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Susan Flannery portrayed the iconic character of Stephanie Forrester in The Bold and the Beautiful. She was one of the initial characters, along with John McCook and Katherine Kelly Lang, who joined the show in 1987. Before joining B&B, Susan had been part of Days of Our Lives, another daily soap, for almost a decade. Susan's Stephanie exited the show in 2012 due to her death from cancer as per the soap's storyline. She appeared on the soap in 2018 when Eric had his surgery.
Recently indicted fans of The Bold and the Beautiful may be unaware of the Forrester matriarch's significant presence in the lives of her family members and others connected to the Forrester family. Susan presented Stephanie as a strong and decisive woman. Her long-standing friction with Katherine's Brooke Logan became an important aspect of the soap's attraction.
The Bold and the Beautiful: What role did Susan Flannery play?
Susan Flannery was one of the earliest cast members of The Bold and the Beautiful who was present since the soap's inception, playing Stephanie Douglas-Forrester. She, besides Eric's McCook, Brooke's Katherine, and Ridge's Ronn Moss, were famed as the show's central four characters for 25 years.
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William J Bell, the soap's creator was impressed by her performance as Dr. Laura Horton on Days of Our Lives and insisted she be part of B&B. She remained one of the essential principal characters for more than two decades. However, she quit the soap after Ronn Moss's exit in the 25th year of The Bold and the Beautiful. A storyline was built around the character's exit in November 2012 and was last shown in a recording on December 10, 2012.
However, Stephanie had a cameo in 2018 during Brooke and Ridge's wedding as a voiceover from Ridge's mother. She was last seen on an equally brief appearance in December 2023 when Eric had his surgery. Stephanie's supernatural presence invited Eric to come to the other side assuring others were waiting for him and things would be okay.
Also Read: 5 facts you didn’t know about The Bold and the Beautiful star Katherine Kelly Lang
Stephanie's journey on The Bold and the Beautiful in brief
Stephanie Douglas was Chicago-based businessman John Douglas's daughter who had an affair with Eric Forrester. Eric and Stephanie married when she got pregnant and went on to have five children. Eric had to break up his college romance with Beth Logan.
The couple moved to Los Angeles and founded their haute couture business, Forrester Fashions. However, Beth and her daughters were back in Stephanie's life as Eric resumed his interaction with Beth besides having affairs with other women. She also resented Beth's daughter, Brooke's involvement with first her son, Ridge, and then her husband.
Stephanie had to play a strong mother alongside a determined wife. She had to stay firm when her two sons fought over Caroline Spencer. Later, Thorne proposed to Brooke, who was interested in Ridge. However, her husband married Brooke and had kids from the union. Meanwhile, she approved Dr. Taylor Hayes as Ridge's wife.
Stephanie took her dislike for Brooke to the extent that she caused a stranger, Andy, to r*pe Brooke. After her role in the incident was revealed, she left town for some time. Returning later, she apologized to all concerned. When Eric married Donna, she became a partner at Jackie M Designs. However, she later came back to the Forresters.
After an altercation with Beth, who had Alzheimer's disease, Stephanie walked off, while Beth drowned in the family pool. With Donna insisting on calling the police on Stephanie, her marriage to Eric was over and the old husband came back to Stephanie.
After renewing their vows on their 50th wedding anniversary on The Bold and the Beautiful, Stephanie continued to take a tough stand for her family including pushing Liam to decide between Hope and Steffy.
In October 2012, The Bold and the Beautiful found Dr. Lewis informing Stephanie about the return of her lung cancer giving her limited hope. Instead of getting treated, she chose to fulfill some of her dreams including an Irish-themed party. Her last moments were spent in Brooke's care in Big Bear cabin. She breathed her last in Brooke's arms at the lakeside, listening to her once-rival singing her to sleep.
Also Read: 5 most controversial moments on The Bold and the Beautiful
More about Susan Flannery of The Bold and the Beautiful fame
While Susan famously portrayed the Forrester household's influential matriarch on the show, she was part of many other projects. Starting her career in 1963 with Burke's Law, she worked in many television series, miniseries, soaps, and TV movies. Some of the well-known titles are Days of Our Lives, The Moneychangers, Dallas, The Young and the Restless, and Hope & Faith.
She has also worked in four movies. Earning numerous nominations, Susan has four Daytime Emmy Awards under her belt along with one Golden Globe Award and one MPV Award.
The Bold and the Beautiful continues to air on CBS on weekdays at 1:30 pm ET.
