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BIO FOR HILLARY BAILEY SMITH   Hillary B. Smith plays Nora Buchanan, a quick-witted, headstrong attorney whose love for police commissioner Bo Buchanan has kept her smiling through some difficult times. Hillary was awarded the Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Lead Actress in 1994 for her portrayal of the incredibly charming, irrepressible Nora.   The youngest of four girls, Hillary was raised in Palm Beach, Florida. At 14, she returned to Massachusetts, where she was born, to attend boarding school. While enrolled at Dane Hall School, she worked with a geneticist at the New England Medical Center. She attended Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, where she headed the drama club; and transferred to Sarah Lawrence College because "it had a masters program in genetics as well as theater." It wasn't long before she turned her attention from gene screening to screen-testing.   While still a senior in college, Hillary performed off-Broadway in "Song Night in the City." She has also appeared in the off-Broadway production of "World of Black and White" and the Broadway musical, "A Real American Hero." Within the last few years, she performed in Wendy Wasserstein's Broadway play, "The Heidi Chronicles," and off-Broadway's "Lips Together, Teeth Apart," by Terrance McNally.Motion pictures in which she has appeared are "Hair," "Purple Hearts" and "Love Potion #9."   Hillary's television experience includes starring opposite Gene Wilder in "Something Wilder," and a role on the series, "No Soap Radio," with Steve Guttenberg. Daytime audiences are familiar with Hillary on "The Doctors," as nurse Kit McCormick; and on "As the World Turns," where she played policewoman Margo Hughes for six-and-a-half years. Hillary left "As the World Turns" in 1989, after the birth of her second child, Phips, who originated the role of Adam Hughes, Margo's son.   Hillary is an inveterate lover of word games. She and her husband, Phillip "Nip" Smith, whom she met at age 14, have two children, Courtney and Phips.   VITAL STATISTICS BIRTHPLACE: Boston, MA BIRTHDATE: May 25 HEIGHT: 5'7 1/2" HAIR: Auburn EYES: Brown   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   NORA HANEN GANNON BUCHANAN PLAYED BY HILLARY B. SMITH (1992 - PRESENT)   Nora Hanen Gannon Buchanan is one of Llanview's most high profile attorneys. Her strong sense of ethics and passion for justice have always served her well in the professional world; but her recent obsession with total honesty and full disclosure has not been shared by her intimates and has complicated her personal life. Before moving to Llanview in 1992, Nora grew up in Chicago, part of an accomplished family; her father was an influential judge and her sister, Susannah, is a gifted psychotherapist who treated Viki Carpenter's multiple personality disorder in 1996. Nora met her first husband, Hank Gannon, while attending college at Midwestern University. For years, Nora kept secret from Hank the fact that she had had an affair with his younger brother, R.J. while they were students. Nora and Hank had a daughter, Rachel, and the Gannon marriage unraveled as conflicts with time and money escalated. Hank and Nora divorced when Rachel was in kindergarten and Hank resented Nora getting full custody of Rachel.Before moving her law practice to Llanview, Nora defended R.J. against charges of aggravated assault and armed robbery. She lost the case, and the judge sentenced R.J. to ten years in jail where he seethed and plotted revenge. R.J. stored up his resentment towards Hank and Nora and demonstrated it during Hank's wedding to Sheila Price where he spilled the secret that he had slept with Nora behind Hank's back while they were in college.   Nora moved to Llanview in 1992 and met Bo Buchanan. She assisted him in his search to find the hit and run driver who killed his wife, Sarah Gordon. Nora suffered from blinding headaches and blackouts and she kept from Bo her fear that she might have been driving the car that ran him and Sarah off the road. They later discovered that the accident had been caused by drunk driver. The burden of guilt was lifted and Nora moved in with Bo. They became engaged in 1993.   