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Crystal Chappell JPI LARGE

Crystal Chappell

Role Carly, DAYS

Show Days Of Our Lives

The 411

BIRTHDATE: August 4

BIRTHPLACE: Silver Springs, Maryland

STAR SIGN: Leo

YEARS ON SHOW: 1990-1993; 2009-present

MARITAL STATUS: married to Michael Sabatino on 1/8/97

CHILDREN: Jake (5/11/00) and Dylan (9/2/03)


Born the only girl and middle child to Don and Priscilla, Crystal Chappell had a semi-nomadic lifestyle growing up. Her family moved constantly, constructing houses wherever they went (the family often slept in the abodes before they were finished and sold). Shy and overweight, Chappell has confessed that she was often an outsider growing up.

Instead of walking home one day her junior year in high school, she decided to audition for a school production of Dark Of The Moon; she landed the lead role. At the University of Maryland, she snagged the lead role in Beauty And The Beast, a part the department allowed her to play only if she enrolled in school as a drama major. She did and after graduating with a degree in theater, Chappell relocated to New York in the late ’80s. At the time, she tried to maintain a long-distance relationship with her then-husband, Scott Fanjoy, whom she had married in 1986, but they soon decided to move together to the West Coast.

Eight months after moving to L.A., at the age of 25, Chappell landed a role on DAYS OF OUR LIVES as Carly. Her popularity skyrocketed and she found herself gracing many Soap Opera Digest covers. After separating from Fanjoy, Chappell began dating then co-star Michael Sabatino (ex-Lawrence, DAYS). They left the show together in August 1993 and since that departure, they have appeared on a combined total of six different soaps.

Chappell gave GL fans a scare in 2005 when she considered not resigning her contract, since Olivia’s story had been cut significantly after the “death” of Phillip. She decided to resign after all, then tried to get out of her contrcat when she was offered the front-burner role of Paige on ONE LIFE TO LIVE. GL refused to let her out of the contract. Chappell claimed to have no hard feelings.

With the family editions of sons Jacob Walker (born 2000) and Dylan Michael (born 2003), Chappell and Sabatino reside in suburban New Jersey. Her official Web site is www.crystal-chappell.com.

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Random facts

  • Worked her way through the University of South Carolina as an aerobics instructor.
  • Was inspired by the book Sanford Meisner on Acting. She wrote to the author, and in turn, he invited her and a few other students to his home in the West Indies for intensive acting training.
  • Before transferring to the University of Maryland, majored in Computer Science at the University of South Carolina, where she also studied journalism.
  • Performed at the Kennedy Center while still in college.
  • First soap role was as a day player on ALL MY CHILDREN in 1989.

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