Veteran soap opera actress Deidre Hall, best known for her iconic role on Days of Our Lives, demonstrated her enduring compassion by volunteering at a major charity event in Los Angeles. The 78-year-old star helped serve meals to the homeless community, proving her commitment extends far beyond the television screen.
A Legacy of Service and Stardom
On the afternoon of Wednesday, November 26th, the day before Thanksgiving, Hall made a rare public appearance at the 2025 Thanks & Giving On Skid Row event held at the Los Angeles Mission. She was spotted alongside fellow actors Jodie Sweetin, Nicole Eggert, Blanca Blanco, and Danny Trejo, all pitching in to serve turkey meals to those in need. The event, a partnership between Los Angeles Mission and Hope the Mission, aimed to provide not only food but also essential services like clothing, free haircuts, and manicures to the downtown LA community.
Organisers planned to distribute approximately 2,500 turkey meals from the LA Mission on Skid Row. Rowan Vansleve, President of Hope the Mission, emphasised the year-round nature of their work, stating their mission is to help individuals "start that journey from languishing on the streets... to moving forward in life, free of any addiction." Dennis Oleesky, CEO of LA Mission, noted a significant increase in the need for assistance, particularly after SNAP benefits were reduced at the beginning of the month.
An Illustrious Career Spanning Decades
Deidre Hall's presence at the event is a testament to a career built on dedication. The actress, who moved to Los Angeles after attending Palm Beach Junior College, began her career in modelling and commercials before breaking into television.
Her big break came in 1976 when she was cast as the superheroine Electra Woman in the live-action children's show Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. She also appeared in popular series like Emergency!, The Streets of San Francisco, and Columbo.
However, it was her casting later in 1976 as Dr. Marlena Evans on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives that cemented her status as a television legend. Hall portrayed the character for a staggering 45 years, earning three Daytime Emmy nominations for her work.
Her career also included a leading role in the family drama Our House from 1986 to 1988, where she starred alongside Shannen Doherty. After a brief departure from Days of Our Lives, she returned in 1991 and remained on contract for another 18 years until budget cuts led to her departure in 2009. More recently, fans saw her play a fictionalised version of herself on the HBO Max series Hacks in 2024.
A Life Beyond the Cameras
Beyond acting, Hall has authored a book, Deidre Hall's Kitchen Closeup (2011), and produced and starred in a TV movie about her life, Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story (1995), which detailed her journey to start a family.
In her personal life, Hall has been married four times and has two sons, David Atticus Sohmer and Tully Chapin Sohmer, with her former husband Steve Sohmer; the children were born via surrogate.
This recent charitable outing shows that for Deidre Hall, a life in the spotlight is also a life of service, using her platform to support vital community efforts in Los Angeles.
