Susan Walters

Biography:

Susan Walters is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Lorna Forbes on the ABC daytime soap Loving from 1983 to 1986, and for playing Diane Jenkins on the CBS soap The Young and the Restless from 2001 to 2004. She briefly returned to the role in 2010 and resumed it again beginning in March 2022. Walters has also had recurring roles as Principal Rimkus on One Tree Hill, Carol Lockwood on The Vampire Diaries, and Natalie Martin on MTV’s Teen Wolf.

She launched her television career as Lorna Forbes Perelli on Loving, appearing from the show’s debut in June 1983 through late 1986. Her first project after leaving the series was the 1987 film Russkies.

Producer Aaron Spelling cast Walters in several of his productions, including Hotel during its final season (1987–1988), the 1988 miniseries Elvis and Me in the role of Priscilla Presley, Nightingales (1988–1989) as Bridget Loring, and Melrose Place as Tiffany Hart.

Her additional credits include a starring role on Dear John in 1990, the short-lived primetime series Point Pleasant, and a guest appearance on CSI: Miami. In 1993, she appeared as Lee Gilrich in an episode of Murder, She Wrote. That same year, she gained notable attention for her role as “Mulva” (later revealed as Dolores) on Seinfeld, a character she reprised in 1996.

In 1996, Walters starred as Anne Osborne in the USA Network series The Big Easy. She later appeared in the Disney Channel movie Horse Sense in 1999 and its sequel Jumping Ship in 2001. In 2000, she played the lead role opposite her husband, Linden Ashby, in the television series The War Next Door.

From 2001 to 2004, Walters returned to daytime television with her role as Diane Jenkins on The Young and the Restless, briefly reprising the character in 2010. In 2009, she appeared in the pilot episode of Drop Dead Diva, portraying a divorcing couple alongside Ashby. That same year, she took on the role of Principal Rimkus on One Tree Hill and later appeared as Carol Lockwood on The Vampire Diaries from 2009 to 2012.

In 2014, Walters made guest or recurring appearances across several series, including Star-Crossed, Reckless, and Teen Wolf. The following year, she appeared in season two of How to Get Away with Murder. In March 2022, she once again returned to The Young and the Restless, reprising her role as Diane Jenkins.