One of Nora's most far-reaching cases came in 1993. After the annual spring fling Marty Saybrooke accused Kevin Buchanan and three of his fraternity brothers of gang rape. The night of the spring fling, Kevin had carried Marty upstairs to his room and put her to bed to sleep off her drunken binge. Kevin returned downstairs. Todd Manning and his friends Powell Lord and Zach Rosen followed him to Kevin's room where Marty was passed out. The frat party was too loud and too wild for anyone downstairs to hear Marty's screams as she was brutally raped by Todd, then Zach, and Powell.Nora Buchanan believed Todd when he said Marty wanted to have sex with them, and she agreed to represent the boys. The trial went well for the defendants and it seemly likely that Todd would be acquitted after Nora's brutal cross-examination of Marty. When Nora discovered that Todd had raped another coed, Carol Swift, she realized he was guilty. The ethical conflict of the situation troubled Nora's sense of decency and she agonized over how to proceed. Nora delivered an intense summation, where she made it clear to the jury and courtroom that her three clients were guilty. Nora's abrupt change of heart against Todd, Zach, and Powell, caused a mistrial. After the mistrial Todd promised to make Marty sorry that she had accused him. Marty spoke out on Luna's radio program about her experience. After the broadcast, Marty found Todd waiting in the alley outside the radio station. He pinned her against the wall and threatened to rape her a second time. Luna witnessed Todd threatening Marty and ran into the alley. She struck Todd across the face with metal pipe rendering him deaf in one ear, and permanently scarring his cheek. Marty confronted Todd in the hospital, where he taunted her about the brutal rape. Todd boasted about his conquest not knowing that Marty was recording his confession on tape. Todd was sentenced to eight years in prison because of his confession. Later that year, Nora was diagnosed with a life-threatening malignant brain tumor that required immediate surgery. She reluctantly decided to be operated on but didn't share her medical condition with Bo. Bo found out about her condition right before the surgery and raced to be with her where he stayed the entire time.   While, Nora was temporarily blind from the procedure and recuperating at her beach house Todd had escaped from prison. He went to the remote beach house, threatened Nora with a knife and viciously attempted to rape her. Nora foiled his attempt by hitting Todd over the head with a lamp. Bo, who heard about Todd's escape on the radio, came back to the beach house and rescued Nora. Bo brought her back to Llanview where she had a second operation that restored her sight.   Nora is a loving and protective mother and when her daughter, Rachel became addicted to drugs she and Hank were very upset. Rachel nearly overdosed on heroin and RJ joined Hank and Nora for an intervention. Against her will, Rachel was sent off to a rehab clinic to overcome her drug addiction.   In 1995, after many delays and cold feet on the part of both the bride and groom-to-be Bo and Nora finally got married in a rock and roll wedding presided over by Little Richard. After the wedding, the guests danced in the aisles then attended the 50's-style sock hop reception.   After running away from the rehab facility, Rachel ended up in New York City where her world was starting to collapse. She started working with a shady "escort service." Fortunately Rachel's stepbrother, Drew Buchanan, helped Rachel to return to her family in Llanview and work to overcome her substance abuse problem and get her life back on track.   Nora hired an assistant, Georgie Philips, to help her with her legal workload. Georgie seemed to be the perfect assistant to Nora, but while she was managing Nora's office, she ingratiated herself into the Buchanan's personal lives. Georgie even moved in with Rachel Gannon. At first Georgie's interest seemed clingy but harmless, things like making Bo and Nora dinner and escorting Bo to a social function. Soon it was clear Georgie wanted to become Nora and she started to encroach in ways that were more sinister. Georgie seemed intent on destroying their marriage and getting Bo for herself. She tried to play on Bo's jealousies, hinting to him that Sam Rappaport's relationship with Nora was more personal than professional. Georgie started getting mysterious phone calls that she hung up too quickly when her roommate or Nora walked in. She sent herself flowers and told her roommate they were from a married lover; giving Rachel the impression that Bo was the man. Bo was innocent and wanted nothing to do with Georgie. The evil little conniver went to great lengths to create the appearance that she and Bo were carrying on an affair and that he was also being abusive. Georgie broke into Bo and Nora's house and took pictures of herself in their bed then altered the photos to make it like she and Bo were in bed together. One night it all came to a head and Nora went up to the mountain cabin to confront Bo and Georgie together. She got there and saw Georgie and a man together hugging and kissing. Nora thought that it was Bo and she drove off ending up at a biker bar and getting drunk. The bar tender found Sam's business card in Nora's things and called Sam to tell him where she was. Sam came and comforted Nora about Bo's "infidelity".   Nora returned to Llanview and she and Bo were shocked when Georgie turned up dead and buried under leaves near the cabin where Nora had last seen her. Nora realized that Bo hadn't been unfaithful, but they didn't know the identity of the man Nora had seen with Georgie at the cabin the night of the murder.   Georgie had been a con artist and blackmailer before coming to Llanview; there was no shortage of people who wanted her dead, including Bo. Todd Manning's paranoia made him think the Buchanans were trying pin the murder charge on him. He was tired of being Llanview's criminal laureate and scapegoat when crimes were committed. Todd decided to clear his name and find out who the murderer was. With his usual Todd logic, he ended up holding hostage at the Buchanan lodge everyone with a motive. To keep Kevin from shooting Todd, Rachel confessed that she had killed Georgie to keep her from hurting Nora.   Nora didn't want to see her daughter go to prison and she convinced Rachel to go away with her. They went up to their old vacation spot where Rachel and Nora spent a lot of time talking. Rachel convinced Nora to see that running away was the wrong thing to do. Bo found Rachel and Nora and they returned to Llanview together. Rachel was then sentenced to a prison term.   In 1998 Nora and Bo considered having a baby Buchanan of their own. Since Nora had been diagnosed as peri-menopausal around the time that Georgie came to Llanview they were concerned whether it was possible for them to conceive a child. They consulted a fertility doctor and were tested. Things should have gone smoothly, but Sam's ex-wife, Lindsay had always been jealous of Nora and blamed her for the demise of her marriage. Accidentally, since she was a "Mrs. Buchanan", but not the right one, Lindsay got Bo's fertility test results and altered them, making it appear that Bo couldn't father any more children.   At the same time, another tragedy occurred. While defending Cassie and his cousin, Kevin, Bo's son Drew was murdered during a struggle with Barbara Graham. Bo became despondent and left in his boat, right into Llanview's version of "The Perfect Storm". Using a ham radio, Nora contacted Bo and encouraging him to return by lying and telling him she was pregnant. Bo returned and was hospitalized with pneumonia. Nora wanted to confess her lie to Bo, but every time she tried to tell him she wasn't pregnant, he took a turn for the worse.   Believing the test results were true, Nora asked Sam to make love with her in the hope of conceiving a child and presenting it to Bo as his. Sam was reluctant at first, but finally gave in and he and Nora made love. Lindsay was still very much attached to Sam and she was following him and Nora. She saw them go into the cabana at the country club and guessed correctly about the purpose of their mission.   Nora became pregnant and Bo believed the baby was his. The stress of deceiving Bo made Nora act very strangely. Bo began to worry that Nora was keeping something from him. Bo found out Nora's secret when Lindsay showed up drunk at the Woman of the Year banquet. Intent on embarrassing Nora, Lindsay announced that she had betrayed Bo by sleeping with Sam. Bo realized that Nora was carrying Sam's baby, not his. Nora and Bo still had deep feelings for one another, but they couldn't get past this painful incident. Nora vowed to fight for Bo, but he moved out.   Nora gave birth to a boy and named him, Matthew after Sam's father. Because he was born prematurely, he almost died shortly after birth. With medical care and Nora and Sam's constant love, Matthew survived. Nora later learned the truth about Bo's fertility tests and realized he could be Matthew's father. Nora had Matthew's DNA tested, but Lindsay interfered again. She bribed the lab technician, Jeff Barnes to make sure that Sam stayed Matthew's father. The tests revealed that Sam was Matthew's father, but Lindsay never knew for certain if the results were real because of her bribing the technician. Realizing that Bo wasn't coming back, Nora and Sam became closer. Nora and Sam almost got married on several occasions, but never actually tied the knot. Nora and Sam moved into the beautiful house that Sam bought for Nora so they could raise Matthew together as a family.   Lindsay inspired Nora's distrust and she discovered one of Lindsay's darkest secrets when she learned about Lindsay changing the results of Bo's fertility test. Nora told Sam and was shocked when he said he had already known what Lindsay had done. Sam warned Nora to let this secret stay buried, but she couldn't let this one rest.   