Rachel Ames
Rachel Ames | |
---|---|
Born | Rachel Kay Foulger November 2, 1929 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
Other names | Judith Ames |
Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1951–2007, 2009–2015 |
Spouses | |
Children | 2 |
Parents |
|
Rachel Ames (born Rachel Kay Foulger; November 2, 1929)[1] is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Audrey March Hardy on the ABC soap opera General Hospital (1964 to 2007, returning for appearances in 2009, 2013, and 2015). Ames's role is the longest-running in the series' history, spanning over 50 years and earning her three Daytime Emmy Award nominations. She received the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. Ames also played the role of Audrey on Port Charles, a spin off of General Hospital, from 1997 to 1998.[1]
Early life
[edit]Ames was born Rachel Kay Foulger in Portland, Oregon.[2][3][4] She is the daughter of actress (and later college drama instructor) Dorothy Adams and actor Byron Foulger.[5] She has one younger sister, born in 1942. Through her father, she is of English descent, the fourth generation of English immigrants from Norfolk, who settled in the Salt Lake City area.[4]
Ames spent her early life in Portland, but her family relocated to California so her parents could work, perform and teach at the Pasadena Playhouse.[6] She graduated from University High School and later enrolled at University of California, Los Angeles, where her mother was a professor in the university's drama department.[7][8][2]
Career
[edit]Early work
[edit]Ames debuted professionally in 1949 in Pilgrimage Play. She co-starred with her parents in One Foot in Heaven at the Pasadena Playhouse.[7][9] She also appeared in productions of Broadway Jones, The Circle, and King of Hearts at the same venue. She co-starred with her father on stage in Cradle Song. Ames' other theater credits include The Immortalist, Mary Rose, and Golden Boy.[9]
She transitioned into film under the stage name Judith Ames. She was under contract with Paramount Pictures for three years in the early 1950s. Her first feature film was When Worlds Collide (1951), a science-fiction thriller based on the 1933 novel of the same name. She played the role of Julie Cummings.[10][7] The same year, she had appeared in Toast to Our Brother, a short film documenting fraternity life at UCLA, where she was a student at the time.[citation needed]
She had an uncredited role in the film noir The Turning Point (1952).[11] She also had an uncredited role as Mrs. Kirk in the Western film Arrowhead (1953), co-starring with Charlton Heston.[12] The following year, she had a supporting role as Betsy Williams in the Western comedy film Ricochet Romance (1954).[13][14] In her only regular role on primetime television, Ames played Policewoman Sandy McAllister on The Lineup in that program's final season during 1959. Ames also had dozens of other guest-starring appearances in television, on series such as The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, The Virginian, Ironside, Wagon Train, Trackdown, Ben Casey, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and six different appearances on Science Fiction Theater. In "The Jodie Tyler Story" episode of the series Whispering Smith, she played the title role, billed as Rachel Foulger. Her mother, Dorothy Adams, was in the same episode, though they had no scenes together. She appeared in a lead role in the 1960 Western Gunfighters of Abilene, opposite Buster Crabbe and Barton MacLane.
General Hospital
[edit]On February 23, 1964, Ames debuted on ABC's daytime serial, General Hospital, playing Audrey Hardy, R.N.[15][16] Her tenure in the part is the longest-running role in the network's history, spanning five decades.[1] Her contract was not renewed for General Hospital in 2003, but she still appeared as a recurring character from 2003 until 2007, and made a brief appearance in 2009. On February 13, 2013, Genie Francis (Laura Spencer) announced on Katie that Ames would be returning to the show on March 29, 2013. She reprised the role again for one episode on October 30, 2015.[17]
Ames has been nominated three times for a Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama for her role on General Hospital. In 2004, Ames was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 31st Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.[18][19][20] In 1997, she appeared as Audrey Hardy on ABC's special two-hour primetime preview of new daytime series Port Charles, a spin-off of General Hospital. Ames had a recurring role as Audrey on Port Charles from 1997 to 1998.[1]
Later career
[edit]In 2007, Ames retired from General Hospital after 43 years. On October 1, 2009, it was announced that she would be reappearing as Audrey in mid-October after a two-year absence from the show.[21] She reprised the role of Audrey again in April 2013, to coincide with General Hospital's 50th anniversary. She also made a guest appearance on October 30, 2015.[17]
Personal life
[edit]Ames married Jack Genung on January 31, 1952, in Los Angeles. They had one daughter.[22] She married her second husband, Canadian-born actor Barry Cahill, and they had a daughter and two grandchildren.[7] Cahill died in April 2012. They had been married for 42 years.[23]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1951 | When Worlds Collide | Julie Cummings | Credited as Judith Ames |
