Official Hillary B. Smith Website

BIOGRAPHY

Hillary B. Smith initiated the role of Nora Hanen on ABC’s One Life to Live in August of 1992. The moment Hillary stepped onto OLTL’s canvas in September of that same year, Llanview gained a brand new heroine and fans' hearts skipped a beat.

Hillary Converse Bailey was born on May 25 in Boston, MA to Jean Bolleyn Bodell and Vincent Ravi Bailey. Jean Bodell – a tall, thin and dark-haired beauty - was born a twin on October 9, 1922, a descendant of famed nautical artist Frederick S. Cozzens, who is considered to be one of the nineteenth century's greatest marine illustrators. She later attended the Rhode Island School of Design and was a sculptress until the inception of WWII, and subsequently worked with the American Red Cross providing relief efforts. Vincent Bailey was born on July 6, 1917. He graduated from Harvard in 1940 and immediately entered the US Navy, thereby continuing a precedent established by his brothers. He then worked his way through the naval ranks, elevating to a decorated Lieutenant Commander of a submarine in the South Pacific. Jean and Vincent met after WWII concluded and were married in December of 1946. Jean became a fulltime mother to Hillary and her three siblings, while Vincent sought employment in Boston’s private sector with Gillette, developing patented prototypes for the adjustable and “Trac II” razors.

The Baileys moved to Palm Beach, FL in 1959, where Vincent took a job designing underwater equipment for John H. Perry, Jr., a well-known and highly regarded pioneer in submarine design and the oceanographic industry. While employed by Perry Submarine Builders, Vincent designed a system that placed the ballast on the outside of the cubmarine (a two-man submarine), thereby leaving room inside for its operators. This design modification was a breakthrough achievement and would dictate the future of submarine engineering. In addition to working for Perry Submarine, Vincent managed plant operations at the Palm Beach Daily News (also owned by John Perry), a newspaper man as well. Hillary was raised in Palm Beach, the youngest of four girls.

Her childhood was a happy and active time, full of fond memories and that which fueled a fierce competitive spirit in academics and organized sports. She competed in tennis in the USLTA’s and played her very first tournament against none other than future tennis greats, Chris and Jeanne Evert. She also took ballroom dancing lessons from the third through the eighth grades, which is where she began cultivating many of the talented moves fans saw her execute onscreen throughout the years. Though dance instruction began at her mother’s urging, Hillary quickly developed a passion for ballroom dance and eagerly anticipated each Wednesday evening, when she would don white gloves, dresses, socks and party shoes, and burst out the door for weekly lessons. Hillary’s love for dance and tennis would follow her through life and continues to this day. One should not underestimate the profound influence that Jean Bailey exerted upon her daughter. While Vincent may have been the publicly accomplished and well-recognized of the pair, and though Jean's demeanor was more demure and retiring than that of her husband, she instilled a level of strength and conviction within Hillary that served as both an inspiration and a baseline for achievement throughout her life.

Hillary returned to Massachusetts at age fourteen and enrolled at Dana Hall School, a girls’ boarding institution, where she fostered an interest in the field of genetics and studied with a geneticist at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston. She then attended Pine Manor Junior College in Chestnut Hill, MA, where she headed the drama club. She later transferred to Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) in Bronxville, NY, which was the only school in the US at the time that offered a Masters program in human genetics as well as theatre. This once future scientist, who knew from the time she was a child that she wanted to act professionally, soon followed her heart’s desire and turned full attention to her passion for acting. Hillary graduated from SLC with a BA, an offer from Universal Studios and an agent, and as her fans know best, has been positively unstoppable ever since.