Determined to expose the truth, Nora interrupted Bo and Lindsay's wedding ceremony and told Bo about Lindsay's dirty tricks. Bo cancelled his wedding to Lindsay and questioned Nora why she chose that time to tell him the truth about his fiancée. Nora insisted she only wanted Bo to know the truth before he got married, but both Bo and Sam doubted this was the entire reason. Nora admitted to having conflicted feelings about Bo - something had happened between the two when Bo rescued her on New Year's Eve - but insisted Sam was the man she loved and wanted to be with. Nora's waffling about her feelings and her disrupting Bo's wedding caused Sam to move out temporarily, although he and Nora reconciled. While discovering Lindsay's test tampering, Nora realized that Lindsay was pregnant by Bo. Nora kept this news to herself but urged Lindsay to tell Bo the truth on her own. Lindsay had planned on telling Bo the happy news on their wedding night, but that never happened because the wedding was cancelled.   When Nora threatened to tell Bo about Lindsay's pregnancy, Lindsay went crazy and physically attacked Nora. Earlier that day Lindsay had gone to see her doctor who advised her to go home and rest. The stress of fighting with Nora caused Lindsay to suffer a miscarriage. Nora was guilt-ridden, but Sam assured her that Lindsay's miscarriage hadn't been her fault. Lindsay didn't agree. After the miscarriage, her already intense hatred towards Nora tripled causing her mind to warp even further. She blamed Nora for Bo leaving her at the altar and for losing Bo's baby. Lindsay convinced herself it was all a plot that Nora wanted to keep her from being happy, especially being happy with Bo.   Nora and Sam were defending Sam's son Will on charges of embezzlement of the Megan Foundation. They were unable to prove that Asa had framed Will on the charges and he was convicted. Nora accompanied Will on the train taking him to Statesville Prison to start serving his sentence. Both Nora and Bo were on the train and Nora asked for his forgiveness for all the misunderstanding between them. Although Bo still had deep feelings for Nora, he couldn't forgive her. On the way to Statesville, the train derailed and Nora was severely injured in the wreck. She was lying wedged under pieces of metal and unable to be moved to safety. When the train exploded, Nora was presumed dead. Nobody knew Dr. Colin McIver found her and saved her life.   Not realizing who she was, Colin brought her to the Cherryvale Clinic for treatment of her shattered pelvis and other injuries. Meanwhile, everyone in Llanview mourned Nora's death and they gave her a memorial service that Nora saw on television while she was in the hospital. Because of smoke inhalation, Nora was unable to speak when she first regained consciousness. Though she struggled to tell the nurses and Colin her name and that she was the one being memorialized. Sam kept insisting that he felt Nora's presence and thought she was alive. His and Nora's families assumed he was just not accepting her death.   When Nora could speak, the first name she said was "Lindsay Rappaport". Colin called Lindsay to clinic to identify Nora. Lindsay had been so happy believing that the thorn in her side was gone and that she would have an unimpeded second chance with Bo. She was devastated to learn that Nora was still alive. Lindsay coerced Colin into removing Nora from the clinic and keeping her "dead" until Lindsay could regain Bo's affections. Neither Lindsay nor Colin were aware of Bo's one-nightstand with Colin's estranged wife, Melanie.   As Nora gained strength she tried to bargain with Colin to let her go back to her baby and Sam. Nora tried several times to reach the outside world and thought she had tricked Colin into revealing to Sam that she was alive. She tried to put the pieces together and figure out why Colin would want to keep her captive, but she didn't realize what the missing piece was right away. She saw a picture of Melanie in the bedroom and asked Colin who it was. Nora remarked that Lindsay and Melanie "could be sisters", not realizing that's exactly what they were.   Will went to Melanie's house with the idea that his aunt, a plastic surgeon, could alter his face enough for him to leave the country unrecognized. Instead, he found Colin, who knocked him out and locked him in the basement. When Colin came down to check on him Will knocked Colin unconscious and found Nora in the bedroom. They were overjoyed to see each other and Will went to call the police. Todd arrived and claimed the authorities were already on the way. Then Todd claimed that he had contacted Sam and that Will should leave the country to avoid being caught. Todd, who was jealous of Sam's son, sent him to Ireland in a cargo hold and hoped that was the last they would see of him. Before leaving the country, Will left a message for Sam that Nora was alive and Colin was keeping her prisoner.   