Louise Sorel (born August 6, 1940[2]) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Vivian Alamain in Days of Our Lives from 1992 to 2000, 2009 to 2011, 2017 to 2018, 2020, and 2023, Augusta Lockridge on Santa Barbara from 1984 to 1991, and Emily Tanner on Beacon Hill since 2014.
Early life
Sorel was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of a Hollywood producer father and an Egyptian mother who is a professional concert pianist.[3]
Her first daytime dramatic role was as eccentric, meddlesome Augusta Wainwright on the NBC daytime drama Santa Barbara.[9] 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".[10]
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.[11]
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.[12] In 2014, Sorel played Emily Tanner in the soap opera web seriesBeacon Hill.[13][14]
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.[15]
In 2023, Sorel returned to her role as Vivian Alamain, in Days of Our Lives.[16]