Vanessa Marcil

Possessing a visage that inspired rock songs and was once likened to that of a young Elizabeth Taylor, Vanessa Marcil first captivated television audiences as dramatic temptress, Brenda Barrett, on the award-winning daytime soap opera, "General Hospital" (ABC, 1963- ). Her breakout role saw her locking lips with "GH" hunks like Maurice Benard and Ingo Rademacher, creating one of daytime TV's steamiest love triangles of the 1990s. As the impulsive, emotional Barrett, she not only earned a kind of long-time fame few daytime TV performers experience, but she also garnered numerous acting awards for her work, including a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. At the peak of her Brenda fame, she even landed a supporting role in the blockbuster "The Rock" (1996) opposite Nicolas Cage. After leaving the security of daytime soaps, Marcil took on primetime TV; first starring on the hit series "Beverly Hills 90210" (Fox, 1990-2000) as the show's resident sexpot before playing a no-nonsense casino host on NBC's sexy drama, "Las Vegas" (2003-08). After being an integral part of "General Hospital" for years, Marcil had ended her stint on the series in 2003, but after a long absence that left fans clamoring for ABC to bring back Brenda's storyline, Marcil reprised her role in 2010, solidifying her status as one of daytime television's most beloved actresses of all time.