When Nora realized that Lindsay was the reason she was being held captive she told Colin her theory. Colin wanted to let her go, but Lindsay insisted that Nora would send them both to jail. Lindsay got the crazy idea that Nora should lose her memory to keep her from incriminating Lindsay and Colin. Lindsay got a drug from R.J. that would make Nora forget all about her captivity at Colin's house. When Lindsay returned to Colin's she discovered that Nora had been regaining her strength and was no longer bed-ridden. The two women struggled and Lindsay accidentally injected Nora with the mind-erasing drug. Colin, who was developing feelings for Nora, was furious with Lindsay for injecting Nora with the drug. He went to Cherryvale Clinic and tried to steal the antidote from the drug cabinet.   After getting Will's news about Nora and Colin, Sam, Hank and John went to the McIver house to investigate. Colin and Lindsay protested their innocence but even they were shocked to discover that Nora had disappeared from the house. Todd had taken an unconscious Nora to a convent and planned on bringing her home when it best suited his own plans.   Later Todd returned Nora to Sam's house where her friends and family shared an emotional reunion with Nora. They were shocked when Nora acted confused and the only person she remembered was Hank. She thought they were still married and that Rachel was still a child.   Nora failed to recognize Lindsay or Colin. Nora then asked about the little boy in the house after she found one of Matthew's toys. She had no memory of Matthew or having given birth to him. Sam and Bo noticed that Colin almost called Nora "Scarlet," but he managed to talk his way out of his error.   Lindsay was overjoyed that Nora didn't remember her, but Colin decided that he would devote himself to helping Nora recover. Nora was brought to the hospital for tests to determine why she had severe memory lost. The tests revealed traces of the mind-erasing drug in her blood and Larry prescribed an injection of an experimental drug that could restore her memory. She remembered more, but she believed she was still married to Bo and couldn't understand how she could have a baby with another man and Bo not be upset with her. She is still missing memories of her last few years, but her family is helping her adjust and trying to gently fill in the gaps.   With his obsession with Nora growing and her need to find the truth pushing her, Colin became more than a friend to Nora, he became a stalker. When Nora found out about his obsession, she tried to distance herself from him, but need to recall her missing memories kept her believing in his self-proclaimed innocence. So much so, that is culminated in an evening Colin had planned to be the ultimate proof of his love for Nora. Once he had Nora in his home, he drugged her and attempted to rape her. This touch off an event that involved nearly every citizen of Llanview, it was the evening that ended with Colin McIver being murdered.   After furiously pursuing Colin's murderer, Nora made the startling realization of who actually killed the evil doctor. Nora had Lindsay on the witness stand, relentlessly grilling her where abouts and actions of the night in question, when it came to Nora that she was indeed the one who killed Colin. It rocked her to the core. Although she was let off on a plea of self-defense, it still left its scars.   Still void of her precious memories, Nora decided to try and move forward with her life and create a happy family for herself, her son Matthew and Sam. But her need for her memories haunted her. She thought the truth would finally come out when she and many other Llanview citizens were summoned to the reading of Colin McIver's will. Once the video taped will played everyone present was given the shock of their lives when out of the shadows appeared Colin, or so they thought. Nora was terrified. It turned out to be Colin's identical twin brother, Dr. Troy McIver, sent to take care of his brothers' estate.   Nora was suspicious of him at first. Jittery and skittish around him, until she began to see he was very different from his brother. She began to trust him, enough to allow him to treat her son Matthew, who had contracted a rare disease. Sam was not happy with the growing friendship between Nora and Troy and kept a watchful eye on the situation.Troy began to feel Nora's pain as she struggled with the fact that she would never recall the lost memories of her past and he offered to help her with an experimental drug. It stood a fifty percent chance of working, a chance Nora decided to take. It worked, she did regain some memories!   Troy was determined to help his new friend find the justice she so desperately sought. Although Nora was not keen on Troy's ideas, something about him kept her coming back to him. He shared his plan and a couple stolen kisses and in her own way, Nora gave consent for him to trick a confession out of Lindsay. Once the plan was made public, with Lindsay's taped confession of how she forced Colin to keep Nora prisoner, Sam hit the roof. He became enraged that Nora kept everything from him and ended their relationship, which left Nora with a broken heart, but Troy seems very willing to help her pick up the pieces.