Hillary’s first big break into acting occurred when she was still a senior in college. While enrolled in "Song Class”, a course that taught students how to execute songs with a microphone in a staged performance, Hillary performed in Song Night in the City, which was an elaborate, visually-stunning show. The performance was designed and executed by students in the Braswell-Leach Experimental Theatre, one of two theaters at SLC, and served as the exam that year. As fortune would have it a producer caught the performance, was impressed, and took three of the actors (Hillary included) and opened Song Night with a cast of six at NYC’s WestBeth Theatre as an Off-Off Broadway show. Hillary was then scouted by Universal Studios and ABC Casting Director Mary-Jo Slater, who sent her around to agents, and her career began to soar. Universal Studios offered Hillary a contract, which she graciously rejected in order to remain in theater. Song Night in the City was subsequently picked up as an Off-Broadway show, Hillary in tow, and began its run at NYC’s Orpheum Theatre.

In 1980, Hillary performed Off-Broadway in World of Black and White. As soon as the show closed, she approached a critical juncture. At age nineteen, Hillary had a benign parotid tumor surgically removed from her salivary gland. Unfortunately, it was not adequately removed and had slowly grown back throughout the years, and was deeply tangled in her facial nerves. She was then required to have a second surgery to remove the tumor once again. Though not a life-threatening procedure, parotid glands are the largest salivary glands in humans and located adjacent to vital nerves, and any surgical intervention requires a high level of expertise to avoid permanent, irreparable damage. Furthermore, parotid tumor removal frequently results in temporary yet significant facial paralysis, even in the most competent and medically-skilled hands.

Physicians informed Hillary that the right side of her face would indeed be paralyzed as a result of the second surgery. After a grueling five-hour operation at NYC’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital, and after removal of both the parotid gland and the tumor contained therein, the right side of her face was fully paralyzed. Determined to realize her lifelong dream of becoming a professional actress, and never one to concede defeat, Hillary braved recovery. She subsequently learned how to deaden the nerves in the left side of her face to match the right, thereby creating symmetry in her expression which allowed her to continue working. Though in between performances when she underwent surgery, World of Black and White moved to Broadway soon thereafter and Hillary followed.

Ironically, it was also at this time that Hillary transitioned into the television medium. Her first television role was on the series Nurse (1981), starring Michael Learned, which she began filming in 1980. Unfortunately, the production of Nurse was temporarily disrupted and came to a grinding halt when on the morning of December 8, the tragic news broke that John Lennon had been fatally shot. Though her foray into Broadway theater and television got off to a rocky start, after a period of exhausting physical therapy and much determination, Hillary finally regained control of the facial nerves on her right side and the paralysis fully subsided after nearly six months’ time. She has continued working non-stop since that point, pursuant to what could have been a devastating misfortune that placed an end to her budding career and lifelong ambition. Known for her perseverance, diligence and dedication, these qualities would continue to manifest themselves and guide her path to stardom.

Subsequent to Nurse, Hillary performed in A Reel American Hero, which was the Broadway version of World of Black and White. Three weeks after Hero closed, Hillary flew to Minnesota and spent four months at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. The Guthrie is one of the most popular and well-respected theaters in the region and known for its contemporary performances of the works of Shakespeare and other classical playwrights. Not surprisingly, the Guthrie won a Tony award for its 1981 season during her tenure. This was followed by more primetime television, including the starring role on No Soap, Radio (1982) opposite Steve Guttenberg. Hillary’s first daytime role also came in 1982, when she originated the character of feisty nurse Kit McCormick on NBC’s The Doctors, which was in its final year of airing. Hillary also shot a pilot which aired as an episode of Too Close for Comfort (1983), later known as The Ted Knight Show. Across the lot, Hillary was hired by the same producers in a recurring role in the hit series And Baby Makes Five. Right after filming completed off she went to the Philippines to shoot the movie, Purple Hearts, with Cheryl Ladd and Ken Wahl. It was becoming a busy life.

It is impossible to continue chronicling milestones in Hillary’s life without pausing and recounting how she met the man whom she dubs her “soul mate.” Hillary met her husband (Philip “Nip” Smith) when she was fourteen years-old, and their love story reads like a tale from a romance novel. Hillary and Nip met during their respective vacations from school, when she returned home to FL and while he was in town visiting with a friend. They mutually disguised their feelings for one another, as teenagers often do, for some time after first meeting. They continued to weave in and out of one another’s lives for several years, and saw each other every spring vacation while in high school. Hillary then lost sight of Nip after high school for approximately five years. Ironically enough, they were reunited in 1982 at the wedding of the same friend whom Nip visited when he first met Hillary. They were married in September of 1983, shortly after Hillary joined the cast of As the World Turns. Decades later, the Smiths are still going strong.

