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The Another World cast recently celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the show’s debut on May 4, 2024. Although the show was canceled in 1999, the close-knit cast has stayed in touch through the years. Digest recently caught up with Linda Dano, the actress who brought the character of Bay City’s romance novelist Felicia Gallant to life.
Keeping Bay City Close
Dano dished on how the actors stay in touch. “There’s a whole gang of us that get together,” the actress explained. “I have a huge party every year at my home in Connecticut, and a lot of them come and we laugh and we talk about the old days. We share stories and remembrances.”
The friendships she made on the show have lasted a lifetime. “We are an amazing group together because we all show up and show up, which is an indication, of course, that when you did this show, whenever it was, whatever period of time, we got the opportunity to go to work and be part of each other, and it lasted,” Dano shared. She also described how deep their bonds go. “It was real. And it continues to be. It continues to be a real thing that we all partake [in] and are thrilled about. They show up. I have a party every year. They show up and they come from all over. It’s really amazing. In the world of television, whatever. I mean, who does that really?”
A Magical Night
Working on Another World proved to be an award-winning experience for the actress. Dano still recalls the night she took home a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1993 as if it was yesterday. “That night. Oh my God, I never dreamed I was going to win!”
The days leading up to the big event were emotionally charged. “Everyone said I was going to win. That was the running thing that went through the whole studio. You’re going to win this, Linda, you’re going to win it. I said, no, I’m not. You just stop, stop, stop. It is not going to happen. It just doesn’t happen like that.”
But she did win! “When it happened, I was as surprised as anybody could be. I literally didn’t expect it,” Dano exclaimed. “There’s that old fake phrase that people say, ‘Oh, everyone says you’re going to win this.’ And then you get your head on. You just start to think maybe they’re right. Oh my God, I’m going to win it. And I always knew that was like the kiss of death. And I never did that. I never went down that road. So I had prepared no speech.”
It was hard to describe the multitude of thoughts that flashed through her mind in the moment. “I was so overwhelmed. My husband [Frank Attardi] was probably more overwhelmed than I was.” The couple floated through the evening still reeling from the Emmy win and had forgotten to eat. “At the end of the night when we all went home and it was in the middle of the night, we walked into our apartment in New York and I said to Frankie, ‘Are you hungry? Have you eaten anything? Because I didn’t eat anything, did you?’ He said, ‘No, I’m hungry.’ So, I made a whole pot of pasta. We’re Italian, and we sat down and had dinner at, I don’t know, two in the morning, three in the morning.”
She submitted the storyline of Felicia Gallant struggling with Alcoholism and it touched a lot of viewers. “That was an amazing storyline. I was so pleased to play it,” the actress said. She reflected on how she felt and the feedback she received from fans. “It had a real beat to it. In other words, it was real. And because of it, I got so much mail about people who were struggling with alcohol and didn’t know what to do, and they would say to me, ‘I’m following you and you’re helping me. And I can’t tell you how appreciative I feel.’”
Actors dream of a role that really connects with an audience and Felicia’s battle with alcohol struck a chord. “It got really personal, and I knew it was, but I never expected to win an Emmy for it. It was a great story for me. And I think it helped people, which was really key for me. That’s the best thing that can happen from your work.”
A Devastating Loss
The actress received a lot of support as she struggled in real life with the loss of her beloved spouse of 23 years in 2004. “I had tragedy hit me as all of you know,” Dano revealed. “I lost Frank and that changed my world in a profound way. I never saw it coming, and I never really thought it would ever. And when he died, it took me a long time to get to the other side of that and to start living again.”
Her can-do spirit and optimistic attitude went a long way in helping her during her grieving process. “I am sort of a happy-go-lucky cuckoo brain. Whatever you want to call it.” Dano explained how she channeled that grief. “I always lived in a really positive way and really cared about people. And so I got back on that horse again and tried to find a way to live happily and to help people when they need it. So that’s what I have done all my life and never married again, I am waiting for him.”
When Art Heals
Dano has found a new creative outlet with her podcast, In With Linda Dano. “Part of the reason I started the podcast was to reach people in a new way,” the multi-talented actress shared. She discussed her inspiration for the podcast. “I thought this would be really good for me, and for them. We could talk. We could share stuff. We could even cry together. And that’s how I envision the podcast being.”
It has been just as healing for the actress as it has been for the fans. “You know what? It’s been like that for me. Wonderful. I get wonderful notes from the fans. They let me know who they love, and who they’re very connected to [on] Another World. And in some way that means they’re connected to me. And I love that. I love that. I’ll never ever not love that.”
Fans can find the podcast on Amazon’s Audible and Spotify.
Just The Facts
Birthday: May 12
Birthplace: Long Beach, CA.
Pedigree: Born to Ted and Evelyn Wildermuth
Other Soaps: Made her soap opera debut in 1978 as Rae Cummings on One Life To Live. The character also appeared on General Hospital, Port Charles, and All My Children. Through the years Dano has appeared on As The World Turns (Cynthia Haines 1981 – 1982), Guiding Light (Lena Kendall 2005), and Days of our Lives (Vivian Alamain 2021)
The Gift of Gab: From 1985 through 1991, the actress hosted the talk show Attitudes. Appeared as a guest hostess for Soap Talk and The View, and, through the years, has appeared on such game shows as Hollywood Squares, Win, Lose, or Draw and Super Password.
Art Imitating Life: The character of Felicia Gallant was a romance novelist and in real life, Dano has authored books such as Living Great, Looking Great, and contributed to others as a reader such as Princess Daisy, A Charmed Engagement, Heir Apparent, Tidewater Promise, A Different Kind of Love, and Look Great…It Doesn’t Have to Hurt.
Great Memories: The late advertising agent, Frank Attardi, appeared alongside his wife on the PBS series VIP, Lifetime’s Attitudes, and as agent Beau Wexler on Another World in 1992.
