The New Jersey-born, Jacklyn Zeman was an actress and former dancer who became famous in the 70s for her role as Barbara “Bobbie” Spencer in ABC’s soap opera, General Hospital. Her career in the entertainment industry spanned almost 5 decades and accrued her an estimated net worth of $2 million. Unfortunately, she died on May 10, 2023, at the age of 70 after a short battle with cancer.
Even though, Jacklyn’s death leaves her family, friends, and fans heartbroken, it’s a known fact that her legacy would live on. Here’s all to know about the actress.
A Brief Biography of Jacklyn Zeman
Jacklyn Zeman was born on March 6, 1953, to her parents Richard S. Zeman and Rita Zeman-Rohlman. From the records, she was raised in a family of Jewish descent in Englewood, New Jersey alongside other members of her family.
While not so much is established about early life and family background, we garnered that her father Richard was a system engineer while her mother worked as a magazine supervisor.
As for her education, she graduated from Bergenfield High School and then proceeded to New York University on a scholarship to study dance.
A Look at Her Acting Career
As you would easily find, Jacklyn developed a passion for entertainment at an early age which was encouraged by her parents. She soon started ballet classes and by the age of 15, she joined the New Jersey Dance Company. Jacklyn juggled dancing, modeling, and shooting covers for romantic Novels.
Following her graduation from the University, she worked in a Playboy Club as a Playboy Bunny but later switched to acting. Jacklyn earned a few acting roles in movies and later became known for her recurring roles in series such as One Life to Live as Lana McClain and General Hospital as Barbara “Bobbie” Spencer.
Jacklyn also made several film appearances in productions such as National Lampoons Class Reunion, Young Doctors in Love, and Montana Crossroad. For her roles, she has received a number of awards including 3 Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in Drama Series and at least 4 Daytime Emmy Award nominations.
Jacklyn Zeman is Estimated at $2 Million
Jacklyn earned primarily from her career as an actress. Even though she has never revealed how much she gets paid for each role, it cannot be ignored that she worked in the industry for several decades. Following her years of acting, Jukebugs guesstimate her at $2 million.
Considering that the actress appeared in over 880 episodes of the ABC soap opera series General Hospital between 1977- 2023, it’s no doubt that she would have accumulated so much money.
The series is the longest-running American soap opera in production and the second in American History which has not only gained global recognition but also accrued huge profit for years.
She Died After a Brief Battle with Cancer
According to Frank Valentini the General Hospital executive producer, Jacklyn sadly died on May 10, 2023, and will be greatly missed. She was 70 years old at the time of her death which happened after a brief battle with cancer as confirmed by her family.
The news of her death was also published by ABC Entertainment and former General Hospital star, Rick Springfield who stated,
“Such a truly kind soul with no touch of the diva and only sweet things to say about everyone. She was the one, along with Gloria Monty, who helped launch my ’80s career when after the screen test along with several other hopeful young men Gloria asked Jackie who she thought would make a good Noah Drake and God bless her if Jackie didn’t say me. Love to your spirit as it ascends, sweet girl. You left your mark on many of us and you will not be forgotten. XO.”
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Jacklyn Zeman Survived by Her 2 Daughters
The General Hospital actress was married three times while she was alive and one of her marriages birthed her two daughters – Cassidy Zee Gorden and Lacey Rose Gorden.
Her first child Cassidy was born on September 16, 1990, and she’s 34 years old at the moment. She is married to Cutter Macleod and has two children -Kennedy MacLeod and Decker Remington MacLeod.
The second child of the actress Lacey was born on July 15 1992 and she’s currently 32 years old. She works and lives in Malibu California as an entrepreneur and realtor.
Jacklyn had her two daughters while married to her third husband Glenn Gorden. From what we gathered, she was married to him from Febuary 14, 1988 until July 21, 2007.
Before her marriage to Gorden, she was first married to the popular DJ Murray Kaufman in 1979 and they remained married until their divorce in 1981. Following this she tied the knot with Steven Gribbin in 1985 but divorced after a year.
Jacklyn remained single from 2007 until her unfortunate demise in 2023. She dedicated her life to raising her daughters and the entertainment industry which she will always be remembered for.
