Originating the iconic role of Tina Lord Roberts on “One Life to Live” in 1978, veteran daytime television actress Andrea Evans died of cancer on Sunday, July 9, casting director Don Carroll announced. She was 66 years old.
Born June 18, 1957 in Aurora, Illinois, the two-time Daytime Emmy nominee followed up her initial stint as Tina on the ABC drama series with a short-run on “The Young and the Restless” playing Patty Williams from 1983-1984.
Returning to “One Life to Live” in 1985, Evans went on to receive a Daytime Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Ingenue in a Drama Series in 1988. She again departed the series in 1990, which was the same year she appeared in an episode of the short-lived primetime drama “Capital News.” She again reprised the role of Tina in 2008 and 2011, saying at the time, “It’s time to give the audience what they want. And it’s time for me to get closure on why I left in the first place.” Her statement was in reference to a stalker who first accosted the actress in the lobby of the ABC soap opera in the fall of 1987, which Evans detailed in a 2008 PEOPLE profile. The experience saw her move across the country from New York City to Los Angeles.
In the late 90s to early 2000s, she portrayed such memorable characters as Rebecca Hotchkiss on NBC’s “Passions” and Tawny Moore on both “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “The Young and the Restless.”
As Tawny, she was the wacky mother of Amber Moore (Adrienne Frantz), who was entangled with the Forrester family through her affair with Rick Forrester. On “Passions,” Rebecca was always scheming to get her daughter, Gwen, entrenched into the Crane family through her relationship with Ethan Crane.
“Our deepest condolences on the passing of Andrea Evans who graced ‘Y&R’ with her talents as ‘Patty Williams’ from 1983-1984,” read a tweet by the official Twitter handle for “The Young and the Restless” posted shortly after the news of her Evans’ passing began to spread online.
In 2014, Evans joined the cast of “DeVanity,” a digital drama series where she received her second Daytime Emmy nomination, this time for Outstanding Performer in a New Approaches Drama Series. Evans later joined “The Bay” in 2017.
Outside of daytime television, Evans appeared in the 1978 TV movie “The Awakening Land,” playing Fay Morrison Wheeler. In 1982, she appeared in an episode of “CHiPs,” and in 1984, she appeared in an episode of the TV series “Out of Control” and the TV movie “Arch of Triumph.”
In 1994, Evans appeared in “A Low Down Dirty Shame,” which starred Keenan Ivory Wayans and Jada Pinkett Smith. Also appearing in the film was Don Diamont (Bill Spencer, “The Bold and the Beautiful”; ex-Brad Carlton, “The Young and the Restless”) and Devin DeVasquez, the real-life wife of Ronn Moss (ex-Ridge Forrester, “The Bold and the Beautiful”).
Evans is survived by her husband, Steve Rodriguez, and daughter Kylie.
The news of Evans’ passing was first reported by Deadline.