Toast to Our Brother | Short film
Credited as Judith Ames | ||
1952 | The Turning Point | Girl | Uncredited |
1953 | Arrowhead | Mrs. Kirk | Uncredited |
1954 | Ricochet Romance | Betsy Williams | Credited as Judith Ames |
1957 | Oregon Passage | Marion Erschick | Credited as Judith Ames |
1960 | Gunfighters of Abilene | Alice Hainline | Credited as Judith Ames[24] |
1969 | Daddy's Gone-A-Hunting | Dr. Parkington's Nurse | Uncredited |
Television
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1954 | Your Favorite Story | Lucy Kilgore | Episode: "The Crime"
Credited as Judith Ames |
The Public Defender | Shirley Selvey | Episode: "The Do-Gooder"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
City Detective | June | Episode: "Her Sister's Keeper"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
1954; 1955 | I Led 3 Lives | Comrade Jeanette; Margaret | Episodes: "Love Story", "Second Courier"
Credited as Judith Ames |
1955 | Soldiers of Fortune | Ellen Thayer | Episode: "The Black Scarab"
Credited as Judith Ames |
The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse | Episode: "I'll Be Waiting"
Credited as Judith Ames | ||
1955–1957 | Science Fiction Theatre | Various | 6 episodes
Credited as Judith Ames |
1955; 1958 | NBC Matinee Theater | Episodes: "The Shot", "Found Money"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
1955; 1960 | The Millionaire | Georgette French; Jessica March | Episodes: "The Cobb Marley Story", "Millionaire Jessica March"
Credited as Judith Ames |
1956 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Laura | Episode: "The Hidden Thing"
Credited as Judith Ames |
Dr. Christian | Julie | Episode: "Insurance Policy" | |
You Are There | Mrs. Fowler | Episode: "V-J Day (September 2, 1945)"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
Highway Patrol | Anne Reynolds | Episode: "Scared Cop"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
Studio 57 | Jenny; Janet | Episodes: "The Black Road", "Out of Sight"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
Broken Arrow | Terry Wilson | Episode: "The Mail Riders"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
The Loretta Young Show | Alice Fuller; Nurse Holste | Episodes: "The Years Between", "Three and Two, Please"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
1956; 1957 | Crossroads | Mrs. Edith Brissie; Marian | 3 episodes |
1956; 1959 | State Trooper | Various | 3 episodes |
1957 | Cavalcade of America | Carol | Episode: "The House of Empty Rooms"
Credited as Judith Ames |
Whirlybirds | Eve Douglas | Episode: "Lynch Mob"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
General Electric Theater | Mary; Edie Duncan | Episodes: "No Skin Off Me", "Too Good with a Gun"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
Code 3 | Maggie Porter | Episode: "The Bite"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
1957; 1958 | Tales of Wells Fargo | Ellen Craig; Maude Kimball | Episodes: "A Time to Kill", "Special Delivery"
Credited as Judith Ames |
1957; 1959 | The Californians | Ann Sloan; Madge Dorsett | Episodes: "The Avenger", "A Turn in the Trail"
Credited as Judith Ames |
1958 | Meet McGraw | Sue Walters | Episode: "Time for Dying"
Credited as Judith Ames |
Telephone Time | Joan Yedor | Episode: "The Checkered Flag"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
Trackdown | Jenny Krail; Melinda Curry | Episodes: "The Farrand Story", "The House"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
M Squad | Greta Loder | Episode: "The Fight"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer | Mrs. Armstrong | Episode: "For Sale, Deathbed, Used"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
Perry Mason | Marian Shaw | Episode: "The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
Man Without a Gun | Episode: "The Last Bullet" | ||
The Silent Service | Jeanne McFarland | Episode: "The Sandshark Story"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
Lassie | Mrs. Bridell | Episode: "Lassie's Decision"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
Colgate Theatre | Alice Beekman | Episodes: "The Last Marshal", "If You Knew Tomorrow" Credited as Judith Ames | |
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Martha Bream; Ellen Larkin | Episodes: "The Stranger", "Homecoming"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
1958–1960 | The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp | Various | 3 episodes |
1958–1964 | Wagon Train | Various | 5 episodes |
1959 | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | Muriel | Episode: "Trial at Devil's Canyon"
Credited as Judith Ames |
Man with a Camera | Lila | Episode: "Mute Evidence"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
Cimarron City | Emily Barton | Episode: "The Unaccepted"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
Frontier Doctor | Nancy Turner | Episode: "The Big Gamblers"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
Wanted Dead or Alive | Ellie Morgan; Sarah Buchanan | Episodes: "The Corner", "Angels of Vengeance"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
Union Pacific | Sarah Morgan | Episode: "To the Death"
Credited as Judith Ames | |
1959–1960 | The Lineup | Sandy McAllister | Series regular, 15 episodes |
1960 | Thriller | Betty Follett | Episode: "The Mark of the Hand" |
Laramie | Helen Bentley; Mrs. LuBell | Episodes: "Cemetery Road", "A Sound of Bells" | |
