Nancy Addison

Nancy Addison Altman, also known as Nancy Addison (March 21, 1946 – June 18, 2002), was an American soap opera actress, best known for her role as Jillian Coleridge on the television soap opera Ryan's Hope which she played for over twelve years beginning with the show's premiere in 1975. She left the show in early 1988 but returned for its final episodes in 1989.

Born in New York City, she studied under the tutelage of Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse.

She got her first soap opera role on Guiding Light in 1969 as the character Kit Vestid, a troubled young lady who had an affair with Joe Werner. Addison appeared on the show until 1974 when the character committed suicide after she was discovered to be the murderer of Charlotte Waring Bauer.

She went on to her most remembered role in 1975 on the new ABC soap opera "Ryan's Hope" as the show's central heroine, Jillian Coleridge. For nearly 13 years, she utilized her acting abilities in storylines that had her as the long-time lover of the married Frank Ryan, giving birth to his son while believing Seneca Beaulac was the father, losing Frank to her long-time rival Rae Woodard, dealing with the death of her child in a freak accident, suffering from addiction to pain pills, going on trial for pulling the plug on a dying musician she briefly became involved with, watching Frank and her sister Faith become involved, winning Frank back after he was hit by a car, finding her real mother and discovering that her deceased adoptive father was really her biological father, and ending up with amnesia during which time she became involved with Frank's half brother.

Addison remained on Ryan's Hope until late 1987 when she decided to leave the series in order to pursue new projects. She made her final appearance on contract in January 1988 before returning to the show in time for that Christmas, briefly reprising the role of Jill for the show's final weeks. Later in 1989, she moved into the role of Marissa Rampal on All My Children, Jeremy Hunter's former lover who tried to kill Natalie but died herself. Addison portrayed the gold-digging Deborah Brewster who blackmailed Clay Alden into marriage on Loving from 1993 to 1995, and in 1995 played the same role for a few episodes on The City.

Among her other work was co-starring with James Coburn in the three-part television mini-series film The Dain Curse (1978). She also appeared in Somewhere, Tomorrow (1983), Baby Me (1988) and the long-running television series Law & Order in different roles on various episodes.

Twice married but childless, Addison volunteered a great deal of her time working with children with HIV/AIDS.

In 1999, she was diagnosed with cancer of her adrenal gland and bronchial tubes, which claimed her life in 2002 in New York City, aged 56. She was survived by her second husband, Daniel Goldfarb.