Suzanne Rogers (born Suzanne Cecelia Crumpler; July 9, 1943) is an American
actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
with film and television credits. Her stage name was inspired by
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...
, whom she cites as a personal inspiration for joining the entertainment industry. Rogers got her start as a dancer/performer at
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
's
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and theater at 1260 Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplace of the Nation", it is the headquarters for ...
, but she is best known for playing Maggie Horton, a role she originated and has played since 1973 on the NBC dramatic serial ''
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 ...
''.
Early years
Suzanne Rogers was born Suzanne Cecelia Crumpler on July 9, 1943, in
Midland, Maryland
Midland is a town in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, along the Georges Creek Valley. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 446 at the 2010 census.
Midland was founded in 1850 as a coal-mi ...
. While growing up in
Colonial Heights, Virginia
Colonial Heights is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,170. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the City of Colonial Heights (along with the City of Petersburg) with Dinwiddie ...
, she took an interest in dancing. She expressed interest in it at the age of two and started taking dancing lessons during her childhood.
Career
At the age of 17, Rogers left her hometown and decided to pursue a dancing career. She moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and became one of the dancers at the
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and theater at 1260 Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplace of the Nation", it is the headquarters for ...
. Along with becoming a Rockette, Rogers performed in several Broadway musicals including ''Coco'', ''Hallelujah Baby'' and ''
Follies
''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman.
The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fol ...
'', distinctly heard on the original cast album and mentioned in the book '' Everything Was Possible'' which covered the creation and history of the hit Broadway show. After spending 10 years in New York City, the actress wanted to try out an acting dream and moved to
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
in January 1973.
She attended acting classes in California with
Stella Adler
Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher. ''
Stella Adler Studio of Acting
The Stella Adler Studio of Acting (formerly Stella Adler Conservatory) is a prestigious acting school that was founded by actress and teacher Stella Adler.
. Soon after, she landed the role of Maggie Horton 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 ''Days of Our Lives''. Maggie was introduced as a guest character in August 1973, by scriptwriter William J. Bell and executive producer
Betty Corday
Betty Corday (born Elizabeth Shay; March 21, 1912 – November 17, 1987) was a Broadway dramatic actress and long-time American television producer. She co-created and executive produced the long running NBC drama ''Days of Our Lives'' from 1966 ...
. From the beginning, Bell considered the role ideal for her. He approached Rogers about taking the role of Maggie, and she agreed. She was immediately described by critics who gave reviews of the show as being one of the most energetic girls on daytime television. The news of Rogers being cast as Maggie was a different move, taking an actress who loves to dance, to a character of a crippled farm girl. This was her first television assignment, after being the youngest girl to take the stage at Radio City Music Hall.
In 1984, Rogers was diagnosed with the rare muscle disorder
myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a long-term neuromuscular junction disease that leads to varying degrees of skeletal muscle weakness. The most commonly affected muscles are those of the eyes, face, and swallowing. It can result in double vision, ...
. This disease affected her facial muscles, and the
medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
the doctors put her on made her feel ill, and her face appeared swollen while also suffering hair loss. She temporarily left the show after 11 years when the effects of the disease became increasingly worse.
Her entire appearance changed, and she did not return to ''Days of Our Lives'' for a year. Rogers returned to the serial when her health became better. Rogers, wanting to educate viewers about the disease, encouraged executive producer Betty Corday to have her character be diagnosed with the disease. Corday agreed, and a storyline played out with Maggie learning she has myasthenia gravis. The actress went into remission in 1995, and has remained in remission since. In 2010, after her character's husband is killed off, Maggie began to notice some effects she experienced when diagnosed with the disease in 1984.
In 2003, a major series of serial killings occurred on the show. Maggie was "killed off" in a "
whodunnit
A ''whodunit'' or ''whodunnit'' (a colloquial elision of "Who asdone it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction in which the puzzle regarding who committed the crime is the main focus. The reader or viewer is provided with th ...
?" murder storyline involving a serial killer. Maggie's murder forced Rogers to depart from the series, although she made occasional appearances as Maggie's "spirit", appearing with all of the other victims when the apparent culprit,
Marlena Evans
Marlena Evans is a fictional character on the NBC daytime drama, ''Days of Our Lives'', a long-running serial about working life in the fictional town of Salem. She has been played by actress Deidre Hall since 1976, but the character was absent f ...
, attacked Alice. To help with falling ratings at the time, current head writer James E. Reilly decided to bring all the characters back from the dead. They all turned up in the fictional town of Melaswen, or New Salem spelled backwards. This storyline sparked major controversy, and proved to be a daring move.
Since the death of original cast member
Frances Reid
Frances Reid (December 9, 1914 – February 3, 2010) was an American dramatic actress. Reid acted on television for nearly all of the second half of the 20th century. Her career continued into the early 2000s.
Although she starred in ma ...
(
Alice Horton
Alice Horton is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'', portrayed by Frances Reid from the show's debut on November 8, 1965 until December 26, 2007.
In her role as matriarch of the Horton family, Alice's storylines foc ...
) in 2010, Rogers has been the longest-running actress to appear continuously on ''Days of Our Lives'' as the new Horton family matriarch.
Personal life
Rogers married
Sam Groom
Samuel J. Groom is an American actor noted for his work on television.
Groom was born in Columbus, Ohio.
Groom portrayed Tom Eldridge in the CBS drama ''Our Private World'' (1965),. Following the cancellation of that prime-time serial, he rep ...
in 1980. They divorced in 1982. She lives in
Studio City, California
Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 192 ...