Audrey Peters

Audrey Peters (February 11, 1927 – August 2, 2019) was an American actress whose career spanned Broadway, daytime television, and decades of recurring soap opera work. She died at age 92 in Los Angeles, California.

Peters began her professional life as a performer on the Broadway stage, appearing in productions during 1947. Her Broadway credits included High Button Shoes and Barefoot Boy With Cheek. Early in her career she also worked as a dancer on The Toast of the Town, though an injury brought her dancing career to an end.

She became most widely recognized for her portrayal of Vanessa Dale Sterling on the CBS daytime soap opera Love of Life, a role she held for 21 years. Peters was the third actress to take on the character, following Peggy McCay and Bonnie Bartlett, but she became the performer most closely associated with Vanessa. Her tenure in the role concluded when Love of Life was cancelled in 1980.

Seven years after that cancellation, Peters joined another CBS soap opera, Guiding Light, cast as Sarah Shayne, the mother of the character Reva Shayne. She remained under contract with the show for four years and returned for Christmas episodes in 1993. Although the character of Sarah died offscreen in 1997, Peters continued to make appearances on Guiding Light through the show's final year in 2009, portraying Sarah's spirit as a guiding presence for Reva during moments of difficulty.

Beyond her two primary soap opera roles, Peters made additional appearances in daytime television, including brief roles on Search for Tomorrow, Loving, and All My Children.