Rebecca Balding, ‘Soap’ and ‘Charmed’ actress, dead at 73


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Rebecca Balding, a veteran stage and screen actress who appeared on “Soap” and “Charmed,” has died. She was 73.

Balding’s husband, actor and director James L. Conway, confirmed her passing to Deadline on Wednesday. He revealed that she died Monday in Park City, Utah, after battling ovarian cancer.

According to the outlet, Balding was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. She studied acting at the University of Kansas before heading to Chicago, where she became an award-winning stage actress. She eventually had her sights set on Hollywood and moved to Los Angeles.

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Rebecca Balding was battling ovarian cancer.
( (Photo by Jim Britt /American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images))

Balding kicked off her career on the West Coast as a scream queen. She appeared in such horror films as 1979’s “The Silent Scream” and 1982’s “The Boogens,” where she met Conway.

“I was casting the film ‘The Boogens,’” the 71-year-old recalled to People magazine. “Rebecca came in to audition. We chatted, she read and when she left, I turned to the associate producer and said, ‘I could marry that girl.’

“Somehow she got cast,” Conway continued. “The first week of shooting we went out. That Saturday night, she proposed. And four weeks later, while still shooting, we got married. Of course, no one thought it would last. That was 41 years ago.”

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From left: Rebecca Balding, Bob Seagren and Billy Crystal of "Soap."

From left: Rebecca Balding, Bob Seagren and Billy Crystal of “Soap.”
(Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

One of Balding’s most memorable roles was that of Billy Crystal’s girlfriend on “Soap,” ABC’s controversial spoof of daytime dramas. The series aired from 1977 to 1981. She also played Alyssa Milano’s boss on “Charmed” from 1998 to 2006. Balding appeared on many other iconic TV shows, including “Melrose Place,” “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Starsky and Hutch,” “The Bionic Woman,” “The Rockford Files” and “Family Ties,” just to name a few.

Rebecca Balding is survived by her husband, daughters and grandchildren.

Rebecca Balding is survived by her husband, daughters and grandchildren.
(Photo by CBS via Getty Images)

Balding’s last credited role was on a 2006 episode of “Charmed.”

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She is survived by Conway, as well as her daughters, Sarah and Kathleen, and her grandchildren.



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