Mary Beth Evans

One of daytime’s most beloved stars, Mary Beth Evans seemed destined for fame since childhood, as the Pasadena, CA, native was voted “Best Actress” by her fourth grade class. Following graduation from Huntington Beach High School and a five-month trip to Europe, she enrolled at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa and began appearing in theater productions. In 1984, she was cast as Dakota Lane on the syndicated soap Rituals, but her true rise to fame began when she was cast as Kayla Brady on Days of Our Lives in 1986. Alongside Stephen Nichols (Steve), Evans created one of the most iconic supercouples in daytime history.

Evan exited DAYS in 1992, but returned from 2006-09 before coming back for good in 2011. She has also appeared as Katherine Bell on General Hospital (1993-99) and Sierra Montgomery on As the World Turns (2000-05, 2008, 2010). Evans won the Daytime Emmy as Outstanding Lead Actress for DAYS in 2016 and has earned additional Daytime Emmys for her work as Sara Garrett on the digital series The Bay. She has also earned Daytime Emmy as a producer of The Bay. Married to Dr. Michael Schwartz since 1985, they have three offspring, Daniel, Katherine and Matthew.