Louise Jacqueline Sorel ( Cohen; born August 6, 1940) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Vivian Alamain in ''

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 aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...

'' from 1992 to 2000, 2009 to 2011, 2017 to 2018, 2020, 2023 & 2025. Augusta Lockridge on '' Santa Barbara'' from 1984 to 1991, and Emily Tanner on '' Beacon Hill'' since 2014.

Early life

Sorel was born Louise Jacqueline Cohen 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, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Her parents were Albert J. Cohen, a film producer, Jeanne ( Sorel), a concert pianist. Sorel is Jewish. Sorel received theatrical training at the

Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre is a professional conservatory for actors in New York City. First operational from 1915 to 1927, the school re-opened in 1928 and has been active ever since. It is the birthplace of the Meisner ...

in New York. She briefly attended the

Institut Français The Institut Français (; French capitalization, Institut français; "French institute") is a French public industrial and commercial organization (EPIC). Started in 1907 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for promoting French, francophone as ...

, where she studied French. She began performing on stage when she was 15 years old.

Career

Sorel's early career was on the stage; she spent several years on Broadway, playing roles in ''

Take Her, She's Mine ''Take Her, She's Mine'' is a 1963 American comedy film starring James Stewart and Sandra Dee and based on a 1961 Broadway comedy written by the husband-and-wife team of Henry and Phoebe Ephron. The film was directed by Henry Koster with a scre ...

'' and '' Man and Boy''. She appeared in stage productions of '' The Lion in Winter'' and '' The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window''. Sorel's first feature film appearance was in the film '' The Party's Over'' (1965). She appeared in '' Plaza Suite'' (1971), ''

Night Gallery ''Night Gallery'' is an American anthology television series that aired on NBC from December 16, 1970, to May 27, 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, '' The Twilight Zon ...

'' episode " Pickman's Model" (1971), '' B.S. I Love You'' (1971), '' Every Little Crook and Nanny'' (1972), '' The Return of Charlie Chan'' (1973), '' Airplane II: The Sequel'' (1982), ''

Mazes and Monsters ''Mazes and Monsters'', also known as ''Rona Jaffe's Mazes and Monsters'', is a 1982 American made-for-television film directed by Steven Hilliard Stern about a group of college students and their interest in a fictitious role-playing game (R ...

'' (1982), '' Where the Boys Are '84'' (1984), and '' Crimes of Passion'' (1984), among others. Sorel has made guest appearances on more than 50 prime-time programs and TV movies, including ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'' (as "Rayna", in the episode " Requiem for Methuselah", which aired in 1969). She also portrayed Terry Waverly, the sister-in-law of Dr. Richard Kimble, in an episode of '' The Fugitive'' in 1965. Owen Marshall 1972

She made other guest appearances on such programs as ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'' (as Marie in the episode "The Strange One", 1965), ''

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...

'', '' The Virginian'', ''

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

The Big Valley ''The Big Valley'' is an American Western television series that originally aired from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969 on ABC. The series is set on the fictional Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The one-hour epis ...

'', '' The Fugitive'', ''

Search Searching may refer to: Music * "Searchin', Searchin", a 1957 song originally performed by The Coasters * Searching (China Black song), "Searching" (China Black song), a 1991 song by China Black * Searchin' (CeCe Peniston song), "Searchin" (C ...

'' (as Magda Reiner, in "Live Men Tell Tales"), ''

Vega$ ''Vegas'' (stylized as ''Vega$'') is an American crime drama television series starring Robert Urich that aired on ABC from September 20, 1978, to June 3, 1981, with the pilot episode airing April 25, 1978. ''Vegas'' was produced by Aaron Spel ...

'', ''

Hart to Hart ''Hart to Hart'' is an American mystery television series that premiered on August 25, 1979, on ABC. The show stars Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, respectively, a wealthy couple who lead a glamorous jetset ...

'', '' Medical Center'', ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts for ABC. It originally aired from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, airing for five seasons consisting of 115 episodes. It was produ ...

'', '' The Incredible Hulk'', '' Hawaii Five-O'', ''

The Eddie Capra Mysteries ''The Eddie Capra Mysteries'' is an American mystery television series starring Vincent Baggetta as a lawyer who investigates murders and has a knack for solving them. Original episodes aired on NBC from September 8, 1978, to January 12, 1979.M ...

'', ''

Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American primetime television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially cente ...

'', and ''

Sabrina the Teenage Witch ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appeared ...

'', among others. She had a principal role on ''

The Don Rickles Show ''The Don Rickles Show'' is an American comedy television series. The series stars Don Rickles, Louise Sorel, Erin Moran, Robert Hogan, and Joyce Van Patten. The series aired on CBS from January 14 until May 26, 1972. It ranked 56th out of 78 ...

''. Her first daytime dramatic role was as eccentric, meddlesome Augusta Wainwright on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

daytime drama '' Santa Barbara''. She appeared on ''Santa Barbara'' from July 1984 to August 1986, then from November 1988 to May 1989, returning the following October. She remained until October 1991. In between stints, she also spent a year appearing as a strong-willed but decent District Attorney, Judith Russell Sanders, on the ABC soap opera ''

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

'', from August 1986 through November 1987. She played the villainous Vivian Alamain on the

daytime serial, ''

'' from March 1992 until February 2000. Sorel's performance as Alamain garnered her five

Soap Opera Digest Awards ''The Soap Opera Digest Awards'', originally known as ''The Soapy Awards'' when introduced in 1977, was an awards show held by the daytime television magazine ''Soap Opera Digest''. History 1977–1983 The Soapy Awards were an award presented ...

as "Outstanding Villainess" in 1994, "Outstanding Showstopper" in 1997, and again in 1999 as "Outstanding Scene Stealer". In 2000, shortly after her dismissal from ''Days of Our Lives'', Sorel briefly joined the cast of the ''

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 ...

