Celebrities You Forgot Appeared On The Bold And The Beautiful
In the nearly 35 years since "The Bold and the Beautiful" first premiered on CBS as a sister soap to the long-running "The Young and the Restless," it has had quite a few non-soap celebrities appear. Some have played themselves, which makes sense since the show takes place in a fictional version of Los Angeles in the high fashion world. Still, others have created characters of their own, taking a detour from the kind of performing they would usually do to sink their teeth into the challenges of a daytime soap.
Some of these legendary performers made quite a mark on the show in consequential storylines that would have impact for years to come while still others made their big guest appearance, got non-soap viewers tuning in, and then went on their merry way back to their regular entertainment careers. Either way, when "B&B" landed these celebrities, they were definitely casting coups.
Betty White as Stephanie and Pam's mother Ann
For years, "The Bold and the Beautiful" fans knew that Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery) had a difficult childhood, but until Ann Douglas arrived in Los Angeles to make amends with her two daughters, Stephanie and Pam Douglas (Alley Mills), the audience didn't realize how bad things were.
The late, great Betty White who passed away on December 31, 2021 just weeks before her 100th birthday didn't just make a guest appearance as Ann. After getting her feet wet on soaps while still being a comedic legend on shows like "Santa Barbara" and "Another World," White took on the role of Ann from 2006 to 2009 until the character's tragic death on the beach with both her daughters by her side (via Soap Hub). The three women had finally made peace and there wasn't a dry eye in the house during White's last moments as Ann. "The Bold and the Beautiful" even dedicated its January 17, 2022 episode to White, the day she would have turned 100, according to Soap Opera Digest.
Musician Usher as Amber's boyfriend Raymond
In a case of art imitating life — at least in terms of actor and character names — Usher Raymond IV, an R&B musician who had made a splash on the music scene in 1994 with his debut album simply titled "Usher," made a career move when he joined the cast of "The Bold and the Beautiful" as a musician named Raymond during the summer of 1998 (via Biography).
When Amber Moore (Adrienne Frantz) had been dating Rick Forrester (Jacob Young), she met up with Raymond, an old friend from high school, one night in a club where he was performing. After catching up, the pair had a one-night stand before Raymond had to go back on tour. Amber was so drunk, she didn't remember the night, but Raymond did and told her all about it. Amber was horrified to learn she was pregnant and Raymond might be the father. The baby was stillborn as Amber tried to pass another baby off as Rick's, and eventually Raymond was never heard from again (via Soaps In Depth).
Phyllis Diller as Gladys the hairdresser
The late Phyllis Diller took her comedic skills and brought comedy to "The Bold and the Beautiful" when she created the role of Gladys Pope, a talented hairdresser who was first tasked with taking the beautiful Taylor Hayes (then played by Hunter Tylo) and making her look less than beautiful so she could sneak around town in disguise.
That was way back in 1996, but Diller and Gladys were so popular that she ended up making many return appearances to the soap until her death at age 95 in 2012, according to Soaps.com. With her partner in crime, the flamboyant fashion designer Sally Spectra (first played by Darlene Conley, aunt to the Sally now played by Courtney Hope on "The Young and the Restless"), Gladys managed to get into many antics over the years. However, her most memorable moment was when she used her makeup magic to turn Sally into male character Massimo Marone (Joseph Mascolo).