Linda Dano

Linda Rae Wildermuth, known professionally as Linda Dano, was born on May 12, 1943, in Long Beach, California. Her early career in the late 1960s and early 1970s included small roles in films such as “Tony Rome” (1967), “Star!” (1968), and “Hello, Dolly!” (1969). In the early 1970s, Dano signed a contract with 20th Century Fox, which led to guest appearances in numerous primetime television programs. Her television credits during this period include “Ironside,” “Police Woman,” “Harry O,” “Petrocelli,” “The Rockford Files,” “Starsky & Hutch,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “CHiPS,” “Emergency!,” “Barney Miller,” and “The Six Million Dollar Man.” She also starred in the short-lived NBC comedy series “The Montefuscos” (1975) and had supporting roles in television movies like “The Last Survivors” (1975) and “The Night That Panicked America” (1975). Dano’s early film work also includes the 1977 Western horror film “The Shadow of Chikara” alongside Joe Don Baker.

Dano transitioned to daytime television in 1978, joining the ABC soap opera “One Life to Live” as Gretel Cummings, a role she played until 1980. From 1981 to 1982, she portrayed Cynthia Haines on “As the World Turns.” A significant turning point in her career came in 1983 when she was cast as the glamorous romance novelist Felicia Gallant in the NBC soap opera “Another World.” She remained with the show until its cancellation in 1999, earning a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1993 for this role. She also received additional Emmy nominations for Lead Actress in 1994 and 1996, and for Supporting Actress in 1992. Beyond acting, Dano co-hosted the Lifetime talk show “Attitudes” from 1986 to 1991, for which she received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Talk Show Host. She maintained a long-standing partnership with QVC, first collaborating with the home shopping channel in 1993 and continuing for over two decades with her clothing and home-furnishings lines. Dano’s involvement with QVC included celebrating her 20th anniversary with the network in February 2013. In 1999, she was honored with the Accessories Council Excellence Award for her contributions to consumer awareness.

After “Another World” concluded, Dano reprised her role as Gretel, now known as “Rae” Cummings, on “One Life to Live” from 1999 to 2004. This period included a notable crossover storyline where her character appeared on “All My Children,” “General Hospital,” and “Port Charles” simultaneously, marking a unique event in daytime television. She received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Supporting Actress in 2003 for her work on “One Life to Live.” In 2005, Dano briefly joined “Guiding Light” as Lena Kendall. In recent years, after a hiatus from regular television roles, she appeared in the Hallmark television film “Chronicle Mysteries: Vines That Bind” (2019) and took on the recurring role of Vivian Alamain on “Days of Our Lives” in 2021. The same year, Dano starred in the Hallmark comedy film “A Little Daytime Drama” as Alice Hamlin. Outside of her professional work, Dano has been a women’s health advocate, working with organizations focused on depression and Alzheimer’s disease.