Deidre Hall - Definition and Overview

Deidre Hall, featured on a Soap Opera Digest cover, dated February 3, 2004.

Deidre Hall (born October 31, 1947) is an actress who is best known for her portrayal of Dr. Marlena Evans on the American soap opera Days of Our Lives. She played the role originally from 1976 to 1987, and returned to the show in 1991. She is the twin sister of former actress Andrea Hall, who portrayed Samantha Evans on the serial from 1977 to 1982.

Marlena has been at the center of many of the show's most controversial storylines. A serial killer seemed to have murdered Marlena in 1982, but a fan uproar caused the producers to reveal that Marlena's twin sister Samantha had actually died. In 1995, Marlena was possessed by the devil and had to be exorcised. In 2004, it was revealed that Marlena was Salem's latest serial killer, only for the show to later reveal that the murders were hoaxes.

Hall's first big role was as the superhero Electra Woman in the 1976 series Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. She also portrayed Jessica Witherspoon on the nighttime drama Our House from 1986 to 1988.

Deidre Hall is married to network executive Steve Sohmer. Hall and Sohmer became parents via surrogacy, and the conception of their first child was chronicled in the autobiographical TV-movie Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story. Hall played herself in the movie.