Roberta Leighton (born Roberta Lee Weimar; June 23, 1953) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the roles of Dr. Casey Reed on The Young and the Restless (1978 to 1981, return appearances from 1984 to 1998), Shirley Pickett on General Hospital (1983), and Ginger Dawson on Days of Our Lives (1991 to 1992).
Early life Leighton was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has one sibling, a sister. She studied acting at the Guthrie Theater. She then enrolled at Stephens College in Missouri. She received two Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees, one in acting and the other in writing.
Career After college, Leighton spent three seasons performing in summer stock. She appeared in stage productions of The Taming of the Shrew, Anything Goes, Sweet Charity, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Leighton faced a decision about whether to move to New York to continue theater work or move to Los Angeles for film and television roles. She flipped a coin and it landed on heads for Los Angeles, so that was where she went.
Leighton guest starred on The Blue Knight, Baretta, Barnaby Jones, Switch, and Rosetti and Ryan. She made her film debut with an uncredited role in One on One. She played Liza Williams in the 1978 thriller film Barracuda.
In 1978, Leighton joined the cast of the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless as Dr. Casey Reed. She played the role until 1981. She made return appearances to the show from 1984 to 1998.
Leighton had roles in the films Stripes (1981) and Covergirl (1983). She played Shirley Pickett, a love interest for Luke (Anthony Geary) on the ABC soap opera General Hospital in 1983. She guest starred on an episode of The Dukes of Hazzard in 1984.
From 1991 to 1992, Leighton played Ginger Dawson on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives.
Personal life Leighton had a four-year relationship with her co-star on The Young and the Restless, David Hasselhoff. She also dated Anthony Geary when they worked together on General Hospital.
She met actor Corey Young through their mutual publicist and they began a relationship after he escorted her to a charity ball. They dated for about a year before marrying on August 20, 1988.
In 1991, Leighton underwent surgery to have four malignant tumors removed from her thyroid.
Filmography
Film +YearTitleRoleNotes1977One on OneServer at BanquetUncredited1978BarracudaLiza Williams1981StripesAnita1983CovergirlDee
Television +YearTitleRoleNotes1976The Blue KnightCynthiaEpisode: "Everything in Life is 3 to 1 Against"1976–1977, 1979Barnaby JonesJeannie Larkin; Donna Morgan; Vanessa Pickering3 episodes1977BarettaCathyEpisode: "Open Season"Rosetti and RyanDruscilla GerardEpisode: "Men Who Love Women"SwitchCandy LewisEpisode: "Net Loss"1978–1981, 1984–1989, 1998The Young and the Restless Casey ReedContract role; Guest appearances1983General HospitalShirley PickettContract role1984The Dukes of HazzardCandy DixEpisode: "Play It Again, Luke"JessieSusan HammerEpisode: "The Long Fuse"1991–1992Days of Our LivesGinger DawsonContract role
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