Cherie Bennett (born 1960 in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

) is an American novelist, actress, director, playwright, newspaper columnist, singer, and television writer on the

CBS Daytime CBS Daytime is the division of the CBS television network that is responsible for the daytime television block programming on the network's late morning and early afternoon schedule. The block has historically encompassed soap operas and game sh ...

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

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 ...

''.

Biography

Bennett attended

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

, and then the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in the early 1980s, as a musical theatre major. She worked as an actress, doing national musical tours, regional theatre productions including Mark Medoff's ''When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?'' and a well-reviewed turn in the

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

revival of Tennessee Williams' ''Twenty-Seven Wagons Full of Cotton''. She headed her own

improv Improv may refer to: *Improvisation, an act of spontaneous invention **Improvisational theatre (includes improvisational comedy) **Musical improvisation Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of im ...

comedy trio, Zaniac, and performed as a vocalist, singing backup for

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation ...

and in her play, ''Honk Tonk Angels''. Bennett lives in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

with her son. Her pseudonyms are C.J. Anders and

Carrie Austen Carrie may refer to: People * Carrie (name), a female given name and occasionally a surname Places in the United States * Carrie, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Carrie, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carrie Glacier, Olympic Na ...

. For many years, she wrote frequently with Jeff Gottesfeld, with whom she shared the

Zoey Dean Zoey Dean is the pseudonym for the creators of ''The A-List'' series and ''How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls'', which has been renamed and turned into a TV show known as '' Privileged'' on the CW in September 2008. Zoey Dean's books are produced b ...

pseudonym.Biography: Zoey Dean

Scholastic Corporation Scholastic Corporation is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, teachers, parents, children, and other educational institutions. P ...

(accessed September 20, 2015) She and Gottesfeld are divorced. Her father was a writer for such shows as ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'', ''

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

'', and Sid Caesar's ''Your Show of Shows''. Since June 2011, she's been the

Artistic Director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

at Amusings Productions in

Sherman Oaks Sherman Oaks (founded in 1927) is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles, California within the San Fernando Valley region. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population densit ...

Television credits

'' (hired by

Lynn Marie Latham Lynn Marie Latham is an American television writer, producer, and showrunner. Her initial foray into writing for television was as a story editor for the series '' Berrenger's'' in 1985. That same year, Latham became a writer for the nighttime ser ...

; fired by

Maria Arena Bell Maria Arena Bell ( Arena; born March 10, 1963) is an American novelist, television and freelance writer. She is the former head writer and executive producer of the CBS Daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless.'' Early life and education ...

) *

Script Writer A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

: December 14, 2006 - December 21, 2007; March 18 - August 19, 2008 *Associate

Head Writer A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio ...

: July 2007 - December 21, 2007; March 18 - July 10, 2008 ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...

'' (hired by

Hogan Sheffer Hogan Sheffer (June 12, 1958 – September 28, 2019) was an American screenwriter. Personal life Sheffer was born in York, Pennsylvania. His full birth name was Mark Wayne Sheffer; his nickname of Hogan came from younger brother Craig, who thoug ...

) * Breakdown Writer: 2005 ''

Port Charles ''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes p ...

'' (hired by

) * Story Consultant: 1998 '' Another World'' * Story Consultant: 1997 ''

Girls Got Game ''Girls Got Game'' () is a 2021 Russian sports comedy film directed by Maksim Sveshnikov. It was theatrically released in Russia on September 1, 2021, by Nashe Kino (English: Our Cinema). Plot Dasha "Danya" Belykh was told from childhood that f ...

'': 2006 ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

'': 2001 - 2002

Books

Book Series *''Sunset Island'' (forty-one book series) *''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...

'' (seven original novels) *''Mirror Image'' (four book series) *''Hope Hospital'' (three book series) Six Book Series *''University Hospital'' *''Wild Hearts'' *''Teen Angels'' *''Trash'' *''Pageant'' Other Books *''Turn Me On'' (July 2007) *''Girls in Love'' *''Zink'' *'' Life in the Fat Lane'' *''A Heart Divided'' *''

Anne Frank and Me ''Anne Frank and Me'' is a 2001 novel by husband and wife writing team Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld. Inspired by the life of Anne Frank, it follows a teenage girl named Nicole Burns who travels back in time to 1942 and inhabits the body of ...

'' *''

Searching for David's Heart ''Searching for David's Heart'' is a 1998 young-adult novel by Cherie Bennett. The author is a screenwriter, novelist, playwright, and columnist for the ''San Diego Union-Tribune'' and other Copley newspapers. Plot summary Darcy Deeton is a twel ...

Plays

*''John Lennon And Me'' *''Sex And Rage In A SoHo Loft'' *''Life In The Fat Lane'' *''Zink'' *''Searching for David's Heart'' *''A Heart Divided'' *''Cyra And Rocky'' *''Reviving Ophelia'' (adapted from the book by Dr.

Mary Pipher Mary Elizabeth Pipher (born October 21, 1947), also known as Mary Bray Pipher, is an American clinical psychologist and author. Her books include ''A Life in Light: Meditations on Impermanence'' (2022) and ''Women Rowing North'' (2019), a book on ...

)

Films

*''

Broken Bridges ''Broken Bridges'' is a 2006 American drama film starring Toby Keith in his film debut, Lindsey Haun, Burt Reynolds and Kelly Preston. The film, a music-drama, is centered on a fading country singer's return to his hometown near a military base ...

'' (Writer: 2006)

Newspaper column

*"Hey, Cherie!" (Weekly teen advice column through

Copley News Service Copley Press was a privately held newspaper business, founded in Illinois but later based in La Jolla, California. Its flagship paper was ''The San Diego Union-Tribune''. History Founder Ira Clifton Copley launched Copley Press c. 1905, eventu ...

)

Awards and nominations

Daytime Emmy 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 (NA ...

: Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team, 2008 *

Macy's Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The first store was located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, south of the present-day flagship store at Herald Square on West 34 ...

Prize For Playwriting: ''Reviving Ophelia'', 2005–2006 *

Humanitas Award The Humanitas Prize is an American award for film and television writing, presented to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful manner. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of ...

: Best children's film for television (''Searching For David's Heart'', 2005) *

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

Best Books For Young Adults The American Library Association's (ALA) Best Fiction for Young Adults, previously known as Best Books for Young Adults (1966–2010), is a recommended list of books presented yearly by the Young Adult Library Services Association The Young Ad ...

, 2005 nominee (''A Heart Divided'') *

International Reading Association The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly the International Reading Association (IRA), is an international global advocacy and member professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dial ...

: Young Adult Readers' Choice, ''Anne Frank And Me'', 2003 *American Alliance of Theater And Education UPR, 2000 winner (''David's Heart'') *

, 1999

References

External links

Hachette Book Group USA: BennettGreenwich Times: Bennett's ColumnSmart Writers InterviewTeenReads 2003 Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Cherie American women columnists American women novelists 20th-century American novelists American soap opera writers Screenwriters from New York (state) Daytime Emmy Award winners 1960 births Living people American soap opera producers Television producers from New York (state) American women television producers Wayne State University alumni University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni Businesspeople from Buffalo, New York Writers from Buffalo, New York Jewish American novelists Jewish American non-fiction writers 21st-century American novelists American women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American women soap opera writers Novelists from New York (state) 21st-century American Jews