‘Soap’ & ‘Charmed’ Star Rebecca Balding Dies at 73
Actress Rebecca Balding (pictured above for Makin’ It) has passed away.
The actress died at the age of 73 after battling ovarian cancer, her husband, actor-director James L. Conway, told Deadline. She is survived by her husband, as well as her daughters, Sarah and Kathleen, and her grandchildren.
Balding was best known for playing Carol David, the attorney who had Jodie’s (Billy Crystal) child, didn’t turn up at their wedding, and kidnapped their daughter after Jodie was given custody, in ABC’s Soap, which ran four seasons from 1977 to 1981. Prior to Soap, she appeared on the TV shows Starsky and Hutch, The Rockford Files, Barnaby Jones, Lou Grant, and The Bionic Woman.
Balding’s most recent role was as Elise Rothman on the original Charmed, which ran eight seasons from 1998 to 2006 on The WB. Elise was the editor-in-chief at The Bay Mirror, where Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) worked as an advice columnist. She appeared in 23 episodes, in Seasons 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
Balding’s other TV roles include guest spots on ER, Love Boat: The Next Wave, Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210, 7th Heaven, Home Improvement, and Designing Women. She also appeared on Paradise, MacGyver (the ’80s series), Our House, Family Ties, and Cagney & Lacey.
