Meg Bennett
Encyclopedia
Meg Bennett is an American
television soap opera
writer and occasional actress. She is married to General Hospital
Head Writer
Robert Guza, Jr.
. She majored in drama at Northwestern University
and acted in summer stock during college breaks.
She changed her first name Helen to Meg, because there was already a "Helen Bennett" registered with Screen Actor's Guild.
. There, she appeared on a game show, where she won furniture. She also was part of the original cast of the Broadway
production Grease
, which led to her being cast on the daytime soap opera
Search for Tomorrow
in 1974. She played the role of the good girl, Liza, for three years, when she decided to leave New York for California for better career opportunities.
She suffered from a bout of hepatitis
, and once she recovered, she was cast as Julia Newman on The Young and the Restless
in 1980. She played the role on-and-off for six years, during which time, she impressed Bill Bell
, the creator of The Young and the Restless
, with her on-the-set script doctoring skills. He asked her to write for the show in 1981, and she did double-duty by writing and acting on the show. Her writing career would eclipse her acting career, as she shared an Emmy award with the rest of the writing staff for General Hospital
in 1995. She still occasionally acts, such as in the villainous role of Allegra on General Hospital
.
She was fired in 2011 by Garin Wolf
after he was promoted as Head Writer
.
, when they were both hired to write for a soap opera. They fell in love and married. Since then, they partnered together and wrote for several soap operas.
They also bought a $2.8 million house in Beverly Hills, California
in 2003.
General Hospital
General Hospital: Night Shift
Generations (hired by Sally Sussman Morina
)
Santa Barbara
Sunset Beach
The Young and the Restless
Writers Guild of America Award
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
writer and occasional actress. She is married to General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
Head Writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
Robert Guza, Jr.
Robert Guza, Jr.
Robert Guza Jr. is an American television writer and producer, and formally held the position as Head Writer on the long running ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital. He was fired by Brian Frons.-Personal life:...
Early life
Bennett's real name is Helen Bennett. She is the eldest daughter of a printing company executive and a psychologist. She grew up in Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. She majored in drama at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and acted in summer stock during college breaks.
She changed her first name Helen to Meg, because there was already a "Helen Bennett" registered with Screen Actor's Guild.
Career
In 1971, she was hired as the "Cadillac Eldorado convertible girl" for a New York auto show, which prompted her to move to ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. There, she appeared on a game show, where she won furniture. She also was part of the original cast of the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
, which led to her being cast on the daytime soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
in 1974. She played the role of the good girl, Liza, for three years, when she decided to leave New York for California for better career opportunities.
She suffered from a bout of hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
, and once she recovered, she was cast as Julia Newman on The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
in 1980. She played the role on-and-off for six years, during which time, she impressed Bill Bell
William J. Bell
William J. Bell was the creator and executive producer of the soap operas The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.-Personal life:...
, the creator of The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
, with her on-the-set script doctoring skills. He asked her to write for the show in 1981, and she did double-duty by writing and acting on the show. Her writing career would eclipse her acting career, as she shared an Emmy award with the rest of the writing staff for General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
in 1995. She still occasionally acts, such as in the villainous role of Allegra on General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
.
She was fired in 2011 by Garin Wolf
Garin Wolf
-WGA Strike:During the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, Wolf chose Financial Core Status with the Writers Guild of America, stepping in for robert Guza Jr...
after he was promoted as Head Writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
.
Personal life
She met her husband Robert Guza, Jr.Robert Guza, Jr.
Robert Guza Jr. is an American television writer and producer, and formally held the position as Head Writer on the long running ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital. He was fired by Brian Frons.-Personal life:...
, when they were both hired to write for a soap opera. They fell in love and married. Since then, they partnered together and wrote for several soap operas.
They also bought a $2.8 million house in Beverly Hills, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 2003.
Positions held
The Bold and the BeautifulThe Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
- Script Writer: 1987 - 1989
- Executive Storyline ConsultantCreative consultantCreative consultant is a credit that has - particularly in the past - been given to screenwriters who have “doctored” a movie screenplay. It is often given by producers in lieu of official credit. Those given this credit in the television field work closely with an Executive Producer, Head...
: August 6, 2002 - October 2004 (hired by Bradley BellBradley BellBradley Bell is an American television writer and producer. Bell is a six-time Daytime Emmy Award winner and is executive producer and head writer for The Bold and the Beautiful, an American soap opera.-Career:...
)
General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
- Breakdown Writer: 1987 - 1989; 1994 - 1997 (hired by Claire LabineClaire Labine-Early career:Although she originally aspired to be an actress, Labine eventually became a critically acclaimed writer. She attended the University of Kentucky where her major was journalism, but later she switched to playwriting major at Columbia University’s School of Dramatic Arts...
); 1999 - December 2000; April 3, 2009–Present - Actress: Allegra Montenegro (August 2005)
General Hospital: Night Shift
General Hospital: Night Shift
General Hospital: Night Shift is an American prime time serial that first aired on SOAPnet for a 13-episode run from July 12, 2007 to October 4, 2007. A spin-off of the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital, the show is SOAPnet's first original scripted drama series and follows the nighttime...
- Script Writer: August 9 - October 4, 2007
Generations (hired by Sally Sussman Morina
Sally Sussman Morina
-Personal Life:She is married to Anthony Morina, a CBS Daytime director and producer. She was in the running to become the Head Writer of Loving in 1991.-Positions held:Freshman Dorm*WriterAnother World*Script Writer: 1996Days of our Lives...
)
- Writer: 1989 - 1990)
Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara (TV series)
Santa Barbara is an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on July 30, 1984, and last aired on January 15, 1993. The show revolved around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California...
- Breakdown Writer: 1991 - 1993
Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach (TV series)
Sunset Beach was an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on January 6, 1997, and last airing on December 31, 1999. The show followed the loves and lives of the people living in a fictional coastal city named Sunset Beach, on the coast of California...
- Associate Head Writer: 1997
- Co-Head Writer: 1997 - August 1998
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
- Script Writer: 1981 - 1987
- Actress: Julia Newman 1980-1981, 1982–1985, 1986–1987, 2002
Awards and nominations
Daytime Emmy AwardDaytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
- Nomination, 2003, Best Writing, Bold and The Beautiful
- Win, 1995, Best Writing, General Hospital
- Nominations, 1995, 1997 and 2000, Best Writing, General Hospital
- Nomination, 1986, Best Writing, The Young And The Restless
Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
- Nomination, 1997 season, Sunset Beach
- Wins, 1994, 1995 and 1997 seasons, General Hospital
- Nominations, 1993-1997 seasons, General Hospital
- Wins, 1991 and 1992 seasons, Santa Barbara