Victoria Wyndham
Encyclopedia
Victoria Wyndham is an American
actress best known for her role as Rachel Cory on the soap opera
Another World
.
. Her sister is stage actress Felice Camargo. Wyndham's sons are actor Christian Camargo
(né Christian Minnick) and photographer Darian Minnick.
in the role of Hodel in the Broadway
production of Fiddler on the Roof
. She went on to perform cabaret with Lily Tomlin
for two years at Upstairs at the Downstairs.
from 1967 to 1970. When she left The Guiding Light, she became a hot commodity in casting circles, with many soaps offering contracts to her. She admitted in a TIME
magazine interview that she almost did not follow through with a career in soap opera
s. Wyndham said, "When I first went into soaps, I didn't tell my serious acting friends. I thought they'd laugh. But now I'm proud of my work; some of the best acting, best moments are in this medium." http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,913850-7,00.html
She was subsequently cast on the soap opera
Another World
in the role for which she is best known, the character of Rachel Cory. Wyndham succeeded actress Robin Strasser
in the role, and portrayed Rachel from 1972 to 1999.
When Wyndham took over the role from Strasser, the character was a bad girl. The head writer at the time, Harding Lemay
, was impressed by Wyndham's range and decided to take the character in different directions. Wyndham's character was reformed after being paired with a much-older book publisher, Mackenzie Cory (Douglass Watson
).
It made Wyndham very popular with fans, and proved to be very lucrative as well. Although highly regarded, Wyndham did have one peculiar run-in with a fan: author Annie Gilbert, in the book All My Afternoons, noted that Wyndham was mildly assaulted when an enraged fan, fed up with Rachel's scheming ways and thinking Wyndham was her character, attempted to punch her at a Lord & Taylor
store in New York City
, all the while screaming "I hate you! I hate you!"
In the later years of the program, Wyndham took on the double role of Justine Duvalier, Rachel's new husband Carl's ex-lover. She played the dual role for two years (1995 and 1996) before Justine was killed off. Wyndham was honored with a special episode showcasing her noteworthy performances on Another World in July 1997, and stayed with the show until it was canceled in June 1999.
on January 2, 2007, as "Rita Colino," a former wife of the dead partner of Brian Dennehy
's character.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress best known for her role as Rachel Cory on the 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,...
Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
.
Personal life
Wyndham is of Mexican descent. Born as Victoria Camargo, she is the daughter of Mexican-born stage and screen actor Ralph CamargoRalph Camargo
Ralph Jaime Camargo was an American actor, best known for his work in theatre. He was also well known for being "the voice of Dynamic," narrating many short films in the 1950s and 1960s for the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.His daughters are actresses Victoria Wyndham and Felice Camargo...
. Her sister is stage actress Felice Camargo. Wyndham's sons are actor Christian Camargo
Christian Camargo
Christian Camargo is an American actor, perhaps best known for his role of Brian Moser in the Showtime drama Dexter.-Early life:...
(né Christian Minnick) and photographer Darian Minnick.
Early career
Wyndham first started her acting career as understudyUnderstudy
In theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a regular actor or actress in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part...
in the role of Hodel in 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 of Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
. She went on to perform cabaret with Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin is an American actress, comedienne, writer, and producer. Tomlin has been a major force in American comedy since the late 1960's when she began a career as a stand up comedian and became a featured performer on television's Laugh-in...
for two years at Upstairs at the Downstairs.
Daytime television credits
Wyndham first made a name for herself when she played Charlotte Waring Fletcher Bauer (Tracy Delmar) on the soap opera Guiding LightGuiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
from 1967 to 1970. When she left The Guiding Light, she became a hot commodity in casting circles, with many soaps offering contracts to her. She admitted in a TIME
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
magazine interview that she almost did not follow through with a career in 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,...
s. Wyndham said, "When I first went into soaps, I didn't tell my serious acting friends. I thought they'd laugh. But now I'm proud of my work; some of the best acting, best moments are in this medium." http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,913850-7,00.html
She was subsequently cast on the 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,...
Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
in the role for which she is best known, the character of Rachel Cory. Wyndham succeeded actress Robin Strasser
Robin Strasser
Robin Strasser is an American actress.Strasser is best known for her Daytime Emmy Award-winning portrayal of Dr. Dorian Lord on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. Strasser stepped into the role in March 1979, first appearing Friday, April 13, 1979 and left in 1987, returning from...
in the role, and portrayed Rachel from 1972 to 1999.
When Wyndham took over the role from Strasser, the character was a bad girl. The head writer at the time, Harding Lemay
Harding Lemay
Harding Lemay is an American screenwriter and playwright. Born near the Mohawk Indian reservation, where his mother grew up, he ran away to New York City at age 17, where he has lived ever since.-Career:...
, was impressed by Wyndham's range and decided to take the character in different directions. Wyndham's character was reformed after being paired with a much-older book publisher, Mackenzie Cory (Douglass Watson
Douglass Watson
Larkin Douglass Watson III was an American actor.Before an acting career, he received two Purple Heart awards for his service in World War II. A character actor since 1950, his most notable roles were in the movies Julius Caesar , Sayonara , and The Money Pit...
).
It made Wyndham very popular with fans, and proved to be very lucrative as well. Although highly regarded, Wyndham did have one peculiar run-in with a fan: author Annie Gilbert, in the book All My Afternoons, noted that Wyndham was mildly assaulted when an enraged fan, fed up with Rachel's scheming ways and thinking Wyndham was her character, attempted to punch her at a Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
store in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, all the while screaming "I hate you! I hate you!"
In the later years of the program, Wyndham took on the double role of Justine Duvalier, Rachel's new husband Carl's ex-lover. She played the dual role for two years (1995 and 1996) before Justine was killed off. Wyndham was honored with a special episode showcasing her noteworthy performances on Another World in July 1997, and stayed with the show until it was canceled in June 1999.
Current work
Wyndham appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
on January 2, 2007, as "Rita Colino," a former wife of the dead partner of Brian Dennehy
Brian Dennehy
Brian Mannion Dennehy is an American actor of film, stage and screen.-Early years:Dennehy was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Hannah and Edward Dennehy, who was a wire service editor for the Associated Press; he has two brothers, Michael and Edward. Dennehy is of Irish ancestry and was...
's character.
Awards
- Daytime Emmy Awards
- (1979) Daytime Emmy Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series for Another WorldAnother World (TV series)Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
(nominated) - (1978) Daytime Emmy Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series for Another WorldAnother World (TV series)Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
(nominated)
- (1979) Daytime Emmy Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series for Another World
- Soap Opera Digest AwardsSoap Opera Digest AwardsThe Soap Opera Digest Awards were an awards show held by the daytime television magazine Soap Opera Digest. The awards were founded in 1984 to replace the less-lavish Soapy Award; those awards shows had run since 1977. The Soap Opera Digest Awards are meant to promote excellence in the soap opera...
- (1986) Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Contribution by an Actor/Actress to the Form of Continuing Drama who is currently on a Daytime Serial for Another WorldAnother World (TV series)Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
(winner)
- (1986) Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Contribution by an Actor/Actress to the Form of Continuing Drama who is currently on a Daytime Serial for Another World
External links
- Victoria Wyndham at the Internet Movie Database
- Victoria Wyndham info at TV.com
- December 2007 Wikinews interview with Victoria Wyndham