“Marion Colby” (All My Children), seasoned soapers hear the name and smile! They don’t make soap cougar vixens like Ms. Colby anymore. How we wish they would. Emmy Award-winning Jennifer Bassey made Marion a household name in soap opera land. Bassey, along with Michael E. Night (“Tad the Cad”) and Marcy Walker (Liza Colby), gave us one of the hottest and sultriest mother/daughter plus a “hunk” triangle in daytime history. If you know, you know. And if you don’t, do yourself a favor and find out.
A Little History
Bassey’s long-standing, accomplished career in the entertainment industry began as one of the first Playboy bunnies in the very first Playboy Club in Chicago. It was a singer named Bobby Short who told Bassey that being a singing bunny wasn’t her destiny. But rather, she should pursue acting.
Heeding Short’s advice, she applied and was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Bassey’s application was accompanied by the lowest entrance marks in the history of the academy (her record, some 60 years later, still stands to this very day), but she graduated at the top of her class, finishing only second to Sir Anthony Hopkins.
In addition to her portrayal of the iconic Marion Colby, Bassey’s illustrious career encompasses over 40 television credits as well as feature films, stage, and streaming.
Some of her more recent projects are Amazon’s Kombucha Cure, which landed her an Independent Series Award, the new soap opera Heart Notes, and the delivery of a critically acclaimed performance as Grushinskaya in Grand Hotel: The 35th Anniversary Original Reunion Concert. Her performance and the concert hold significant personal importance as the book was written by Bassey’s late husband, Tony Award-winning writer and producer Luther Davis.
Soap Opera News interviewed Bassey and discussed her sustainability, versatility, and her evergreen evolution. During our lively chat, she shared with us how one day she realized she’d “done everything in the business one can do except for stand-up comedy and nightclubs.” So, what did Bassey do? Yes.
Jennifer Bassey: From Sexy Soaps to Classic Cabaret
At 86 years young, Bassey is marking her solo nightclub debut at NYC’s famed 54 Below with Jennifer Bassey: From Soaps to Cabaret.
“I started singing later in life. It took some time, but in the last few years, things in that area started coming together. I am very excited about my upcoming show. It’s fun and autobiographical. I pay homage to the ‘sex crazed’ Marion (laughter). I studied for a long time with the legendary Marilyn Maye.
We are highlighting some of her arrangements. It is also about loss, love, marriage, and finding love again later in life. My late husband, Luther Davis, whom I was married to for thirty years, wrote the book of Kismet. He won a Tony Award for the Broadway musical, and I am doing a tribute to him by performing some songs from Kismet. I found love again and got remarried to George Bamford, a brilliant playwright. We touch on that too.”
Jennifer Bassey: Stand Up
“I went to comedy school about three years ago. The head of the school told me I was a natural. I love a live audience. And with stand-up, they are right in your face, and if you are on a roll, you get the best laughs. It is kind of like playing tennis with the audience. You hit the ball to them, and they hit it back to you. I’ve performed at the Gotham Comedy Club, which is one of the biggest clubs in New York City. I love it. Comedy is a bit on the back burner for now as I am primarily focused on my music.”
Jennifer Bassey: Special Sauce
Bassey’s longevity, talent, ingenuity, and success are indeed goals. Of course, we wanted to know what her secret is, her special sauce.
“At eighty-six, people might think you aren’t going to be doing anything. I plan. I push. But most of all I stay open. I have the show and my stand-up right now. But who knows what is next, what is coming down the pike. There is the new soap, High Notes, that might get picked up. Or maybe there will be another season for me of Kombucha Cure. Or maybe I’ll do a movie. Who knows? I don’t, and I like that. It’s quite a ride and a wonderful life for me.”
Jennifer Bassey: From Sexy Soaps to Classy Cabaret is taking place on October 14 & 15, 2025, at 54 Below in New York City.
The performance on October 15 will also be livestreamed.
86 years young, still living, still loving, still performing, still charting new territory! We will have whatever Ms. Bassey is having!
Special Note: Ms. Bassey gave me a bird’s-eye view (via FaceTime) of her beautiful outside garden with a view of the Empire State Building! Picturesque perfection!
Photo Courtesy of Publicist.
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