Bryan Cranston & Nelson Aspen Remember Louan Gideon

My fabulous friend of nearly three decades, Louan Gideon, passed away recently after a recurrence of cancer. I've written about our friendship "then and now" here on WLS, but just as she remains present in my everyday life as a "guardian angel," so does she stay with me in many tangible ways. Many of her predictions and convictions pertaining to my life have started newly manifesting themselves and she even became part of my recent interview with award winning superstar Bryan Cranston.

Bryan and Louan became pals around the same time I first met her: the early 1980s when we lived in NYC, chasing acting work. We all chalked up Soap Opera credits, but I wouldn't meet Bryan until all of us had relocated to Los Angeles and he was enjoying Prime Time success as the Dad on Malcolm in the Middle. I was a Hollywood correspondent for a show called TV Guide Television and Louan was working one of her myriad sidelines as a "Feng Shui" expert. I suggested we film a segment getting her to work her magic on a celebrity home and she immediately enlisted Bryan to be our guinea pig.

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW Actress Louan Gideon Has Passed Away

Louan Gideon

Louan Gideon passed away on Monday morning after a long battle with cancer. She is best known to soap opera fans as the final actress who played Liza Walton Sentell on NBC's SEARCH FOR TOMORROW. She also starred as Danielle Atron in THE SECRET WORLD OF ALEX MACK, as well as appearances in numerous of TV shows and films including THIRTYSOMETHING, SAVED BY THE BELL: THE NEW CLASS (as Mrs. Belding), and BEVERLY HILLS, 90210.

We felt there was no better tribute to Gideon than speaking to some of her closest friends. We Love Soaps spoke ask Ms. Gideon's SEARCH FOR TOMORROW co-stars--Marcia McCabe (Sunny Adamson) and Nelson Aspen (Albert Prange)--to talk about their longtime friendships.

WE LOVE SOAPS: What was your fondest memory of working with Louan on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW?

MARCIA MCCABE: Memories of Louan....my GGGGGGGGGGGG. [and I was her MMMMMMMMMMM. Our little nicknames for each other.]

When Louan came on the scene at "SEARCH" to replace Sherry Mathis as "Liza" I knew I was in for a treat!  Although Sherry was lovely and a consummate actress, she was a bit remote and not social at all. Louan was so friendly, upbeat and had that warm southern charm and we became instant pals.

Lou was so healthy and encouraged me to join the gym near the studio, so we could work out together. Prior to her arrival, I was skinny but not in great shape. I credit her with starting me on a path to a healthier lifestyle!

Happy 50th Nelson Aspen. Does Life Begin At 50?

Entertainment reporter, author and We Love Soaps contributor Nelson Aspen celebrated his 50th birthday this week (Happy Birthday, Nelson!). Last weekend he enjoyed birthday festivities with friends in Hamptons and a tug of war match was just one of the many fun events. You'll notice SEARCH FOR TOMORROW actresses Marcia McCabe (Sunny) and Louan Gideon (Liza) on the other side of the rope from Nelson, who is working on a new book about how "Life begins at 50".  Do you agree? You can tweet Nelson your thoughts on Twitter at @nelsonaspen. He might just include you in the new book!

If can you haven't caught the latest episode of his new web series @NELSON'S, with guest star Victoria Arbiter, you can watch it below.

In Honor of Mary Stuart's Birthday! Marcia McCabe, Louan Gideon, Lee Fryd & Nelson Aspen Reflect and Recreate Classic Photo

Today would have been legendary actress Mary Stuart's birthday. She is best known for her 35-year run as Joanne Gardner Barron Tate Vincente Tourneur in SEARCH FOR TOMORROW. She latter starred as Meta Bauer in GUIDING LIGHT for six years until her death in 2002. Last weekend some of her former co-stars and friends--publicist Lee Fryd, Nelson Aspen, Marcia McCabe and Louan Gideon--gathered in the Hamptons to celebrate Aspen's 50th birthday. In honor of Mary Stuart, they recreated one of the class photos we posted back in 2010 as part of Nelson's Scrapbook.

Check out thew newly re-created photo below as well as reflections on Stuart from Aspen, McCabe and Gideon.



"How blessed was I at age 23 to share the same theatrical air space as Mary Stuart. She was an amazing actress who taught so many of us how to perfect our acting skills for the camera. She was a true professional and a warm, loving woman who was passionate about her job and enjoyed being the matriarch of 'Search!' I loved and respected her and was honored to be a part of the 'SFT' family for 9 years. Happy Birthday to Mary. She was truly one of a kind!!!"
- Marcia McCabe (Sunny Adamson)

"Mary and Larry [Haines] were just the best of friends off camera, or so it certainly seemed. You could tell the marvelous camaraderie they shared. It made the set, especially to a new person like me who was coming into a show already years in progress, seem safe...friendly....like it wasn't just a bunch of actors...but a family I was joining."
- Louan Gideon (Liza Sentell)

"Mary was the greatest...on camera and off (as different as those two personae were!) and I miss her still, especially at her favorite time of year: Christmas. Fortunately, her work is so well remembered by family, friends and fans...and her legacy lives on not only through her BOOK PALS organization, but through the medium she helped to create. My mentor, my pal, my precious Mary...Happy Birthday!"
- Nelson Aspen (Albert Prange)

Nelson's Soap Scrapbook #4 - SEARCH FOR TOMORROW 1985

Nelson Aspen dug into his scrapbooks for some memorabilia from his early showbiz career in Daytime TV and shares some of his personal photos exclusively with We Love Soaps. All photos are owned by Nelson. For more of his exploits, read "Hollywood Insider Exposed!"

We continue this series with a couple of photos from SEARCH FOR TOMORROW.