Hillary B. Smith


Hillary Bailey Smith is an American actress, best known for her daytime soap opera roles as Margo Hughes on As the World Turns and Nora Hanen Buchanan on One Life to Live.

Life and career

Smith was born as Hillary Bailey in Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Dana Hall School, Pine Manor College and Sarah Lawrence College. At Sarah Lawrence as a senior, she performed in off Broadway and Broadway productions, including The Heidi Chronicles. She married Philip Webster Smith, III in 1983. She met her husband at age 14 and married him a few years later after the two reconnected at a friend's wedding. They have two children, a daughter, Courtney and a son, Philip.
Smith is best known for her roles in the daytime soap operas. She made her soap debut in 1982, as Kit McCormick on The Doctors and one year later, taking over the role of Margo Hughes on As the World Turns, a role she played from 1983 to 1990.
After taking maternity leave from acting after the birth in 1988 of her son, Smith returned to daytime television, originating the role of Llanview District Attorney Nora Hanen Buchanan on ABC soap opera One Life to Live. Character she has played from 1992 until the series' cancelation in 2012. She later returned to show in the 2013 The Online Network short-lived continue. Smith won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1994, for her performance in One Life to Live. From 1994 to 1995, Smith also has starred as lead in the NBC sitcom Something Wilder.
Smith appeared and produced web soap-type series . As producer, in 2014 she has won Daytime Emmy. In 2014, Smith was the supervising producer for the soap opera web series Beacon Hill, and was nominated for a 2015 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding New Approaches Drama Series. In late January 2017, it was reported by Soap Opera Digest and Deadline Hollywood that Smith will reprise her OLTL character on General Hospital.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

YearAssociationCategoryNominated workResult
1986Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Actress in a Supporting Role on a Daytime SerialAs the World Turns
1988Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Heroine: DaytimeAs the World Turns
1989Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Heroine: DaytimeAs the World Turns
1994Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Lead ActressOne Life to Live
1994Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesOne Life to Live
1998Online Film & Television AssociationBest Actress in a Daytime SerialOne Life to Live
1999Online Film & Television AssociationBest Actress in a Daytime SerialOne Life to Live
2000Online Film & Television AssociationBest Actress in a Daytime SerialOne Life to Live
2000Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesOne Life to Live
2001Soap Opera Digest AwardsOutstanding Lead ActressOne Life to Live
2010Indie Series AwardsBest Performance in a Comedic RoleVenice the Series
2011Indie Series AwardsOutstanding Supporting ActressVenice the Series
2012Indie Series AwardsBest Actress Fumbling Thru the Pieces
2012HollyWeb FestivalBest ActressFumbling Thru the Pieces
2013Indie Series AwardsBest Actress Fumbling Thru the Pieces
2014Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding New Approaches - Drama SeriesVenice the Series
2015Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding New Approaches - Drama SeriesBeacon Hill
2017Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding Digital Daytime Drama SeriesVenice the Series