Brenda Dickson is an American actress who originated the role of Jill Foster Abbott on the soap opera ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...

''.

Early life and education

Dickson was born in Long Beach, California. As a teenager, she toured Southeast Asia singing and dancing for the armed forces with

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

. At the age of 17, she won the title of Miss California USA in the

Miss World Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Mi ...

pageant; it led to acting offers but she decided to continue performing at

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

shows while studying acting at the

Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (originally the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute) is an acting school founded in 1969 by the actor, director, and acting teacher Lee Strasberg. The Institute is located in Union Square on East 15th Str ...

in Los Angeles.

Career

Dickson made her stage debut at the Beverly Hills Playhouse and went on to appear in stage roles in the Los Angeles area. She made her feature film debut in the 1972 film ''Deathmaster''. She appeared in guest roles on '' Men at Law''; '' The F.B.I.''; ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...

''; '' Here We Go Again''; and the prime-time soap opera ''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera created by Earl Hamner Jr. that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Cha ...

''. Dickson played the role of Jill Foster Abbott on ''The Young and the Restless'' from 1973 to 1980, then again from 1983 to 1987. Dickson was let go from the show in 1987. She filed a $10 million lawsuit against

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

in an effort to be reinstated. In the lawsuit, Dickson claimed

William J. Bell William Joseph Bell (March 6, 1927 – April 29, 2005) was an American screenwriter and television producer, best known as the creator of the soap operas '' Another World'', ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. Ea ...

blacklisted her and wreaked havoc on her personal and professional life by hiring "Mafia cartel judges and attorneys" to "ruin" her life. As a result, she ended up "broke and homeless" and claimed to have been blocked from working. In 1987, Dickson released the film ''Welcome to My Home'', described as a "vanity film" which showcased her home and wardrobe. A YouTube parody became an

Internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...

and has been removed and re-uploaded several times. In 2018, its influence was profiled in '' Vanity Fair''. Dickson, who was interviewed for the article, revealed that she financed the film with $5,000 of her own money. In May 2013, Blue Boulevard Publications released Dickson's memoir, ''My True Hidden Hollywood Story''.

Personal life

Marriages

Dickson has been married twice. Her first husband was dentist Robert Rifkin whom she married on September 30, 1976. She married attorney Jan Weinberg on December 25, 1997. They were divorced in 2006.

Legal issues

In 2007, Dickson was jailed in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

because of a civil contempt order stemming from a divorce judgment from her ex-husband Jan Weinberg. She said she was the victim and wasn't given a fair divorce hearing. Released after 16 days, she was sent back to jail and released after more than three months. In 2009, the judgment in Weinberg v. Dickson was set aside after an appeals court found that the judge in the original trial had abused his discretion in not guaranteeing Dickson a fair trial and that her imprisonment had been unlawful.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

* 1986 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Villainess in a Daytime Serial ''

''. * 1988 Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Villainess in a Daytime Serial ''

''.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, Brenda Living people 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Long Beach, California American soap opera actresses American television actresses Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni 21st-century American women Year of birth missing (living people)