Meg Bennett, known for her portrayal of Julia Martin on 'The Young and the Restless,' has died from cancer at the age of 75, according to media reports.
Bennett began her career in 1975 on “Search For Tomorrow” before moving to “The Young and the Restless.” In later years, she worked as a writer for “General Hospital” and penned 197 episodes of the show.
The actress, originally named Helen Bennett, changed it to Meg due to another Helen Bennett already in Hollywood. She explained in 1985 that she adopted the name Meg from her mother, Margaret Bennett. Daily TV She grew up in Pasadena, California, and attended Northwestern University. In a 1975 interview with The Reading Eagle newspaper, she mentioned starting her career as a model and gaining a break on a game show.
In her pursuit of an entertainment career, Bennett made a minor misrepresentation to get a break as a contestant on the game show “Three on a Match.” She explained, “The hitch was that I couldn’t be an actress.” After joining the original cast of “Grease” on Broadway, she moved to “Search for Tomorrow,” where she remained for three years.Bennett portrayed Julia Martin on “The Young and the Restless” for six years and also contributed to script adjustments. She later joined the show’s writing team at the request of series creator, Bill Bell.
Bennett revealed her desire to write for herself in the future, expressing uncertainty about choosing between writing and acting. She stated, “I wonder if doing just one or the other would be enough.”
In 1993, Bennett became part of “General Hospital” as a writer and actress. She received a Daytime Emmy for her work on the show two years later and was nominated multiple times. It was also where she met her husband, Robert Guza, Jr., a nine-time Daytime Emmy winner and co-creator of “Sunset Beach.”
Bennett's husband, Robert Guza, Jr., who co-created and wrote “Sunset Beach,” her two stepdaughters, four grandchildren, a brother and a sister, survive her.
She was also a writer for “General Hospital”
Bennett played the role of Julia Martin on “The Young and the Restless” for six years, and during that time she would also adjust scripts. Bill Bell, who created the series, asked her to join the show’s writing team.
“I could actually hear the dialogue in my head. And Bill gave me critiques. He told me how to build scenes. He is very accessible, very supportive. He’s also very un-Hollywood,” she said to Daily TV. “I’d been acting on the show for almost two years when this happened, so I knew the characters.”
Bennett also aspired to write for herself. She told the outlet at she planned to take a break from the soap opera and work on a screenplay. “I’m not sure which is more gratifying – writing or acting and fortunately I don’t have to make a decision to opt for either. I wonder if doing just one or the other would be enough,” she said.
“I’ll admit, acting makes me a little crazy sometimes : you wait to audition. You wait for the part. When you’re writing, you’re in control. I can initiate things on my own when I’m writing. When I started my hiatus, I decided to keep a journal, and I filled one in three weeks. I guess that says there’s a lot in me that needs to come out.”
In 1993 Bennett joined “General Hospital” as both a writer and actress. She won a Daytime Emmy for her work on the show two years later and was nominated several times. The set is also where she met her husband, Robert Guza, Jr., the nine-time Daytime Emmy winner and co-creator of “Sunset Beach.”
Bennett is survived by her husband, “Sunset Beach” co-creator and writer Robert Guza, Jr., two stepdaughters, four grandchildren, a brother and a sister.
