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Alison Sweeney

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Alison Sweeney
Sweeney in 2009
Born
Alison Ann Sweeney

(1976-09-19) September 19, 1976 (age 48)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • director
  • author
  • reality show host
Years active1981–present
Known forDays of Our Lives
The Biggest Loser
Spouse
David Sanov
​
(m. 2000)​
Children2

Alison Ann Sweeney (born September 19, 1976)[1] is an American actress, reality show host, director and author. Sweeney is best known for her portrayal of Samantha "Sami" Brady on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives,[2] a role she played under contract with the show from January 6, 1993[3] to October 30, 2014.[4] In this role, she earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination, four Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Fan Voted Daytime Emmy Award.[5] After making sporadic appearances since then, she returned as a series regular in 2021. In 2007, she became the host of The Biggest Loser in its fourth season, and left the series at the end of the 16th season in 2015.

Personal life

[edit]

Sweeney is of Irish descent and has two brothers.[6][7] She studied economics at UCLA but left due to her commitment to Days of Our Lives.[8][9] On July 8, 2000, Sweeney married David Sanov, after dating for nearly three years.[10] The couple have two children: a son born on February 25, 2005, and a daughter born on January 12, 2009.[11] The family currently lives in Los Angeles.[12][13]

Career

[edit]

Sweeney's television debut was at age five in a Kodak advertisement.[12] A few years later, she was in the episode "I Can't Help Saying Goodbye" of the horror series Tales from the Darkside, playing a young girl who could sense when others were going to die shortly before their deaths. In 1988, she appeared on the short-lived ABC sitcom Family Man,[citation needed] and the following year, was cast as Christy McCray on Brand New Life, a miniseries from future X-Files creator Chris Carter that aired within NBC's Magical World of Disney in October 1989. The miniseries, which co-starred Barbara Eden as Sweeney's mother and Don Murray as her new stepfather, was considered for pick-up as a stand-alone series beyond its Disney tryout, but the regular series never materialized.

On January 6, 1993, then 16-year-old Sweeney first appeared in the role of Samantha "Sami" Brady in the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives—a show of which she was a fan.[14]

In the 1990s, cultural society continued to have very problematic views on weight. Sweeney was a US dress size 12 (UK dress size 16). She was not obese by medical standards, but still larger than her television peers; this it became an issue. She documented all the tabloid talk and personal anguish in her 2004 memoir, All The Days of My Life (So Far).[15]

In 2002, she appeared on a celebrity episode of the NBC reality game show Fear Factor.[12] She has appeared in other NBC shows such as Friends, where she played an actress on Days of Our Lives, and Las Vegas.[13] In 2007, she joined the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon as a co-host for the live television broadcast.[16] She returned to her co-hosting duties for the 2008, 2009, and 2010 telethons.[17][18]

In 2007, Sweeney took over hosting duties on The Biggest Loser, replacing Caroline Rhea since the fourth season. She was surprised but happy to be offered the role, where she is able to cheer on contestants and share their victories.[14]

Sweeney has written four books: All The Days of My Life (So Far) (released in May 2004), The Star Attraction (released in May 2013),[19] Scared Scriptless: A Novel (released in June 2014)[20] and Opportunity Knocks (released in April 2016).[21]

In July 2013, Sweeney appeared in Second Chances, a Hallmark Original Movie, alongside Days co-star Greg Vaughan. The movie was filmed before Sweeney and Vaughn became siblings on Days of Our Lives.[22]

On January 20, 2014, Sweeney announced on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that after 21 years of being on the air on Days of Our Lives, she was leaving the show, to focus on spending more time with her family, and to work on her other show, The Biggest Loser. She stated in the interview that she would be on the show throughout 2014, and that she would like her character on the show to have a happy ending with a Breaking Bad twist.[23]

On July 9, 2014, it was announced that Sweeney would be joining General Hospital behind the scenes as a director, starting later that month.[24] On April 26, 2015, Sweeney announced that she will be returning to Days of Our Lives to be part of the show's 50th anniversary celebrations.[25]

On August 25, 2015, it was announced that Sweeney would not be returning to The Biggest Loser.[26]

Beginning on October 13, 2017, Sweeney reprised her long-term role as Sami Brady on Days of Our Lives, over 24 years after her first appearance as a teenaged Sami Brady.

She played podcast host Alex McPherson in the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries film series Chronicle Mysteries, which started in 2019, with a fifth movie in 2021.

From 2015 to present, Sweeney appeared in the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries film series Murder, She Baked, based on Joanne Fluke's books.

