Robin Victory in Europe Strasser (born May 7, 1945) is an American actress, best known for her role as

Dorian Lord Dorian Lord is a fictional character and matriarch of the Cramer family on the American daytime drama ''One Life to Live'', played most notably and for the longest duration by actress Robin Strasser. Strasser was cast by series creator Agnes Ni ...

on the ABC daytime

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

''.

Life and career

Strasser's middle name is a tribute to her being born the day Germany surrendered in World War II. She was born in the New York City

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

of the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

and raised in Manhattan by Martin and Anne Strasser who were both Jewish. After graduating from the

High School of Performing Arts The High School of Performing Arts (informally known as "PA") was a public alternative high school established in 1947 and located at 120 West 46th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, from 1948 to 1984. In 1961, the school was ...

, on full scholarship, she attended the Yale University School of Drama. She began acting in the early 1960s. Strasser sharpened her acting abilities in theatre, acting on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, where she appeared in '' The Shadow Box'' and '' Chapter Two''. Early in her stage career she met her first husband,

Laurence Luckinbill Laurence George Luckinbill (born November 21, 1934) is an American actor, playwright and director. He has worked in television, film, and theatre, doing triple duty in the theatre by writing, directing, and starring in stage productions. He is kno ...

; they were married in 1965 and divorced in 1976. They have two sons, Nicholas and Ben. Strasser was also married to Richard Hogan from August 27, 1983, until 1985. She is a founding member of the American Conservatory Theatre, and began her extensive daytime career in 1964. Her first role was as Iris on '' The Secret Storm''. In 1967, she originated the role of Rachel Davis Matthews on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

's '' Another World''. After leaving the role of Rachel, Strasser played Dr. Christina Karras Martin on ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...

.'' Strasser was offered the role of

Cathy Craig Cathy Craig is a fictional character on the American soap opera '' One Life to Live''. Introduced onscreen in January 1969, the character role is the first ongoing antagonist to lead heroine Victoria Lord and last appears in November 1978. Cas ...

on ''

'', but ended up joining the show as

in 1979, when Claire Malis left the role. Dorian became a role for which Strasser became well known. Strasser had two stints as Dorian, leaving the show in 1987 and returning to play Dorian again from 1993 to 2000, 2003 to August 25, 2011, and then again in the online revival of the series in 2013. From 2001 to 2002, she appeared as 300-year-old witch Hecuba on the

serial ''

Passions ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and ...

''. In 2019 she played

Vivian Alamain Vivian Alamain is a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives'', an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created by head writers Richard J. Allen and Beth Milstein, and introduced by executive producers Ken Corday and Al Rabin, the role is ...

on ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...

'' for 15 episodes. Strasser won a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in 1982 for her portrayal of Dorian, and was also nominated for the award in 1981, 1983, and 1985. Strasser has been nominated for ''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards for Dorian in various categories in 1986, 1988, 1994, 1995 and 2005, winning in 1996 ("Outstanding Lead Actress" for Dorian) and 2001 ("Outstanding Female Scene Stealer" for Hecuba). Strasser was an Honorary Chair of the Imperial Court of New York's Annual Charity Coronation Ball, "Night of A Thousand Gowns," on March 21, 2009. She was previously made a Dame of the Imperial Court of New York in March 2007, and attended the 2008 "Night of A Thousand Gowns."

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Strasser, Robin 1945 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from New York (state) American stage actresses American television actresses American soap opera actresses Daytime Emmy Award winners Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series winners Yale School of Drama alumni Yale University alumni People from Brooklyn People from the Bronx