Anecdotes

She and her husband, Wayne Northrop, live in the secluded Topanga Canyon area of L.A. with their young sons, Hank and Grady. The family shares their home with a virtual zoo that includes horses, dogs, cats and the "Cluck Family", a collection of chickens. They also have a working cattle ranch in Northern California which they run in accordance with their environmental beliefs.

As Miss Virginia, she was runner up in the Miss USA contest in 1977.

In 1980, she went to L.A. with divided ambitions. She pursued her acting career, but studied for a time at Loyola-Marymount, getting what she calls "half a Master's". Acting had a stronger attraction, and she made her dramatic debut in the theatrical film Roller Boogie (1979).

A natural and avid athlete, she also enjoys daily workouts, horseback riding, hiking and skiing. She put her skills to the test when she trained and performed a high wire act for a special episode of Circus of the Stars #11 (1986).

Of Albanian and British heritage.

Has two sons by her husband Wayne Northrop: Hank Northrop and Grady Northrop.

Graduated from Louisiana State University with a bachelor's in Psychology

Rachel Ames is her friend and mentor.

In 1992, she switched soaps and joined the cast of Days of Our Lives (1965) as villainess Lisanne Gardner, but she rejoined her General Hospital (1963) family six months later.

Attended W.T Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia.

After college graduation she moved to New York City and began modeling, despite her acceptance into three L.A. university graduate schools: USC, UCLA and Loyola-Marymount. Before leaving New York she appeared in several off-Broadway productions and studied at the Actors Company.