Soap Queen Named Esther
r high these days — in more
ate Linder is flying
than one.
When she's not playing the delightful house-
eeper, Esther Valentine on CBS' The Young
and the Restless," she works as a flight attendant
for United Airlines.
"It gets crazy," admits Linder. "I usually fly on
the weekends and do the The Young and the Rest-
less' during the week. I arrange my trips around my
schedule at the studio."
Linder, who is from California and majored in
drama at San Francisco State University, became
a flight attendant as a means to support herself
while pursuing an acting career.
"When I did get the job at the The Young and the
Restless,' I continued to work at the airlines because
I see so many people who develop huge egos and
start to believe their own press,"
Kate Linder, who
says Linder, who performed in
plays Esther
numerous productions in sum-
Valentine on "The
mer stock before landing her role
Young & The
Restless," is one of on the soap. "Forgive the pun,
but I thought a job as a flight
two Jewish actors
on the number-one attendant would keep me
grounded."
rated soap.
he was in a nice storyline,
was still a stereotypical
Jew," she says.
"I also remember once on
`Days of Our Lives,' they had
Robin, an Orthodox Jew,
and in the storyline she and
her boyfriend were trapped
in a cabin. After being there
for six days without food,
they found a can of beans
and there was an electric
can opener in the cabin. But
it was Shabbos, and Robin
said they couldn't eat the
beans because it was the
Sabbath and they couldn't
use the electric can
opener. Now, that is
ridiculous. I asked
an Orthodox rabbi
and he verified that
was untrue. You
don't sit there and
not use electricity if
opening a can of
beans can save your
life."
Hirsch hopes that this time on
"One Life To Live," Jews will be de-
Character
picted realistically.
ex-Kendall
"I am really, really impressed
with 'One Life To Live' doing this
Alan Quartermaine
Jewish holiday dinner—but if they
A.J. Quartermaine
do it wrong, they shouldn't be do-
Lois Cerullo Ashton
ing it at R11." El
Bobbie Spencer Meyer Brock Jones
Make sure to see today's relat-
Wanda Wolek
ed stories on WOMC's "Matinee
Mindy" Markowitz, syndicated
Elliot Durbin
soap opera columnist Lynda
Dorian Cramer Lord Callison Vickers
Hirsch and the Soap Opera Fun
Fair that will be held in Detroit
Brad Carlton
next weekend.
Esther Valentine
Personally, I would love to see a melting
pot. But their idea of a melting pot is to
suddenly have one particular ethnic group
move into town. 'General Hospital' had an
Asian Quarter years ago, and now we have
a Hispanic community living in Angel
Square on 'One Life To Live.' I'm not say-
ing that's wrong, and I give them credit
for it, but there needs to be all kinds of eth-
nic, not just one it's a trendy thing
to do."
On the occasion when they do have Jews
on the soaps, Hirsch points out that, some-
times, they are misrepresented or por-
trayed inaccurately. " 'Ryan's Hope' " had
a family that was terribly stereotypical,
and Jake on 'General Hospital,' although
PHOTO BY CRAIG SJODI N/AB C
In fact, it's rare to see a Jewish storyline
at all.
"Maybe it's because soap operas are set
in small, fictitious, Midwestern towns,
where typically there are not many Jews,"
theorizes Kate Linder, a Jewish actress
who plays Esther Valentine on "The
Young and the Restless," daytime's num-
ber one soap.
According to syndicated soap opera
columnist Lynda Hirsch, certain ethnic
groups, such as Latinos, are fashionable,
but Jews never have been in vogue on day-
time television.
"Maybe they don't want to get into a re-
ligious thing," she speculates. "But what-
ever the reason, it's really too bad.
For the first seven of the 14 years that Linder was
with "The Young and the Restless," she kept both
jobs. Then, after a five-year hiatus, she returned to
the friendly skies. "I missed flying," says Linder,
who usually works the short West Coast runs.
Fans of the show are more than just a little sur-
prised when they are greeted by their favorite maid
at the airplane door.
"I have had some very funny experiences," says
Linder, who gets many autograph requests. "The
other day this woman got on the plane and said,
`gosh, you look just like Esther,' and I said 'well
maybe it's because its me.' She kept saying 'no,' and
she got so excited that she punched me. The captain
was standing next to me and couldn't believe it"
Lucky for Linder, her character is likable. "For-
tunately, I am not the kind of character that people
want to hurt," she laughs. "Esther is an under-
dog, and the fans relate to her positively. Other-
wise, I might be in real trouble."
Soap Opera Mishpachah
Daytimes Jewish Actors
All My Children
General Hospital
Actor
Sara Geller
Stuart Damon
Sean Kanan
Rena Sofer
Jacklyn Zeman
One Life to Live
Marilyn Chris
Stephen Macht
Robin Strasser
The Young and the Restless
Don Diamont
Kate Linder
Opposite page: The traditions of Rosh
Hashanah will be celebrated on "One Life to
Live" in a special episode at 2 p.m. Friday,
Sept. 13, on ABC. The sharing of the Jewish
customs is the first-time ever for the soap
opera that first premiered on July 15, 1968, as
a half-hour daytime serial.
Above: "General Hospital's" Wally Kurth and
Rena Sofer (Ned and Lois Ashton) had planned
to attend the Soap Opera Fun Fair in Detroit
Sept. 20-22, but the real-life marrieds are
expecting a baby that weekend. Sofer, whose
father is a rabbi, plans to quit the show
following the birth to become a full-time mom.