Ellen Dolan
ON SOAP OPERA DIGEST AND WEEKLY ONLINE
SOAP STAR STATS
Ellen Dolan (Margo, ATWT)
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Vital Statistics
- Birthdate:
- October 16
- Birthplace:
- Decorah, IA
- Star Sign:
- Libra
- Years On Show:
- 1989-92; 1994-present
- Marital Status:
- In a relationship with Doug Jeffrey
- Children:
- Angela Emmett (b. 4/15/00)
THE 411
The shy, youngest daughter of six children in a strict Irish Catholic family, Ellen Dolan was raised in a small town in Iowa — her father was a "country doctor" — but was so intrigued by the idea of New York City that she joined the Girl Scouts in high school so that she could visit Tiffany's. Today, the actress's offbeat personality retains a mixture of midwestern earthiness and big-city eccentricity.
Though she initially dreamed of being a ballerina as a child, it didn't take Dolan long to find the stage. She earned BA and MA degrees in theater from The University of Iowa, then finally moved to New York in 1981, where she taught movement classes at Columbia University and did temp work to pay the bills; by 1982, she had won her first TV role, as GUIDING LIGHT's original Maureen. Yet she tired of how "mundane" that role had become by 1986, and left the show to pursue other acting jobs. She had just moved to Los Angeles when she was lured back to daytime by Maureen's creator, [then-ATWT Head Writer] Douglas Marland, who tapped her to replace the departing Hillary B. Smith as ATWT's brash cop. After a three-year stint and a couple of critically acclaimed stories, Dolan left to try her luck in L.A. again, but soon returned to New York and Oakdale.
Throughout her career, the candid actress had often expressed her great frustration over not finding a mate and her even greater desire to have a child. Both were fulfilled in 2000, when she gave birth to Angela, whose father is beau Doug Jeffrey. Today, they live in Greenwich Village.
Now the longest-running actress by far to play Margo, Dolan continues to work regularly in local theater.
ET CETERA
Five Random Facts
—Studied the Wicca religion.
—Grew up watching ATWT and GL.
—Her ears are pierced five times.
—From the same hometown as Mark Pinter (ex-Grant, ANOTHER WORLD et al).
—Often uses pictures and toys sent by fans as props for Margo's desk at the police station.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Other Soap Roles
GUIDING LIGHT (Maureen Reardon Bauer, 1982-86)
ANOTHER WORLD (D.A. Morgan Graves, 1989)
Guest-Starring TV Roles
WALKER, TEXAS RANGER (Trish, 1994)
ANGEL FALLS (Lola, 1993)
TV Movie Roles
DANCING WITH DANGER (1994)
MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS AND LOVERS (1989)
MOTHER'S DAY (1989)
COUNTRY GIRL
"My mother — she was the Catholic woman and couldn't help it; it was like everything came down from God — she said to me about looking pretty, 'God did that, not you!' That statement impacted me so! She just didn't want me to be vain, but I didn't know that then." — Soap Opera Weekly, 2/7/95
"One day, I was walking down the beach with my carpenter.... I hear, 'Ellen, hi, hi!' And it's beautiful Jordana Brewster [ex-Nikki] and her gorgeous, cover-girl mother, who's younger than I am, I think! They have perfect, dark skin and beautiful, little perfect beach jewelry on. That's when I feel like, 'Yeah, I'm from Iowa.' " — Soap Opera Digest, 5/5/98
ON THE JOB
"What I have to do is constantly come up with ways to make all the mundane s--- interesting!" — Digest, 6/18/85
"Something wonderful happened to me out in L.A. I really got the stars out of my eyes. I realized that it's just not worth it.... I'm one of the lucky 10 percent of the acting community that works." — Digest, 11/22/94
MOTHERHOOD
"They show [baby Angela] to me, and I go, 'Great.' There was no choir of angels, no, 'Ahh, this is the biggest miracle that's ever happened in my life.' " — on her initially underwhelmed reaction to meeting her daughter, Digest, 9/5/00
"He's just adorable. He's such an unabashed flirt. It's nice when a kid walks around telling you that you're a 'sexy mama.' That's what he calls me. It's like, 'Okay, I can deal with that during the day.' " — On Zach Roerig (Casey), Digest, 7/19/05
