Guest Author - Lori A Larson

Alison was born on September 19, 1976 in Los Angeles, California .She is the only daughter of a concert and studio violinist mother and a business investor father. She has an older and a younger brother. She made her television debut at the age of 5 in a Kodak commercial. She soon got roles on such series as “Brand New Life,” “Family Man,” “I Married Dora,” “Tales from the Darkside,” NBC’s “St. Elsewhere,” “Webster” and “Simon & Simon.” Her feature film credits include The Price of Life.” She also has appeared in stage productions of “Wedding Band” and “Traveling Lady.” Ali was in the TV movie, You Ruined my Life as School Kid #2. She only had one line as she passed by the camera. Her costars were Paul Reiser and Soleil Moon Frye. In 1991, Ali appeared in the Dyan Cannon film, The End of Innocence as young Stephanie She first appeared on Days of our Lives in June 1987, she appeared in a flashback as young Adrienne Kiriakis. It aired three times. She began her role as Sami Brady on January 6, 1993 at the age of 16. She still went to school full time, she earned her high school diploma one year ahead of time. She had been watching Days since she was a young girl and was real excited about being on the show. She loves working with Deidre Hall. She is nothing like her character. Alison Sweeney has become pretty good at playing bad as proven by her third “Soap Opera Digest” Award in 1999 as Outstanding Villainess for her role as the rebellious and vindictive teenager Sami Brady. She also earned the same honor in 1996 and 1998. In 2001, Sweeney was awarded her first “Soap Opera Digest” Award as a “good girl” in the category of Outstanding Younger Lead Actress. Ali appeared on the cover of L.A. Brides magazine in the spring/summer 2000 issue. She tried on various dresses for the photo shoot, in preparation to her fall wedding. She is married to her childhood sweetheart Dave Sanov. He is a California Highway Patrolman and they are expecting their first child in February 2005.Ali was featured as one of the Salem "Women of Style" on the Soap City website. Alison took part in a tribute to the victims and heroes lost in the events that took place in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001. She sang America the Beautiful along with other cast and crew members of Days of our Lives. She was the champion of the "Daytime Stars" edition of "Weakest Link" on March 17, 2002 - she competed against fellow "Days of Our Lives" and "Passions" stars. She came in 2nd place on the Celebrity Edition of Fear Factor, which aired on March 11, 2002. Check out the Fear Factor Section of Ali's website for her thoughts before Fear Factor and after Fear Factor. There are even some pictures of her performing her stunts. She was a judge at the 2004 Miss Teen USA Pageant. She has co hosted on Good Day Live a few times and really enjoys it. Away from the television and film studios, Sweeney leads an active and health-conscious lifestyle. She also attends Boot Camp several times a week to stay in great shape. An extensive traveler, Sweeney has developed an appreciation for various cultures and speaks semi-fluent Spanish. When she has the opportunity to travel, her ideal destinations are Italy, France, and anywhere she can find a ski slope. In her spare time, she enjoys kickboxing, horseback riding, swimming, water-skiing, alpine skiing, inline skating and playing basketball, volleyball and softball. Aside from acting, she is also interested in other professions within the entertainment industry and hopes to become a TV or film director. Ali owns a horse; she has had a passion for horses since she was a little girl. She can ride with the best of them her horse in named Apparition (nick-named Ghost). She is a published author. Her new book is “All The Days of my Life (so far) In the book Ali talks about growing up as an actress, living in la, going to school, having issues with making friends & dating, playing Sami on Days of our Lives, finding love, getting married, her fans, and the rest of the things that she has been through in her life (so far!). Here is a link to her official website that she herself leaves messages at.
http://www.alisonsweeney.com/