaels / Merry Higgins
• 1967: The Rat Patrol – "The Fatal Reunion Raid" as Gabrielle
• 1967: The Flying Nun - S1E4 – "A Bell for San Tanco" as Binkie
• 1965: Bonanza – Marie
• 1965: The Virginian – "The Dream Of Stavros Karas" - Eleni Niarcos
• 1965: The Fugitive – "The Survivors" as Terry Waverly
• 1963: The Defenders – "Conspiracy of Silence" as Margie Spencer

Awards

References

References

1. "Louise Sorel Archives".
2. (July 31, 1975). "Balloons, T-Shirts Give Class to Hollywood Party". The Buffalo News.
3. "Louise Sorel".
4. "Days of our Lives Favorite Louise Sorel Celebrates Her Birthday". Soap Hub.
5. (November 3, 1994). "Louise Sorel Battles To Give Her Character Character". Chicago Tribune.
6. (January 28, 2003). "Jeanne Sorel Cohen".
7. Howard, Margo. (May 15, 2014). "Eat, Drink & Remarry: Confessions of a Serial Wife". Harlequin.
8. "Louise Sorel Archives".
9. (July 28, 1964). "Pidgeon and New Star Enliven Nyack Comedy". The Record.
10. (November 13, 1963). "Rattigan's 'Man and Boy' Proves a Battering Bore". Newsday (Nassau Edition).
11. The Broadway League. "IBDb profile".
12. (May 8, 1965). "Romantic View of Dissipation". The Birmingham Post.
13. (September 19, 1993). "Days of Louise Sorel's Life". Tulsa World.
14. "Catching Up with TOS Guest Star... Louise Sorel". CBS Television Distribution and CBS Interactive Inc..
15. "Louise Sorel filmography at ''New York Times''".
16. Damon L. Jacobs. "Sorel's daytime television career".
17. (23 July 2020). "Chatting with veteran actress Louise Sorel: 'Days of Our Lives' (Includes interview)". DIGITAL JOURNAL INC..
18. "Exclusive: Louise Sorel Exits Days of Our Lives". CBS Interactive, Inc..
19. (3 June 2011). "Days of Our Lives Shake-Up! Hogestyn and Hall Return, Sorel and Chappell Out". TVLine.
20. (February 28, 2014). "A Who's Who Guide For ''Beacon Hill''!". [[ABC Soaps In Depth]].
21. "The Characters". Beaconhilltheseries.com.
22. (2019-12-30). "Louise Sorel Returns as Vivian to Days".
23. (23 March 2023). "Louise Sorel returning to Days of our Lives".