Brenda Dickson

{{short description|American actress|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Use American English|date=July 2020}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2014}} {{Infobox person | name = Brenda Dickson | image = Brenda Dickson.jpg | caption = | birth_name =  | birth_date =  | birth_place = Long Beach, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | alma_mater = Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute | other_names = Brenda Dickson-Weinberg | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage|Robert Rifkin|September 30, 1976 |1983|reason=div}} * {{marriage|Jan Weinberg|December 25, 1997|2006|reason=div}} }} | occupation = Actress | known_for = }}

'''Brenda Dickson''' is an American actress who originated the role of Jill Foster Abbott on the soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''.

== Early life and education == Dickson was born in Long Beach, California.<ref name=montreal>{{cite news|last=Peterson|first=Bettelou|title=Brenda Dickson: The Young and the Restless|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19850318&id=IiAyAAAAIBAJ&pg=1849,3600784|access-date=March 24, 2014|newspaper=The Montreal Gazette|page=B-8|date=March 18, 1985}}</ref> As a teenager, she toured Southeast Asia singing and dancing for the armed forces with Bob Hope.<ref>{{cite news|title=Soap Stars' Real Lives Sometimes More Juicy|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19761118&id=CZBPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6824,4361169|access-date=March 24, 2014|newspaper=Ocala Star-Banner|page=12-A|date=November 18, 1976}}</ref> At the age of 17, she won the title of Miss California USA in the Miss World pageant; it led to acting offers but she decided to continue performing at USO shows while studying acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Los Angeles.<ref name=montreal />

== Career == Dickson made her stage debut at the Beverly Hills Playhouse and went on to appear in stage roles in the Los Angeles area. She made her feature film debut in the 1972 film ''Deathmaster''.<ref name=montreal /> She appeared in guest roles on ''Men at Law''; ''The F.B.I.''; ''Love, American Style''; ''Here We Go Again''; and the prime-time soap opera ''Falcon Crest''.

Dickson played the role of Jill Foster Abbott on ''The Young and the Restless'' from 1973 to 1980, then again from 1983 to 1987.<ref>{{cite news|title=When Dickson Is Bad, It's Good for ''Young and Restless''|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19870109&id=AXcfAAAAIBAJ&pg=2116,1967587|access-date=March 24, 2014|newspaper=Schenectady Gazette|page=13|date=January 9, 1987}}</ref> Dickson was let go from the show in 1987. She filed a $10 million lawsuit against Columbia Pictures in an effort to be reinstated.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bette profits from drug deal|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19880304&id=z-oyAAAAIBAJ&pg=6871,1581185|access-date=March 24, 2014|newspaper=Wilmington Morning Star|page=2D|date=March 5, 1988}}</ref> In the lawsuit, Dickson claimed William J. Bell blacklisted her and wreaked havoc on her personal and professional life by hiring "Mafia cartel judges and attorneys" to "ruin" her life. As a result, she ended up "broke and homeless" and claimed to have been blocked from working.<ref>{{cite news|last=Post Staff Report|title=Soap star says she ended up broke and homeless|url=https://nypost.com/2013/04/22/soap-star-says-she-ended-up-broke-and-homeless|access-date=March 23, 2014|newspaper=New York Post|date=April 22, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Brenda Dickson Was Once Homeless: ''Young and the Restless'' Star Claims She Ended Up Broke & Homeless After Being Blacklisted|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/22/brenda-dickson-homeless_n_3134112.html|access-date=March 23, 2014|newspaper=Huffington Post|date=April 22, 2013|first=Stephanie|last=Marcus}}</ref>

In 1987, Dickson released the film ''Welcome to My Home'',<ref name=newyork>{{cite journal|journal=New York|publisher=New York Magazine Company|volume=40|page=62|title=Welcome to My Home}}</ref> described as a "vanity film"<ref name=newyork /> which showcased her home and wardrobe.<ref name=limnander>{{cite news|last=Limnander|first=Armand|title=Kitsch of the Day|url=http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/kitsch-of-the-day-brenda-dickson/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0|access-date=March 24, 2014|work=The New York Times Magazine Blog|date=May 14, 2009}}</ref> A YouTube parody became an Internet meme and has been removed and re-uploaded several times.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Original Brenda Dickson Parody Is Back On YouTube!|url=http://www.dnamagazine.com.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=4650|access-date=December 5, 2016|newspaper=DNA|date=December 2, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421180635/http://www.dnamagazine.com.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=4650|archive-date=April 21, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2018, its influence was profiled in ''Vanity Fair''. Dickson, who was interviewed for the article, revealed that she financed the film with $5,000 of her own money.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/09/welcome-to-my-home-video-brenda-dickson-well-hello|title = Well, Hello: Thirty-One Years of Welcome to My Home| website=Vanity Fair |date = September 21, 2018}}</ref>

In May 2013, Dickson released her memoir, ''My True Hidden Hollywood Story''.<ref>{{cite web|title=New Book By Soap Star Brenda Dickson Hits The Stands In May|url=http://bhcourier.com/book-soap-star-brenda-dickson-hits-stands/2013/04/22|access-date=March 24, 2014|work=The Beverly Hills Courier|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602234815/http://bhcourier.com/book-soap-star-brenda-dickson-hits-stands/2013/04/22|archive-date=June 2, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

== Personal life == === Marriages === Dickson has been married twice. Her first husband was dentist Robert Rifkin whom she married on September 30, 1976.<ref>{{cite news|last=Pike|first=Charlie|title=Pike's Peek|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1734&dat=19761103&id=svseAAAAIBAJ&pg=5435,720223|access-date=March 23, 2014|newspaper=The Dispatch|date=November 5, 1976}}</ref> She married attorney Jan Weinberg on December 25, 1997.<ref>{{cite web|title=Weinberg still a no-show in ongoing divorce|url=http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20110303_Weinberg_still_a_no-show_in_ongoing_divorce.html|access-date=March 24, 2014|work=Honolulu Star Advertiser|date=March 3, 2011}}</ref> They were divorced in 2006.<ref name="kobayashi2007-02-20">{{cite news |first=Ken |last=Kobayashi |title=Jailed actress says she's the victim |url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Feb/20/ln/FP702200345.html |work=Honolulu Advertiser |date=February 20, 2007 |access-date=March 1, 2009}}</ref>

=== Legal issues === In 2007, Dickson was jailed in Hawaii because of a civil contempt order stemming from a divorce judgment from her ex-husband Jan Weinberg.<ref name="kobayashi2007-02-20" /> She said she was the victim and wasn't given a fair divorce hearing.<ref name="kobayashi2007-02-20" /> Released after 16 days, she was sent back to jail and released after more than three months.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ken |last=Kobayashi |title=Honolulu judge frees ex-soap opera star from prison |url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Jun/27/br/br2450169387.html |work=Honolulu Advertiser |date=June 27, 2007 |access-date=March 1, 2009}}</ref>

In 2009, the judgment in Weinberg v. Dickson was set aside after an appeals court found that the judge in the original trial had abused his discretion in not guaranteeing Dickson a fair trial and that her imprisonment had been unlawful.<ref>{{cite web|last=Dooley|first=Jim|title=Actress, other women allege abuses by Hawaii's Family Court|url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2010/Jan/13/ln/hawaii1130344.html|access-date=March 24, 2014|work=Honolulu Star Advertiser|date=January 13, 2010}}</ref>

In September 2025, Dickson revealed that she had been evicted from her condo and was now homeless and sleeping on the street. She requested that her followers on social media donate to her GoFundMe page. The money would be used for an attorney, food, and shelter.<ref>{{Cite Instagram |user=brendadicksonactress |postid=DPCEY1kiXEZ |title=Urgent Help for Brenda Dickson's Shelter and Legsl Fees |date=25 September 2025}}</ref>

== Filmography == {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1971 | ''Men at Law'' | | Episode: "One American" |- | 1972 | ''The F.B.I.'' | Donna | Episode: "The Set-Up" |- | 1972 | ''Deathmaster'' | Rona | |- | 1973 | ''Love, American Style'' | Girl | Segment: "Love and the Sexpert" |- | 1973 | ''Here We Go Again'' | Donna | Episode: "There's a Boy in My Rumaki" |- | 1973–1980; 1983–1987 | ''The Young and the Restless'' | Jill Foster Abbott | Contract role: March 27, 1973 – January 9, 1980, September 8, 1983 – June 18, 1987, June 22 – 24, 1987 |- | 1976 | ''Taxi Driver'' | Soap Opera Woman | Archive footage from ''The Young and the Restless'' |- | 1983 | ''Falcon Crest'' | Tony's Girlfriend | Episode: "Maelstrom" |- |}

== Awards and nominations ==

* 1986 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Villainess in a Daytime Serial ''The Young and the Restless''.{{Citation needed |date=May 2021}} * 1988 Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Villainess in a Daytime Serial ''The Young and the Restless''.<ref name=limnander />

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons}} * {{IMDb name}} * {{Instagram|brendadicksonactress}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, Brenda}} Category:Living people Category:20th-century American actresses Category:Actresses from Long Beach, California Category:American soap opera actresses Category:American television actresses Category:Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni Category:21st-century American women Category:Year of birth missing (living people)