Though a recast in the role of policewoman Margo Hughes, Hillary stamped an indelible mark on the character and created sharply defined edges that were previously non-existent, soon winning praise of castmates and critics alike. Hillary gradually amassed a huge fan following within the daytime community, and these same viewers would follow her from ATWT to OLTL years later and comprise a large portion of her current fan base. While at ATWT, Hillary pursued additional projects that included work with Eileen Davidson, Nancy Frangione and Ed Marinaro on the made-for-television movie, Sharing Richard (1988). Hillary’s off-screen role expanded from that of wife to mother during her tenure at ATWT, and in 1986, she welcomed her first child (daughter Courtney) into the world. Hillary gave birth to her second child in 1988 (son Phips, who originated the role of Adam Hughes, Margo’s son) and remained with ATWT until November of 1989. She was featured on an episode of Family Feud prior to leaving ATWT, when the cast of ATWT faced off against the cast of The Young and the Restless for a celebrity charity showdown. She and her then castmate, Scott Bryce, won $40,500 for the American Indian College Fund and Big Brothers and Sisters of America while playing the $25,000 Pyramid, her favorite game show of all.

After leaving ATWT, Hillary embarked on a course of frequent travel and enjoyed steady work in film, sitcoms and theater. In December of 1989, Hillary shot one pilot in which she portrayed Eva Gabor’s daughter, and shot two pilots for CBS: Driving Miss Daisy with Joan Plowright and Robert Guillaume, and Dirty Laundry, developed by Arlene Sorkin. Hillary also starred on Broadway in the Tony award and Pulitzer prize-winning play, The Heidi Chronicles, a role she continued through April of 1990. She shot another pilot, Acting Sheriff (1991), in which she starred opposite Robert Goulet and John Putch. Hillary also landed a role in the feature film Love Potion No. 9, starring Sandra Bullock, which she filmed in Atlanta in the fall of 1991. She returned home immediately thereafter and began a four-month run in the Off-Broadway production of Terrence McNally’s Lips Together, Teeth Apart, which opened at New York City Center and moved to the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 1992.

Hillary then desired to remain on the East Coast and not travel as much professionally, for the purpose of being near her children and ensuring they were settled into school. The love and contentment Hillary bears for her husband is rivaled only by that which she bears for her children. Family has always been – and still remains – Hillary’s number one priority. She was a hands-on mother throughout her children’s formative years, and one who managed to successfully juggle the demands of work and parenting. Though Courtney and Phips are now young adults and beginning to carve out lives of their own, Hillary remains a driving force within their lives and the Smiths are indeed a close-knit family.

It was during the timeframe when Hillary desired to remain close to home while still pursuing her career that she auditioned for and was offered the role of Nora, a brand new character soon to hit OLTL’s canvas. While Hillary’s initial plan was to remain with OLTL for five years, sixteen years later - and much to the delight of her fans - she continues to grace viewers’ television screens with this incredibly vibrant and dynamic character. Fans have frequently stated that the reason Nora made such a mark upon their hearts and on OLTL’s canvas is due to Hillary’s interpretation of the character as a no-nonsense, spirited woman who is also genuine and accessible. She is a champion of causes and a character that stands by her convictions. Nora is someone to whom viewers of all ages can relate and aspire, a character that is equal parts heroine and girl-next-door, and a role that Hillary fully and indisputably owns.