Filmography

[edit]
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1984 Simon & Simon Lyla Episode: “The Wrong Stuff”
1985 St. Elsewhere Chrissy Episode: "Santa Claus Is Dead"
Webster Beth Episode: "The Uh-Oh Feeling"
Tales from the Darkside Karen Episode: "I Can't Help Saying Goodbye"
1987, 1993–2015, 2017– Days of Our Lives Adrienne Johnson
Samantha Brady
Colleen Brady 		Role: 1987 – Flashbacks
Role: January 1993 – October 2014; October – November 2015; October – December 2017; August – November 2018; July 2019; June 2020–present
Role: 2007 – September 2007; February 2008 – Flashbacks
1988 Family Man Rosie Tobin 7 episodes
1989–1990 Brand New Life Christy McCary 6 episodes
1994 Bay State Casey Mills Episodes: "Episode #4.4", "Episode #4.5"
2001 Friends Jessica Ashley Episode: "The One With Joey's Award"
2002 Fear Factor Herself Episode: "Celebrity Fear Factor"
2004 American Dreams Miss USA Episode: "Old Enough to Fight"
Las Vegas Caroline Pzarchik Episode: "Nevada State"
2007–2015 The Biggest Loser Herself Host (seasons 4–16)
2010 Mercy Becky Sorensen Episode: I Did Kill You, Didn't I?
2015 Beat Bobby Flay Herself Episode: "Raising the Bar"

Judge / Mentor

Films
Year Title Role Notes
1987 The Price of Life Young Alice Short film
1990 The End of Innocence Stephanie (12–15 years old)
1993 Night Sins Sami Brady Television film
2002 Happiness Girlfriend Short film
2013 Second Chances, AKA Hearts on Fire Jenny McLean Television film (Hallmark)[citation needed]
2015 Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder Hannah Swensen Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)[citation needed]
Love on the Air Sonia Television film (Hallmark)[citation needed]
Murder She Baked: A Plum Pudding Murder Mystery Hannah Swensen Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)[citation needed]
Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
2016 Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)[citation needed]
The Irresistible Blueberry Farm Ellen Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
2017 Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts Hannah Swensen Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)[27]
Christmas At Holly Lodge Sophie Bennett Television film (Hallmark)
2019 Chronicle Mysteries: Recovered Alex McPherson Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) First in a series[28]
Chronicle Mysteries: The Wrong Man Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) Second in a series
Chronicle Mysteries: Vines That Bind Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) Third in a series
Chronicle Mysteries: The Deep End Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) Fourth in a series
Time For You To Come Home for Christmas Katherine Moss Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Executive producer: Blake Shelton
2020 Good Morning Christmas! Melissa Merry Television film (Hallmark)
2021 Chronicle Mysteries: Helped to Death Alex McPherson Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) Fifth in a series
Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery Hannah Swensen Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Open By Christmas Nicky Television film (Hallmark)
Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas Sami Brady Peacock Original Movie
2022 The Wedding Veil Tracy Goodwyn Television Film Trilogy (Hallmark)
The Wedding Veil Unveiled
The Wedding Veil Legacy
A Magical Christmas Village Summer Television film (Hallmark)
2023 The Wedding Veil Expectations Tracy Serchio Television Film Trilogy (Hallmark)
The Wedding Veil Inspiration
The Wedding Veil Journey
Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery Hannah Swensen Television film (Hallmark)
A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
2024 Love and Jane Lilly Thorpe
One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery Hannah Swensen

Awards and nominations

[edit]
List of acting awards and nominations
Year Award Category Title Result Ref.
1994
 Young Artist Award Best Youth Actress in a Soap Opera Days of Our Lives Nominated
[29]
1996
 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Villainess Days of Our Lives Won
[30]
1997
 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a Daytime Drama: Young Actress Days of Our Lives Nominated
[31]
1998
 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Villainess Days of Our Lives Won
[32]
1999
 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Villainess Days of Our Lives Won
[33]
2000
 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Younger Lead Actress Days of Our Lives Nominated
2001
 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Younger Lead Actress Days of Our Lives Won
[34]
2002
 Daytime Emmy Award America's Favorite Villain — Special Fan Award Days of Our Lives Won
[35]
2003
 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Supporting Actress Days of Our Lives Nominated
2005
 Soap Opera Digest Award Favorite New Couple (shared with Bryan Dattilo) Days of Our Lives Won
[36]
2005
 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Supporting Actress Days of Our Lives Won
[36]
2015
 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Days of Our Lives Nominated
[37]
2020
 Soap Hub Awards Favorite Social Media Star Days of Our Lives Won
[38]
2022 Just Jared Awards Favorite Hallmark Channel Star of 2022 Herself Nominated

