Beloved soap opera actress Marj Dusay as died at age 83. She played haughty wealthy matriarch Alexandra Spaulding on the long running CBS soap “Guiding Light” from 1993 til the show’s finale in 2009. During her run Dusay left for a starring role on “All My Children,” but she returned after a couple of years. (Joan Collins briefly filled in for her.) She was also well known to fans of the soap “Capitol” and “Santa Barbara.”
Dusay also made a mark for herself on the original “Star Trek” TV series. She played the role of Kara in a memorable episode called “Spock’s Brain” in which she took the famous Vulcan’s brain for further examination. I assume she gave it back. “Star Trek” fans cite that episode as either one of the best or one of the worst, but it made its mark.
Dusay’s imdb resume covers a lot of roles in episodic TV in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. She was also well known for playing Blair’s mother on “The Facts of Life.” She always played wealthy mothers who disapproved of her children’s choices, only to be brought around, and she was great at it. For soap fans, she will be sorely missed. Condolences to her family.