'' as fashion maven "Donatella Stewart" (a play on the names

Donatella Versace Donatella Francesca Versace (; born 2 May 1955), sometimes simply referred to mononymously as Donatella, is an Italian fashion designer, businesswoman, socialite, and model. She is the sister of Gianni Versace, founder of the luxury fashion com ...

and

Martha Stewart Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail business woman, writer, and television personality. As the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, focusing on home and hospitality, she gained success through a variety ...

). The role lasted for a month. In 2001, she had a brief role on another ABC soap opera, ''

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

,'' as "Judge Kay Campobello," who blackmailed Adam Chandler into sleeping with her. She made a brief appearance on '' Passions'' as cannery worker Dort in 2004. In December 2009, she was invited to reprise her villainous role on ''Days of Our Lives''. In June 2011, Sorel was let go from ''Days of Our Lives'' along with many other actors to make room for the return of super couple John and Marlena and several other characters. In 2014, Sorel played Emily Tanner in the soap opera

web series A web series (also known as webseries, short-form series, and web show) is a series of short scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet (i.e. World Wide Web), which first emerged in the late 1 ...

'' Beacon Hill''. On December 29, 2017, Sorel returned to ''Days of Our Lives'' as Vivian. However, she was briefly replaced by Robin Strasser. On December 30, 2019, it was announced that Sorel would once again return to the role in 2020. In 2023, Sorel returned to her role as Vivian Alamain, in ''Days of Our Lives'' and again in 2025.

Partial Filmography

* 2014, 2020: '' Beacon Hill'' – Emily Tanner * 1992–2000, 2009–11, 2017–18, 2020, 2023,2025: ''

'' – Vivian Alamain * 2004: '' Passions'' – Dort * 1998: ''

'' – Mrs Saberhagen * 1996: ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...

'' – "Causa Mortis" as Marcy Fletcher Wrightman * 1984–1991: '' Santa Barbara'' – Augusta Lockridge * 1986–87: ''

'' – Judith Sanders * 1984: ''

Matt Houston ''Matt Houston'' is an American crime drama television series starring Lee Horsley as the title character, a wealthy oilman who holds a side job as a private investigator. Created by Lawrence Gordon and produced by Aaron Spelling, it origin ...

'' – “Eyewitness” as Barbara Daniels * 1983: ''

Diff'rent Strokes ''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which originally aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and ...

'' – Robin Saunders * 1982: ''

'' – Julia * 1982: '' Airplane II: The Sequel'' – Nurse * 1982: ''

'' – "Blue and Broken Harted" season 3 episode 16 – Pat Yankee * 1982: ''

'' – Bess Riker * 1982: '' Trapper John, M.D.'' – Marty Katz * 1982: '' Magnum, P.I.'' – Eleanor Greeley * 1979: '' The Incredible Hulk'' – Doctor Renee Dubois, S3E10 * 1977: ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...

'' – Janice Maclay * 1974: ''

'' – Vicky Brewer * 1973: '' Circle of Fear'' – Nisa King * 1973: '' The President's Plane Is Missing'' – Joanna Spencer * 1973: Hawaii Five-O - Diane Foxton * 1972: ''

'' – Barbara Robinson * 1972: ''

Banacek ''Banacek'' is an American detective television series starring George Peppard that aired on NBC from 1972 to 1974. The series was part of the rotating '' NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie'' anthology. It alternated in its time slot with several othe ...

'' – Alicia Danato * 1971: '' B.S. I Love You'' – Ruth * 1971: ''

'' – Mavis Goldsmith * 1969: '' Star Trek: The Original Series'' – " Requiem for Methuselah" as Rayna * 1968: ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that originally aired for eight seasons on CBS from September 16, 1967, to March 13, 1975. The show was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer ...

'' – "Delayed Action" as Danielle Michaels / Merry Higgins * 1967: ''

The Rat Patrol ''The Rat Patrol'' is an American action and adventure television series that aired on ABC between 1966 and 1968. The show follows the exploits of four Allied soldiers – three Americans and one British – who are part of a long-range deser ...

'' – "The Fatal Reunion Raid" as Gabrielle * 1967: ''

The Flying Nun ''The Flying Nun'' is an American fantasy television, fantasy sitcom television series about a community of nuns, which included one who could fly when the wind caught her cornette. It was produced by Screen Gems for American Broadcasting Comp ...

''
S1E4
– "A Bell for San Tanco" as Binkie * 1965: ''

'' – Marie * 1965: '' The Virginian'' – "The Dream Of Stavros Karas" - Eleni Niarcos * 1965: '' The Fugitive'' – "The Survivors" as Terry Waverly * * 1963: '' The Defenders'' – "Conspiracy of Silence" as Margie Spencer

Awards

References

External links

* * *
Louise Sorel interview, ''The Spectrum''
(accessed February 14, 2025). {{DEFAULTSORT:Sorel, Louise Living people American film actresses American soap opera actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from Los Angeles Jewish American actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American Jews 1940 births