American television actress (born 1955)
Leann Hunley (born February 25, 1955[ 1] ) is an American television actress. Although she has worked in numerous productions, she is perhaps best known for portraying Anna DiMera on NBC's Days of Our Lives and Dana Waring on the ABC primetime soap opera, Dynasty .
Early life
Hunley was born in Forks, Washington . Her father was a commercial fisherman and her mother a beautician. She is the youngest of four siblings. Her previous occupation is an answering service operator. Leann has worked as a model and won second runner up in the Miss Hawaii pageant in 1977.[ 2]
Career
Hunley's first television appearance was on Hawaii Five-O , in which she played separate characters in two different episodes during the series' 10th season, 1977-78. After appearing as an unnamed female Colonial Warrior in four episodes of Battlestar Galactica , Hunley guest-starred on Mrs. Columbo and B. J. and the Bear before becoming a regular on the latter's spinoff The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo . Her role as Anna DiMera on Days of Our Lives from 1982[ 3] to 1986 won her an Emmy Award at the 13th Daytime Emmy Awards for best supporting actress in 1986. For three seasons of Dynasty , Hunley portrayed Dana Waring , Adam Carrington 's wife. She appeared on Aaron Spelling 's short-lived Models, Inc. . In the first season of Dawson's Creek (1998) she was Tamara Jacobs, a high school English teacher who has a tempestuous affair with her student Pacey Witter . She also played Shira Huntzberger on Gilmore Girls in 2005, and has guest-starred in various comedy and drama series such as Just Shoot Me! , Strong Medicine , Raising Hope , NCIS , and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit .
After a 21-year absence from playing the role, Hunley returned to Days of Our Lives as Anna on June 21, 2007, recurring on the series until mid-2010. She again returned to play the role of Anna DiMera for a story arc beginning in January 2017, and has continued to make appearances on the NBC daytime serial as of September 2022, while also playing the same character in the spinoff series Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem airing on the Peacock streaming service since 2021.
Filmography
Film
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1993
The Beverly Hillbillies
Miss Arlington
1995
Cops n Roberts
N/A
2001
Your Guardian
Tanna Hildegard
2012
Blissful Lies
Addison Hamilton
Television
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1977
Hawaii Five-O
Longworth's Secretary
Episode: "The Cop on the Cover"
1978
Hawaii Five-O
Lucy Sutherland
Episode: "Frozen Assets"
1978
The Islander
Mac's Wife
Television film
1978–1979
Battlestar Galactica
1st Girl Warrior
4 episodes
1979
B. J. and the Bear
Dr. Winters
Episode: "Crackers"
1979
Mrs. Columbo
Judy
Episode: "The Valley Strangler"
1979–1980
The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo
Sarah Cumberland
Main role
1982
Fantasy Island
Secretary
Episode: "The Curse of the Moreaus/My Man Friday"
1982–1986, 2007–2010, 2017–present
Days of Our Lives
Anna DiMera
Regular role
1983
Hart to Hart
Diane
Episode: "As the Hart Turns"
1984
Airwolf
Meryl
Episode: "One Way Express"
1985
Amazing Stories
Woman
Episode: "Remote Control Man"
1986
Knight Rider
Liz Preston
Episode: "Fright Knight"
1986
Hotel
Catherine
Episode: "Opening Moves"
1986-1988
Dynasty
Dana Waring Carrington
Main role (seasons 7–8); guest role (season 9)
1988
Highway to Heaven
Jennifer
Episode: "We Have Forever: Parts 1 & 2"
1988
Murder, She Wrote
Shannon McBride
Episode: "A Little Night Work"
1988
Simon & Simon
Violet Harlowe / R.J. Simmons
Episode: "Play It Again, Simon"
1989
The Last Word
Herself
Game show pilot
1989
Who's the Boss?
Lisa
Episode: "Winter Break"
1989
Wolf
N/A
Television film
1990
Designing Women
Gaby Langford
Episode: "The Mistress"
1990
Matlock
Leanne Wilson
Episode: "The Talk Show"
1990
Murder, She Wrote
Dana Darren
Episode: "Murder: According to Maggie"
1990
Lucky Chances
Eden
TV miniseries
1990
L.A. Law
Maura Fitzgerald
Episode: "New Kidney on the Block"
1991
Gabriel's Fire
Gwen Kidder
Episode: "Postcards from the Faultline"
1991
Princesses
Andrea Sussman
Episode: Pilot
1992
Coopersmith
Laraine Sands
Television film
1993
Silent Victim
Chrissy Lee
Television film
1993
Daddy Dearest
Pam
Episodes: "The Tortoise and the Scare", "Thanks, But No Thanks"
1994
The Nanny
Bobbi Jo
Episode: "I Don't Remember Mama"
1994
Models Inc.
Marcia Carson
4 episodes
1994
Heaven Help Us
Sarah Barnett
Episode: "A Match Made in Heaven"
1994
Murder, She Wrote
Lydia De Kooning
Episode: "Amsterdam Kill"
1995
Murphy Brown
Linda
Episode: "Rumble in the Alley"
1995
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Joan
Episode: "As the Will Turns"
1995
Burke's Law
Leslie Livingston
Episode: "Who Killed the Centerfold?"
1996
Hudson Street
Elizabeth Owens
Episode: "One for the Monet"
1996
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Emily Channing
Episode: "Swear to God, This Time We're Not Kidding"
1997
7th Heaven
Rachel Grewe
Episode: "Say Good-Bye"
1998
Dawson's Creek
Tamara Jacobs
Recurring role (seasons 1–2), 9 episodes
1999
Pensacola: Wings of Gold
Lauren Wells
Episode: "Mishap"
1999
Horse Sense
Jacy Woods
Television film
2003
Strong Medicine
Renee Van Dyke
Episode: "Blocked Lines"
2003
Just Shoot Me!
Binnie
Episode: "Strange Bedfellows"
2005
Gilmore Girls
Shira Huntzberger
Episodes: "But I'm a Gilmore!", "We've Got Magic to Do"
2009
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Joyce Shepard
Episode: "Sugar"
2010
NCIS
Young Joann Fielding
Episode: "Mother's Day"
2012
Raising Hope
Francine
Episode: "The Walk for the Runs"
2021
Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem
Anna DiMera
Miniseries
Awards and nominations
References
External links
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s