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Martha Madison

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Martha Madison
Born
Martha Anne Butterworth

(1977-07-27) July 27, 1977 (age 47)
OccupationActress
Years active2001–present
Spouse
A.J. Gilbert
(m. 2007)
Children1

Martha Madison (born Martha Anne Butterworth;[1] July 27, 1977) is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Belle Black on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives.

Early life

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Madison was born in Newport News, Virginia. She was raised in Houston, Texas, attended Cypress Creek High School, and graduated from Texas A&M University in 1999 with a degree in psychology. She was also the Captain of the Texas A&M Dance Team.[1] In 1999, she moved to New York City to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She danced with the Peyari Dance Project for two years. However, after several injuries, she was forced to retire from dance.

Television career

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Madison had a small role in the film Kate & Leopold in 2001. She moved to Los Angeles in 2003 to pursue a career in film/television, and briefly appeared on the NBC soap opera Passions in 2004. Madison next played the role of Belle Black on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives from 2004 to 2008. During this time in 2007, she appeared on The Tyra Banks Show to help model/host Tyra Banks through "soap opera school."[2]

In 2008, Madison appeared in the Without a Trace episode "Rewind", and in the Criminal Minds episode "The Big Wheel" in 2009. From 2010 to 2014, Madison appeared on the soap opera web series The Bay as Marly Nelson-Foster.[3] In June 2011, Madison temporarily took over the role as Elizabeth Webber on General Hospital, appearing from June 8–20, 2011. She and General Hospital's Lilly Melgar currently co-host TradioV.com's SoapBox with Lilly and Martha, which airs live every Thursday at 2pm Pacific time (PT) on tradiov.com. In 2015, Madison began starring as Miranda Winterthorne in the soap opera web series Winterthorne.[4][5][6][7][8] Later in 2015, Madison returned to her role as Belle Black on Days of Our Lives.

Other pursuits

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Starting in 2005, Madison was named an ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and helped re-design their website. Her mother has been living with multiple sclerosis for nearly 25 years.[1]

In July 2009, Madison and her husband A.J. Gilbert opened a gastro sports pub in Studio City called Henry's Hat (which they named after their Weimeraner, Henry). Together, Madison and Gilbert also own Luna Park in Hollywood and Luna Park in San Francisco. The couple sold Henry's Hat in August 2012, and sold Luna Park Los Angeles in March 2013.

In October 2012, Madison and Gilbert launched the first, free, web-based restaurant inventory management system called ChefSheet, available on iTunes.

Personal life

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Madison announced on her official forum,[9] that she had become engaged to her boyfriend, restaurateur A.J. Gilbert, the owner of Luna Park in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, on July 29, 2006, when he took her to the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego for her birthday. Madison and Gilbert married on August 25, 2007.

In April 2013, Madison announced that she was pregnant with her first child. On November 3, 2013, she gave birth to her daughter Charley Elizabeth Gilbert.[10]

Filmography

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Year Film Role Notes
2001 Kate & Leopold Office Woman
2003 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Susan Watkins Episode: "Cherry Red"
2004 Passions Lola April 8–14, 2004
2004–08,
2015–2023
Days of Our Lives Isabella "Belle" Black August 10, 2004 – March 24, 2008, November 25, 2015 – September 12, 2016, January 24 – February 20, 2017, December 4, 2017 – March 27, 2018, August 21 – November 8, 2018, March 18 – July 9, 2019, June 8, 2020 – November 9, 2023
2006 Biker Mice from Mars Catalina Cat/Cataina Mouse (voice) Episodes: "New Cats in Town" and "The Tender Mouse Trap"
2007 The Singles Table Married woman Episode: "The Work Dinner"
2008 Without a Trace Jolie Episode: "Rewind"
2009 Criminal Minds Kate Episode: "The Big Wheel"
2009 The Mother of Invention Chandra
2011 General Hospital Elizabeth Webber # 2 Temporary recast: June 8–20, 2011
2011 Undercover Bridesmaid Sally Television film
2010–14 The Bay Marly Nelson-Foster 26 episodes
2015 Winterthorne Miranda Winterthorne 4 episodes
2016 One Mississippi Bibby Baxter Episodes: "The Cat's Out", "Let the Good Times Roll"
2016 Ladies of the Lake Vivian Montgomery 4 episodes
2017 Great News Belle Black Episode: "War Is Hell"
2018 To The Beat! Clare Also associate producer
2018 The Price for Silence Deana
2019 A Place Called Hollywood Sissy Satire 3 episodes
2019-2020 Days of Our Lives: Last Blast Reunion Belle Black Web Series

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2016
Indie Series Awards Best Lead Actress - Drama Winterthorne Nominated
2019
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Days of Our Lives Nominated [11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Rienzo, Alice. "Martha Madison". Bella Online: The Voice for Women. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
  2. ^ "Who, Where and Wow!". Soap Opera Weekly. 2007-02-13. p. 32.
  3. ^ Logan, Michael (February 18, 2011). "Exclusive: Online Soap The Bay Looking For a TV Home". TV Guide. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  4. ^ Bishop, Jenn (November 17, 2014). "DeVanity Creator Returns with New Sweet Saga Winterthorne". TV Source Magazine. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  5. ^ Lee, NaVell (November 17, 2014). "DeVanity Creator Michael Caruso Returns to the Web with Winterthorne". Buzzworthy Radio. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  6. ^ "Watch The Winterthorne First Trailer … Where Candy and Drama Come Together!". Michael Fairman On-Air On-Soaps. May 22, 2015. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  7. ^ Mulcahy, Jr., Kevin (August 27, 2015). "Watch the Premiere of Michael Caruso's Winterthorne". We Love Soaps. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  8. ^ Kerr, Luke (May 22, 2015). "Winterthorne Debuts Epic First Trailer". Daytime Confidential. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  9. ^ Martha-madison.com Archived 2007-08-19 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Di Lauro, Janet (May 23, 2013). "Days of Our Lives Ex Martha Madison". Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  11. ^ "Daytime Emmy Nominations: 'Days Of Our Lives' Leads Programs & CBS Tops Networks". Deadline Hollywood. March 20, 2019.
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