Sharon Farrell Dies: ‘The Young & the Restless’ Star Was 82

Sharon Farrell, an actor known for her role on The Young and the Restless, has died. She was 82 years old.

Chance Boyer, Farrell’s son, told The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday, August 5, that his mother died unexpectedly of natural causes at a hospital in Orange County, California, on May 15.

On The Young and the Restless, Farrell played as Florence Webster, mother of Nina Webster (Tricia Cast), between 1991 and 1997. Farrell previously recurred as Det. Lori Wilson on the final season of Hawaii Five-O. She told a journalist in the 1990s that Five-O star Jack Lord called her directly, wanting her to be on his show.

“And [another director], at the time, wanted me to do his show, and he was gonna pay me $15,000 a week to do a pilot that he had,” she added. “And Jack said, ‘Oh God, Sharon, turn that down — we’re gonna pay you more than that.’ So Jack Lord got me for $5,000! Because he kept calling me, and kept telling me to turn down things, and I really believed him.”

Her other TV roles include guest-starring parts on Gunsmoke, The Beverly Hillbillies, Matlock, and numerous other series.

Everett Collection

On film, Farrell played a client of James Garner’s private eye Philip Marlowe in the 1969 film Marlowe — as seen above — and the love interest of Steve McQueen’s Boon Hogganbeck in the same year’s The Reivers. She also played the mother of a demon child in the 1974 thriller It’s Alive and the mom of Amanda Peterson’s cheerleader character in 1987’s Can’t Buy Me Love.

Her last mainstream screen appearance was a 1999 episode of JAG, though she also had a role in a 2013 web series titled Broken at Love.

Farrell’s off-screen romances included relationships with actors Andrew Prine and John F. Boyer, producer Ron DeBlasio, and director Dale Trevillion, though she never married, her son told THR.

Survivors also include Farrell’s grandson Wayde and daughter-in-law Mandi.