Jill Abbott

About

Jill Abbott is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. The longest-running and only remaining original character, Jill was created and introduced by William J. Bell. Originally portrayed by Brenda Dickson, when Dickson departed in 1980, the role was first recast with Deborah Adair. