by Colleen Zenk
I was born and raised in a small rural town in northern Illinois. One grandfather was a German immigrant who was the mayor of my village my entire childhood, and my other grandfather a farmer with a 6th grade education.
But, I am an actor… 2017 marks my 50th year as a member of SAG, my 48th year with AFTRA, and my 45th year as a member of Actor’s Equity. I began my professional career as a child, even joining AGMA in my teens as the youngest member of Gus Giordano Dance Chicago.
I have been one of the lucky ones. I have been working continuously my entire life whether it be in theatre, television, or film.
I arrived in NYC in 1975 after my years in the Drama Department at Catholic University of America. My Chicago agent paved the way for me to sign with a new aggressive up-and-coming agent who had big plans for me. (I was his first ingénue client before he signed Kathleen Turner and Sigourney Weaver.) He wanted to ship me out to L.A. I wanted to stay in NY and plant roots and have as normal life as possible as one could have as an actor, family included. I won that battle.
Three weeks after arriving I booked 2 national commercials, but, also had 2 miserable screen tests which I. But then, I was cast as the lead in the musical “Where’s Charley?” opposite Ken Berry (of “F Troop” and “Mama’s Family”). What followed was an incredible run of lucrative commercials, 12 failed Soap Opera screen tests, as well as failed screen tests for “Indiana Jones”, “Grease”, and “Superman”. I was working in the business, but, not achieving my dreams…
Finally, in July 1978 came yet again another screen test for a Soap. The character was a hooker. Really? Typecasting?? Horrible audition. So, I went out to do a musical industrial show for John Deere Tractors. At the Kansas City Convention Center (where the entire floor was covered in sawdust and giant farm machines), with my tambourine in hand I was singing… “Me and My John Deere Plow” and “Keep Those Combines Comin’”.
But, a frantic call from my agent came in. I called back on a pay phone behind that sawdust stage. “As The World Turns” wanted to put me on contract! They just didn’t know what to do with me yet. Then, 6 weeks later in September ’78 I went to work at the CBS Broadcast Center debuting as “Barbara Ryan".
Flash forward: In 2010, after 54 years on CBS-TV, and the 32 years in which I played “Barbara”, ATWT was cancelled. Times changed. New shows had aired over the previous years that were flashier, hipper, prettier, and with bigger budgets. But, ATWT was always the show with the biggest heart and generations of family intricacies and love. In the 80’s, 90’s, 00’s we gave our audiences edgy, current, thought provoking storylines. And always mixed with the sexy, funny, tragic, very real characters living in Oakdale, Illinois.
As the fashionista-former-doormat-evil-bitch-mother-from-hell (with 9 marriages) I worked/acted in over 6,000 episodes of this iconic show. What a privilege. I miss my ATWT family. A family of nearly 300 actors, writers, producers, directors, crew, makeup, hair, costume, wardrobe, cameramen, editors, props, scenic designers, lighting designers, sound, music, painters, florists, casting, staff… In my mind and the mind of so many fans, our World Still Turns…
Colleen Zenk is a 3-time Lead Actress Daytime Emmy nominee. During her years on ATWT she starred on Broadway in “Bring Back Birdie” opposite Donald O’Connor and Chita Rivera, and was featured in the original film of “Annie” directed by John Huston. She is the proud mother of a blended family of 6… 4 girls, 2 boys now ages 36-24. Since the cancellation of ATWT she has gone back to her theatre roots with starring roles in World and Regional Premieres Off-Broadway and throughout the country. Currently, she can be seen in several Amazon series including the Emmy nominated “Tainted Dreams”, the multi-international-award winning “Thurston-the Western” and in movie theatres as herself in the recently released “The Comedian” with Robert DeNiro.
A 2-time Oral Cancer survivor this year marks the 10th anniversary of her diagnosis. She is now 5 years cancer-free. Colleen has been the national spokesperson of the Oral Cancer Foundation since 2007 and is the recipient of many humanitarian awards for her outspoken activism. www.oralcancerfoundation.org