| Sally Spectra | |
| The Bold and the Beautiful character | |
 | |
| First appearance | January 11, 1989 |
| Last appearance | February 1, 2017 |
| Created by | William J. Bell |
| Portrayed by | Darlene Conley (1989-2007) Uncredited actress (2012) Ruth Williamson (2017) |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Aliases | Sally Alexander Sally Garrison |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Spouse(s) | Adam Alexander Clarke Garrison (1992–93) |
| Children | C. J. Garrison (son) Macy Alexander (daughter) Darla Einstein (adoptivedaughter) |
| Relatives | Shirley Spectra (sister) |
| Home | Canary Islands, Spain |
Sally Spectra is a fictional character from the American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Sally was played by actress Darlene Conley for almost twenty years, from December 1988 until Conley's death on January 14, 2007 (the character appeared on the show until January 26th).
Introduced in the show's second year, Sally owned and operated Spectra Creations, competing with (and copying from) the show's core family, the Forresters. She was known for her large figure, open and jovial personality, and her trademark red coiffure.
The character was originally intended to be a short-term character, but the show brought her on full-time after an "overwhelmingly positive response" from viewers.
Conley was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards for her work playing Sally. Her first, in 1991, was the first time an actor from The Bold and the Beautiful was nominated for an Emmy.
Storylines
Within the show, Spectra owned and operated Spectra Fashions, a knock-off of the more established Forrester firm. Clarke Garrison (Daniel McVicar), who Sally at first blackmailed to design for Spectra while working for Forrester but later worked for Spectra, wooed her, and she married him. He eventually fathered C.J. (Mick Cain), Sally's son. Spectra later discovered that Clarke having an affair with Kristen Forrester (then played by Terri Ann Linn). With the help of her Spectra family Sally managed to prove Clarke's infidelity to court and thus avoided losing her company. Sally divorced Clarke and he left town.
Her company eventually went under. She shut down, and then sold off, what was left of her company. She then began working at Forrester Creations as the new receptionist.
Sally last appeared on-screen in November 2006 (shortly after, Darlene Conley died on January 14, 2007). For a long time after Darlene Conley's death, nothing was explained about Sally's absence, except mention by her son, C.J. that she had been ill.
Family
Sally has been married twice, first to Adam Alexander (Michael Swan) by whom she had a daughter, Macy and later to Clarke Garrison with whom she has a son named C.J. (Clarke Jr.) (Mick Cain).
Relationship with Stephanie Forrester
Her relationship with Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery) was unique. For years, they often fought and fussed, due to her firm's knock-off reputation. These spats often ended with Sally taking an unceremonious dip in the water, usually instigated by Stephanie. (At that time, her catch phrase was a usually loud "Hello, Stephanie!") One time, Stephanie and Sally were drunk in Stephanie's office at Forrester, and Stephanie allowed Sally to cut her hair.
Time helped cement the two women's friendship. Sally called Stephanie "Highness" or "Queenie"; at first the nicknames were meant to be sarcastic, but became terms of affection. (Stephanie called her "doll" and she also referred to her as "Sal, my gal") She was considered to be part of the extended Forrester family, often joining Stephanie at family functions (this was by virtue of Sally's daughter Macy, and later, her surrogate daughter, Darla, being married to Thorne Forrester).
Exit
When Darlene Conley died in 2007, the Bold and the Beautiful gave Sally a happy ending, explaining that she was living off-screen in the South of France, "surrounded by hunky cabana boys." Producer Bradley Bell explained, "Darlene was a bigger-than-life character, so she had to live forever".
In January 2017, the soap introduced a new Sally Spectra, played by actress Courtney Hope. This character is Sally's grand-niece, and she continues in the Spectra tradition, with flaming red hair and an outsized personality.