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Who's New: Growing Up Brady". Soap Opera Digest. February 9, 1993.
  2. ^ "Days of Our Lives". SoapNet. Archived from the original on 29 March 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  3. ^ "Any Questions?". Soap Opera Weekly. February 27, 2007. p. 22.
  4. ^ SOD (October 22, 2014). "Day's Sweeney Says Good-Bye". Soap Opera Digest. soapoperadigest.com. American Media, Inc. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  5. ^ "Biography". AlisonSweeney.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-10.
  6. ^ "All American Girl". Soap Opera Weekly. August 30, 1994. pp. 24–26.
  7. ^ All The Days Of My Life (so Far). Acknowledgments. July 2005.
  8. ^ "Leader of the Pack". Soap Opera Digest. February 27, 1996. p. 44.
  9. ^ All The Days Of My Life (so Far). July 2005. Sweeney talks about how she attended UCLA, but left since she couldn't commit at the time.
  10. ^ "Ali Chat". Soap Opera Digest. July 11, 2000. p. 38.
  11. ^ Dagostino, Mark, "Meet Alison Sweeney's New Baby!", People, March 19, 2009, Retrieved February 4, 2010
  12. ^ a b c "Alison Sweeney (Sami, Days of Our Lives)", Soap Opera Digest, Retrieved February 4, 2010
  13. ^ a b "Alison Ann Sweeney", SoapCentral.com, Retrieved February 4, 2010
  14. ^ a b Kroll, Dan J. (April 9, 2009). "Alison Sweeney reflects on 16 years as Sami and battling a common ailment". Soapcentral. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2009.
  15. ^ Sweeney, Alison (2005). All The Days Of My Life (So Far). Kensington Books. ISBN 978-0-7582-0610-7.
  16. ^ "MDA Telethon Raises Record 63.8 Million Dollars" Archived 2009-01-15 at the Wayback Machine, Medical News Today, September 5, 2007, Retrieved February 4, 2010
  17. ^ "Celebrities Line Up To Co-Host Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon" Archived 2009-09-10 at the Wayback Machine, Muscular Dystrophy Association, August 15, 2008, Retrieved February 4, 2010
  18. ^ "MDA Telethon" Archived 2010-02-09 at the Wayback Machine, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Retrieved February 4, 2010
  19. ^ "Alison Sweeney Dishes on Her New Book and the Next Season of 'The Biggest Loser'". Fox News Insider. May 18, 2013.
  20. ^ Dollycas (4 June 2014). "Scared Scriptless: A Novel". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  21. ^ Candance Young (9 December 2015). "Days of our Lives' Alison Sweeney's new book Opportunity Knocks". SoapSheKnows. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  22. ^ "TWICE AS NICE!" CBS Soaps In Depth. July 29, 2013. Pgs. 84 -87.
  23. ^ "Alison Sweeney Leaving 'Days of Our Lives'". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  24. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: ALISON SWEENEY TO GH!". Soap Opera Digest. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  25. ^ "It's Official: Alison Sweeney Back To Days". Soap Opera Digest. April 26, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  26. ^ "Allison Sweeney Leaving 'Biggest Loser' (Exclusive)". Access Hollywood. August 25, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  27. ^ Nolasco, Stephanie (March 8, 2017). "Alison Sweeney dishes on 'Murder, She Baked' and whether she'll ever return to soap operas". Fox News. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  28. ^ Preston, Hannah (February 15, 2019). "Alison Sweeney looks to bridge true fan junkies and sceptic alike in her new series 'Chronicle Mysteries'". Newsweek.
  29. ^ "15th Annual Youth In Film Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on 2011-04-03. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  30. ^ "The Soap Opera Digest Awards: 1996". Soap Opera Digest. soapoperadigest.com. 14 April 2003. Archived from the original on February 2, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  31. ^ "18th Youth In Film Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on 2011-04-02. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  32. ^ "The Soap Opera Digest Awards: 1998". Soap Opera Digest. soapoperadigest.com. 24 June 2004. Archived from the original on February 10, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  33. ^ "The Soap Opera Digest Awards: 1999". Soap Opera Digest. soapoperadigest.com. 14 April 2003. Archived from the original on August 7, 2003. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  34. ^ "The Soap Opera Digest Awards: 2001". Soap Opera Digest. soapoperadigest.com. 14 April 2003. Archived from the original on August 17, 2003. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  35. ^ "Alison Sweeney 411". Soap Opera Digest. United States: soapoperadigest.com. American Media. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  36. ^ a b "The Soap Opera Digest Awards: 2005". Soap Opera Digest. soapoperadigest.com. April 2005. Archived from the original on September 9, 2005. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  37. ^ "The 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations" (PDF). New York City: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. March 31, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  38. ^ Montgomery, Daniel (September 2, 2020). "1st Annual Soap Hub Awards decided by fans honored 'Days of Our Lives,' Steve Burton, Sharon Case and more". Gold Derby. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
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