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Maura Jo West DeFreitas (born Maura Snyder) is an actress known for playing Carly Tenney on the CBS soap opera As The World Turns. She also played Diane Jenkins on The Young and the Restless. It was announced that she had been cast as Ava Jerome on General Hospital on April 24, 2013. Her first air date was May 8, 2013.
Career
In 1995, West joined the cast of the CBS Daytime soap opera As the World Turns in the role of Carly Tenney. She held the role from April 11, 1995 to May 8, 1996. West later returned to the role on September 10, 1997 and remained on the series until its television finale on September 17, 2010.
She has been nominated for a Soap Opera Digest Award five times (in 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2006), and a Daytime Emmy Award seven times (in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010). West won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2007 and 2010. In 2010, West and her longtime onscreen romantic acting partner, Michael Park, won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress and Actor.
It was announced in August 2010 that West would join the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, as the third actress to portray the role of Diane Jenkins. West began work in the role on September 1, 2010, and made her first appearance on the show on October 8, 2010. In May 2011, it was confirmed by CBS Soaps In Depth that West had been let go from the soap after only several months on-air.
In April 2013, it was announced that West would join the ABC soap opera General Hospital, in a top secret role. On April 24 2013, the news was confirmed and it was revealed that West had joined the cast in the newly created role of Ava Jerome, and was slated to appear sometime in May.
In 2015, West won her third overall Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress and her first for her role as Ava Jerome.
Personal Life
West has been married twice; first to Jonathan Knight from 1995 to 1999 and currently to former ATWT co-star Scott DeFreitas (Andrew "Andy" Dixon) since January 22, 2000.
She has five children. With Knight, she had a son, Benjamin Crawford West Knight (born May 30, 1996). With DeFreitas, she had sons, Joseph Peter DeFreitas (born March 29, 2000) and Basil John DeFreitas (born January 30, 2007) and daughters, Katherine Marie DeFreitas (born January 9, 2002) and Birdie West DeFreitas (born June 16, 2009).
Filmography
- As the World Turns (1995-96, 1997-2010): Carly Tenney
- The Young and the Restless (2010-11): Diane Jenkins
- General Hospital (2013-Present): Ava Jerome