Shell Kepler

A performer primarily known for her stint on daytime television, Ohio native Shell Kepler won a myriad of fans with her portrayal of the intrusive gossip-maven nurse Amy Vining on the soap General Hospital -- an assignment she held from 1979 to 2002. Kepler's resumé also included a handful of guest appearances on the situation comedy Three's Company (1977-1984), a small role in the critically reviled Joan Collins feature Homework (1982), and the lead in the smarmy exploitation film Cheerleaders' Wild Weekend (1979). Kepler juggled an even busier schedule off-camera, however, as an entrepreneur who created and marketed the lucrative "Lacy Afternoon" line of women's apparel on the Home Shopping Club-turned-Home Shopping Network. The brand garnered such popularity among female viewers that at one point its annual income reportedly exceeded 20 million dollars. Kepler died at age 49 in February 2008.

~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide