Brenda Dickson

Brenda Irene Dickson (born February 3, 1949) is an American actress who originated the role of Jill Foster Abbott on the soap opera The Young and the Restless.

Brenda Dickson
Born
Brenda Irene Dickson

(1949-02-03) February 3, 1949
Long Beach, California
NationalityAmerican
Other namesBrenda Dickson-Weinberg
Alma materLee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
OccupationActress
Spouse(s)
Robert Rifkin
​
​
(m. 1983, divorced)​

Jan Weinberg
​
​
(m. 1997; div. 2006)​

Early life and education

Dickson was born in Long Beach, California.[1] As a teenager, she toured Southeast Asia singing and dancing for the armed forces with Bob Hope.[2] At the age of 17, she won the title of Miss California USA. This led to acting offers but Dickson decided to continue performing at USO shows while studying acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Los Angeles.[1]

Career

Dickson made her stage debut at the Beverly Hills Playhouse and went on to appear in stage roles in the Los Angeles area. She made her feature film debut in the 1972 film Deathmaster.[1] She has also appeared in guest roles on Men at Law and The F.B.I., Love, American Style, Here We Go Again, and the prime-time soap opera Falcon Crest.

Dickson played the role of Jill Foster Abbott on The Young and the Restless from 1973–80, then again from 1983–87.[3] Dickson was let go from the show in 1987. She filed a $10 million lawsuit against Columbia Pictures in an effort to be reinstated.[4] In the lawsuit, Dickson claimed that William J. Bell blacklisted her after 15 years on the show and that he went on to wreak havoc on her personal and professional life by hiring "Mafia cartel judges and attorneys" to "ruin" her life. As a result, she ended up "broke and homeless" and claimed to have been blocked from working ever since.[5][6]

In 1987, Dickson released the film Welcome to My Home,[7] Described as a "vanity film",[7] which showcased her home and wardrobe.[8] A YouTube parody became an Internet meme, and has since been taken down and re-uploaded several times.[9] In 2018, its influence was profiled in a "Vanity Fair" article, and Dickson was interviewed, where she indicated that she put up $5000 of her own money to finance it.[10]

In May 2013, Blue Boulevard Publications released Dickson's memoir, My True Hidden Hollywood Story.[11]

Personal life

Marriages

Dickson has been married twice. Her first husband was dentist Robert Rifkin whom she married on September 30, 1976.[12] Dickson and Rifkin divorced in 1983. She married attorney Jan Weinberg on December 25, 1997.[13] They were divorced in 2006.[14]

In 2007, Dickson was jailed in Hawaii because of a civil contempt order stemming from a divorce judgment from her ex-husband, lawyer Jan Weinberg.[14] She said she was the victim and wasn't given a fair divorce hearing.[14] Released after 16 days, she was sent back to jail and eventually released after more than three months.[15]

In 2009, the judgment in Weinberg v. Dickson was set aside after an appeals court found that the judge in the original trial had abused his discretion in not guaranteeing Dickson a fair trial and that her imprisonment had been unlawful.[16]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1971 Men At Law Episode: "One American"
1972 The F.B.I. Donna Episode: "The Set-Up"
1972 Deathmaster Rona
1973 Love, American Style Girl Segment: "Love and the Sexpert"
1973 Here We Go Again Donna Episode: "There's a Boy in My Rumaki"
1973–1980; 1983–1987 The Young and the Restless Jill Foster Abbott
1976 Taxi Driver Soap Opera Woman
1983 Falcon Crest Tony's Girlfriend Episode: "Maelstrom"

Awards and nominations

References
  1. Peterson, Bettelou (March 18, 1985). "Brenda Dickson: The Young and the Restless". The Montreal Gazette. p. B-8. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  2. "Soap Stars' Real Lives Sometimes More Juicy". Ocala Star-Banner. November 18, 1976. p. 12-A. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  3. "When Dickson Is Bad, It's Good for Young and Restless". Schenectady Gazette. January 9, 1987. p. 13. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  4. "Bette profits from drug deal". Wilmington Morning Star. March 5, 1988. p. 2D. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  5. Post Staff Report (April 22, 2013). "Soap star says she ended up broke and homeless". New York Post. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  6. Marcus, Stephanie (April 22, 2013). "Brenda Dickson Was Once Homeless: Young And The Restless Star Claims She Ended Up Broke & Homeless After Being Blacklisted". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  7. "Welcome to My Home". New York. New York Magazine Company. 40: 62.
  8. Limnander, Armand (May 14, 2009). "Kitsch of the Day". The New York Times Magazine Blog. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  9. "The Original Brenda Dickson Parody Is Back On YouTube!". DNA. December 2, 2008. Archived from the original on April 21, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  10. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/09/welcome-to-my-home-video-brenda-dickson-well-hello
  11. "New Book By Soap Star Brenda Dickson Hits The Stands In May". The Beverly Hills Courier. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  12. Pike, Charlie (November 5, 1976). "Pike's Peek". The Dispatch. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  13. "Weinberg still a no-show in ongoing divorce". Honolulu Star Advertiser. March 3, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  14. Kobayashi, Ken (February 20, 2007). "Jailed actress says she's the victim". Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
  15. Kobayashi, Ken (June 27, 2007). "Honolulu judge frees ex-soap opera star from prison". Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
  16. Dooley, Jim (January 13, 2010). "Actress, other women allege abuses by Hawaii's Family Court". Honolulu Star Advertiser. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  17. "Awards for Brenda Dickson". IMDb. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
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