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Jacklyn Zeman Death: The Iconic General Hospital Actress Dies At 70
The actress Jacklyn Zeman, who played Barbara “Bobbie” Spencer in more than 800 episodes of “General Hospital,” passed away at 70.
Zeman’s death was confirmed by “General Hospital” executive producer Frank Valenti on his official Twitter account on Wednesday night.
Frank tweeted that he felt heartbroken to announce the death of Zeman and that she was a bright light and a true professional artist who brought so much positivity to everyone around her.
Jacklyn Zeman Death: Iconic Bobbie Spencer From General Hospital
The General Hospital team and ABC Entertainment stated that Jacklyn Zeman was a beloved member of the series and the ABC family since she started playing the iconic character Bobbie Spencer 45 years back.
They added that she would be cherished for her lovely heart and radiant spirit as well as for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of the bad girl turned heroine.
They both expressed their condolences to Zeman’s family, friends, and loved ones, as they were grieved by the news of her demise.
In 1977, Jacklyn Zeman debuted on “General Hospital” as Barbara Jean, also known as Bobbie, the fiery young sister of Anthony Geary’s Luke Spencer.
Bobbie had turned her life around and became a nurse at General Hospital despite working as a prostitute and giving up a child for adoption.
Zeman portrayed Bobbie as a lively, positive person who was sweet as candy but still had an identity of herself.
It was one of Zeman’s most memorable scenes when BJ, Bobbie’s daughter, met with an accident and was declared brain dead.
To help her cousin Maxie, who was suffering from Kawasaki disease, Bobbie and her ex-husband, Tony decided to give their daughter’s heart.
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Jacklyn Zeman: Early Life And Education
New Jersey native Jacklyn Zeman was born into a religiously observant Jewish family. She was the daughter of magazine supervisor Rita Zeman and a systems engineer, Richard S. Zeman.
After completing her school studies at 15, she joined New York University on a scholarship to study dance. Zeman was interested in dancing when she was five and was trained in classical ballet.
Acting Career
Jacklyn Zeman made the decision to concentrate on acting after appearing in one episode of the soap opera “The Edge of Night” in 1976.
In 1977, she played a significant role in a series on ABC soap opera, “One Life to Live.”
After being part of these works, she moved to Los Angeles after getting a role on ABC’s “General Hospital” and bringing forth the personality of Bobbie Spencer in December 1977.
Zeman played Bobbie in 800 episodes of the series, and her first stretch playing Bobbie endured from 1977 to 2010. She took a three-year break before rejoining in 2013, and it continued till the present.
Zeman also appeared in different roles in several episodes of Chicago Hope, Love American Style, Mike Hammer, Sledge Hammer, and Fantasy. She was a part of the opera The Bay from 2010 to 2023.
She likewise featured in a few films, including Gary Marshall’s Young Doctors in Love and John Hughes’ National Lampoon’s Class Reunion.
Zeman was nominated for five Daytime Emmy Awards in total, four of which were for her role as Bobbie Spencer.
Jacklyn Zeman: Personal Life
Jacklyn Zeman had three marriages. In 1979, she was married to Murray Kaufman, a well-known DJ who was mostly known by the name Murray the K. They got separated in 1981 after two years of marriage.
She was then married to Steve Gribbin in 1985. Unfortunately, the marriage didn’t last long and got divorced the next year.
Glenn Gorden was her third husband whom she married in 1988 and the relationship ended in 2007. Jacklyn Zeman has two daughters with Gorden, Cassidy Zee Gorden, and Lacey Rose Gorden.
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