1961 | Stagecoach West | Cecilia Barnes | Episode: "The Root of Evil" |
Whispering Smith | Jodie Tyler | Episode: "The Jodie Tyler Story"
Credited as Rachel Foulger | |
1962 | G.E. True | Kate | Episode: "Circle of Death" |
1963 | 77 Sunset Strip | Agnes Hoyt | Episode: "Reunion at Balboa" |
The Andy Griffith Show | Rosemary | Episode: "A Wife for Andy" | |
The Bill Dana Show | Episode: "You Gotta Have Heart" | ||
The Fugitive | Ann Gerard | Episode: "Never Wave Goodbye: Part 1" | |
1964 | Ben Casey | Ethel Beldon | Episode: "I'll Get on My Ice Floe and Wave Goodbye" |
Arrest and Trial | Mrs. Harmon | Episode: "Funny Man with a Monkey" | |
1964–2015 | General Hospital | Audrey March Hardy | Contract role |
1968 | Off to See the Wizard | Nellie Malone | Episode: "Mike and the Mermaid" |
1969 | Ironside | Carolyn Channing | Episode: "Up, Down and Even" |
The Virginian | Mary Kinkaid | Episode: "Death Wait" | |
This Is the Life | Episode: "Adrift" | ||
1970 | The Name of the Game | Mrs. Bailey | Episode: "The Glory Shouter" |
1997–2003 | Port Charles | Audrey March Hardy | Recurring role |
Awards and nominations
[edit]Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Results | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1974 | 1st Daytime Emmy Awards | Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | General Hospital | Nominated | [1] |
1975 | 2nd Daytime Emmy Awards | Nominated | [1] | ||
1979 | 6th Daytime Emmy Awards | Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Nominated | [1] | |
2004 | 31st Daytime Emmy Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | [20] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "About GH: About the Actors: Rachel Ames". Soap Central. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
- ^ a b Onofrio 1999, pp. 2–3.
- ^ Aaker 2006, p. 13.
- ^ a b Foulger, Bryan. "Fourth Generation". Brian Foulger Family History. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
RACHEL KAY FOULGER, born 1929 Portland Oregon
- ^ "Rachel Ames Signed To Play Policewoman On 'Lineup' Series". The Oil City Derrick. The Oil City Derrick. September 19, 1959. p. 23. Retrieved October 21, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wittbeck, Charles (July 14, 1967). "Soaper Actress Has Army of Fans". The Toledo Blade. p. 18.
- ^ a b c d Aaker 2006, pp. 13–14.
- ^ "About the Actors - Rachel Ames - General Hospital on Soap Central". Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ a b Rout, Nancy E.; Buckley, Ellen (1992). The Soap Opera Book: Who's Who in Daytime Drama. Todd Publications. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-915344-23-9.
- ^ "When Worlds Collide". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "The Turning Point". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "Arrowhead". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "Ricochet Romance - Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 30, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "Rachel Ames". TV Guide. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
- ^ Kleiner, Dick (September 20, 1985). "Soap eliminated her tears". Rome News-Tribune. Showbeat.
- ^ Terrace 1985, p. 62.
- ^ a b "Rachel Ames Returns to General Hospital". Soap Opera Digest. October 29, 2015. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
- ^ "The National Television Academy Announces the 31st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients". PR Newswire. February 2, 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
- ^ "Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg Hosts Reception In Honor Of 31st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards". NYC.gov. May 20, 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
- ^ a b McClintock, Pamela (February 3, 2004). "10 clean up at Daytime Emmys". Variety. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ "General Hospital Spoilers!". Daytime Confidential. October 2, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
- ^ "Marriages" (PDF). Billboard. March 1, 1952. p. 52. Retrieved October 21, 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Barry Cahill obituary". Los Angeles Times. April 15, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
- ^ Vermilye 2006, p. 186.
Works cited
[edit]- Aaker, Everett (2006). Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters: All Regular Cast Members in American Crime and Mystery Series, 1948-1959. McFarland. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-786-42476-4.
- Onofrio, Jan (1999). Oregon Biographical Dictionary. Somerset Publishers, Inc. ISBN 978-0-403-09841-5.
- Terrace, Vincent (1985). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials. Vol. 2. New York Zoetrope. ISBN 9780918432612.
- Vermilye, Jerry (2006). Buster Crabbe: A Biofilmography. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-49570-2.
External links
[edit]- Rachel Ames at IMDb
- Rachel Ames at AllMovie
- Rachel Ames at the TCM Movie Database
- Rachel Ames at the Internet Archive
- 1929 births
- Living people
- Actresses from Portland, Oregon
- American people of English descent
- American soap opera actresses
- American television actresses
- Daytime Emmy Award winners
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Paramount Pictures contract players
- University High School (Los Angeles) alumni
- University of California, Los Angeles alumni
- American film actresses
- American stage actresses