Always one to hone her craft and explore new creative opportunities, Hillary pulled double duty in 1994 while working on OLTL and starred as Gene Wilder’s wife in the primetime sitcom, Something Wilder, for which she commuted to Los Angeles. Hillary also completed four motion pictures during her tenure at OLTL: Lifebreath (1997), starring Luke Perry; It Had to Be You (2000), which starred Natasha Henstridge (and also featured All My Children alum, Jennifer Bassey); Maid in Manhattan (2002), starring Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes; and most recently, Todd Solondz’s Palindromes (2004), which starred Ellen Barkin, Richard Masur, Matthew Faber and Angela Pietropinto. She turned in a powerful performance in a 2005 episode (“Identity”) of NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, in addition to working on children’s programming voiceover projects for Proctor & Gamble (Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs) and Playhouse Disney (JoJo’s Circus, 2004 and Stanley’s Dinosaur Round-Up, 2006). Hillary also appeared in a series of nationally-syndicated commercials for Caltrate, Pizza Hut, General Tires, Vicks Formula 44, and an on-the-go cereal bar that never quite made it to production.

Hillary guest-starred on numerous episodes of the now defunct SOAPnet original series, Soap Talk (2003-2006), hosted by Ty Treadway and Lisa Rinna, and stepped in to co-host on more than one occasion. She also guest-starred on an episode of SOAPnet's One Day With... (2005), hosted by Wally Kurth (ex-Ned Ashton, General Hospital), which provided a glimpse into Hillary's professional life as well as a discussion of a myriad of topics, ranging from Nora's character to her recollection of events that transpired on 9/11. She was interviewed for an episode of the SOAPnet-produced series Soapography (2004), which provided a snapshot of her biography and character-related chatter. She was also featured in the Disney-ABC produced Daytime’s Greatest Weddings (2004) and Soaps’ Most Unforgettable Love Stories (1998). Famous for her classical features and fashion flair, Hillary was photographed for Soap Opera Digest (2006), a shoot for which she wore her own clothing and accessories, and that which showcased her distinctive sense of style. She has been consistently sought after by the media throughout her career for beauty tips, fashion hints, and health and fitness advice.

A former shoe model, this stoic beauty is known for her strong on-camera presence and a natural radiance that emanates from within. Hillary was featured in Timothy Alan’s book, Two Faced: Confessions of a Soap Opera Make-Up Artist (2005), billed one of Soap Opera Digest’s “Most Beautiful Women” (2001), and named one of “Daytime’s Fifty Most Beautiful People” by Soap Opera Magazine (1998). A huge paradox exists herein, considering an agent once told Hillary early in her professional career that she didn’t possess the physical attributes that would endear her to leading roles as the heroine, specifically stating that she most likely would never do a soap opera. He used the term, “TV Ugly”. As time has told, scores of individuals - including countless beauty and fashion experts, renowned casting directors, film and network executives, and millions of transfixed fans – vehemently beg to differ. Perhaps the greatest irony consists of the fact that Nora’s character embodies the term “heroine” in every way imaginable.

Hillary received the Daytime Emmy for “Outstanding Lead Actress” in 1994 and was nominated again for the award in 2000. She recently renewed her contract for an additional four years, keeping Nora in Llanview through 2010.

Hillary is a competitive tennis, paddle and avid golf player, and enjoys boating and waterskiing as well. She holds an appreciation for antique furniture and collectibles, and enjoys knitting, reading and puzzles as a means to relax and unwind. She bears a fascination for medicine that stems from a scientific background as well as from her own medical struggles. She routinely gives commencement addresses to graduating classes, encouraging young women to be true to themselves and inspiring them to passionately pursue their ambitions. She is incredibly fond of word and card games, both of which fuel her competitive spirit. Hillary and Nip also founded a successful real estate company, Phillary Management, Inc., which highlights yet another facet of their extraordinary partnership and enables Hillary to tap into her passion for interior design. Hillary is very active in charitable endeavors, and volunteers much of her time to supporting network-sponsored fundraising events as well as those of her castmates. She also co-founded an endowment for the CA-based Sherman Oaks Veterinary Group, which discreetly assists pet owners whose vet bills have grown monumental or burdensome.

The Smiths currently reside in New Jersey.

(biography by Denise Balcarcel. No portion may be reproduced or reprinted without expressed consent.)