Personal life

Flannery was born in Jersey City, New Jersey and attended school in Manhattan. She has an adopted daughter, Blaise.

Career

Flannery is known for playing Dr. Laura Spencer Horton on Days of Our Lives from 1966 until 1975 where she met writer and daytime legend William J. Bell (who would later cast her in the daytime soap he would create called The Bold and the Beautiful in 1987). She acted in feature films including The Towering Inferno (1974) and The Gumball Rally (1976). She also acted in the primetime television series Dallas, playing Leslie Stewart during season four (1980-1981), and appeared opposite Kirk Douglas in The Moneychangers.

Flannery since became best known worldwide for portraying Stephanie Douglas Forrester on the American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful (1987-2012). She was one of the original cast members of the series, only two of whom still appear (Katherine Kelly Lang and John McCook). Flannery was also a regular director on the show, and was twice nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award for her work. After 25 years, she decided to leave the show in 2012. In her final storyline, Stephanie Forrester lost her battle with lung cancer, and died.

Flannery appeared in two episodes of ABC's situation comedy Hope & Faith in 2004, with other well-known actors from rival soaps.

Flannery also appeared as a special guest on Good News Week. She appeared in a special episode of Wheel of Fortune with Deidre Hall (Marlena, Days of Our Lives) and Peter Bergman (Jack, The Young and the Restless) in 2006. Flannery also directed the October 13, 2008, episode of Guiding Light.

Flannery came in at #1 in the Top 50 Soap Actresses of All Time poll on the internet blog We Love Soaps in 2010.

She has taken an active role in the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) in securing cable rights and foreign residuals for actors when their work appears in other mediums. Her efforts have had a positive impact on how The Bold and the Beautiful actors are paid when the show is televised in countries outside the United States.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1965	Guns of Diablo	Molly
1967	The Gnome-Mobile	Airline Stewardess
1974	The Towering Inferno	Lorrie	Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress
1976	The Moneychangers	Margot Bracken	TV miniseries
1976	The Gumball Rally	Alice
1978	Anatomy of a Seduction	Maggie Kane	TV movie
1979	Women in White	Dr. Rebecca Dalton	TV miniseries
1982	Money on the Side	Karen Gordon	TV movie
1983	Shaft of Love	Dr. Rose	TV movie

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1963	Burke's Law	Lily's Secretary	Episode: "Who Killed Harris Crown?"
1964	Slattery's People	Nancy Rossman	Episode: "Question: What Are You Doing Out There, Waldo?"
1964	Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea	Katie/The Sister	3 episodes
1965	Death Valley Days	Jenny Hardy	Episode: "Birthright"
1965	Ben Casey	Elinor Cabot	Episode: "A Nightingale Named Nathan"
1966-1975	Days of Our Lives	Laura Spencer Horton	Contract role Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
1966	Felony Squad	Stewardess	Episode: "The Immaculate Killer"
1966	The Time Tunnel	Louise Neal	Episode: "The Day the Sky Fell In"
1966	The Green Hornet	Janet Prescott	Episode: "Trouble for Prince Charming"
1981	Dallas	Leslie Stewart	11 episodes
1987-2012	The Bold and the Beautiful	Stephanie Forrester	Contract role Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
1993	The Young and the Restless	Stephanie Forrester	1 episode
2004	Hope & Faith	Laura Levisetti	2 episodes

Awards (won)

Daytime Emmy Awards

• (2000, 2002, 2003) Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for The Bold and the Beautiful
• (1975) Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Days of Our Lives

Golden Globe Awards

• (1975) Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress for The Towering Inferno

[ Source: Wikipedia ]