Other
Characters: Samatha Drew
1841 Parallel Time
Stern
and headstrong, Samantha Collins reacts stoically when she
receives false news at Collinwood from Gerard Stiles that
both her husband, Quentin, and son, Tad, are lost at sea.
As the new self-appointed mistress of the domain, she is willingly
seduced into a mock marriage by the self-seeking Stiles, driven
partially to do so in the face of bitter jealousy and spite
from the crippled Gabriel Collins. Upon Quentin's surprise
return and regardless of the hatred between them, Samantha
decides to deceptively hold on to him despite his new love,
Daphne Harridge, and a ghost from the past seeking retribution...
Virgina
Vestoff was born into a family of Vaudeville performers
on December 9, 1939 in New York City. Both her Russian immigrant
father and mother, who was the great niece of American composer
Stephen Foster, died and left Virginia an orphan at the age
of nine.
Acting
provided Virginia with a new outlet during the loss in her
childhood. She took third prize on The Ted Mack Amateur
Hour, which launched a professional debut in the Children's
Chorus of the New York City Opera Company.
While
living with relatives, Virginia attended the New York High
School for the Performing Arts. At 15, she decided to move
out and manage life on her own by attending Washington Irving
High and moonlighting as a salesgirl at a department store.
However, Virginia quit school early to tour with a dance company.
The failure to graduate remained a personal regret to Virginia
throughout her life, which she countered with a thirst to
self-educate, becoming an extensive reader.
Soon
after dropping out, she landed a part on stage in The Boyfriend
and it lead to many of her other theatrical credits including
I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road,
Spokesong, Drinks Before Dinner,The Misanthrope, Love and
Let Love, Man With a Load of Mischief, Ben Bagley's New Cole
Porter Revue, And In This Corner, A Doll's House, Fallout,
The Crystal Heart, Private Lives, The Threepenny Opera, The
Archbishop's Ceiling, Booth is Back in Town, Camelot, Put
it in Writing, The King and I and My Fair Lady.
Those
first bows on Broadway came in a revue called From A to
Z and as Daisy in Baker Street, where she met and
later married writer Morty Lefkoe. Her other Broadway performances
include Irma La Douce, Boccaccio, Via Galactica and
that Tony nominated role of Abigail Adams in the hit musical
1776, alongside David Ford.
For
a time, Virginia took on dual duties with Broadway in 1776
and daytime drama. From 1969 to 1970, she filled in for
Elizabeth Hubbard as Dr. Althea Davis on The Doctors and
then later joined the cast of Dark Shadows as Samantha
Collins, a character Virginia felt was an "extension"
of herself.
She
also did another soap opera stint on As the World Turns
and appeared in numerous television commercials, including
Sure Deodorant, Geritol, Hamburger Helper, Sardo Bath Beads,
and Bradlees.
Virginia's
primetime television guest credits include The Quinns,
Carmody, Contact: The Case of the Secret Message, We Interrupt
This Season, Alone at Last and Kojak. Her big screen
roles include Robert Altman's A Wedding, Such Good Friends,
and a recreation of her rave role in 1776.
On
May 2, 1982, aged just 42, Virginia Vestoff succumbed to Cancer
in New York City.
Biography
written by Vera Marano
Back
