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PROFILE

Colleen Zenk Pinter

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SOAP STAR STATS

Colleen Zenk Pinter (Barbara, ATWT)

— JPI

Vital Statistics

Birthday:: January 20
Hometown:: Barrington, IL
Marital Status:: Married to Mark Pinter (ex-Agent Thomas Rayner, GH, et al) since 1987
Children:: One daughter, Kelsey, from her previous marriage; a son, Morgan, and daughter, Georgia, with Mark; stepmom to Siri, Dylan and Hannah, Mark's children from his previous marriage.

The 411

First enrolled in dance classes when she was 3, Colleen Zenk Pinter found her calling early. Noting an affinity for performance in her oldest child (Colleen has a younger brother and sister), her mother got Pinter modeling and print work in nearby Chicago. As a result, Pinter has worked steadily since the age of 9. Knee problems ended her aspirations to become a serious dancer, so she concentrated on musical theater at The Catholic University of America. She left after two years and ended up in New York at 22, where her focus fixed on the stage. But in 1978, she took the role of Barbara, not expecting to stay very long. Instead, she met her second husband, Mark, at the studio and has become ATWT's favorite tortured-heroine-turned-villainess. She has continued to feed her love for theater by choreographing local plays and performing, often alongside Mark. The Pinters live in Connecticut with Morgan and Georgia, the youngest children in their combined brood of six.

Et Cetera

—Once turned down famed choreographer Bob Fosse's offer of a major role in Pippin, hoping he would change his mind about giving her a part in Chicago; he didn't. "He said, 'Kid, you're not dirty enough yet.'"
—Auditioned for GL's Holly and AMC's Brooke
—In 1912, her German grandfather booked a trip in steerage on the Titanic to America, but missed his connection.
—Was once married to the father of the first boy who played Paul

Career Highlights

TV Roles
WOMEN ON THE LEDGE (Steffi, TV movie, 1993)
Film Roles
Annie (Celette, 1982)
You Better Watch Out (Binky, 1980)
Theater Roles
Bring Back Birdie (Rosie, 1981)
Hello, Dolly! (Dolly Levi, 2005)
Regional Theater Roles*
They’re Playing Our Song (Sonya)
Where’s Charley? (Amy)
Can Can (Claudine)
Star-Spangled Girl (Sophie)
Barefoot in the Park (Corie)
(*Army Special Service Tour in Europe)

Memorable Quotes

"Like every red-blooded American girl, I got hooked on soaps in college. Like everyone else, of course, I put them down. But I was hooked on them. Anyway, of all things, a month after I was living in the city, I had a screen test for AS THE WORLD TURNS, and I turned it down flat!"—Soap Opera Digest, 10/14/80

"I think that God has done a wonderful thing for women over the age of 40 by allowing our eyesight to go by the wayside. So, we can't see all those lines creeping up on us."—Digest, 6/24/97

"I'm married to a man who has made a career of playing villains, and I've learned a lot from him, frankly, on how to walk a very narrow line and how to make sure the character is still sympathetic and loved. In fact, Mark was the one who was so worried when he saw some of the scenes.... He walked in and saw Barbara whaling on someone, and he went, 'You can't keep that up! They're gonna kill you off!'—Digest, 3/16/04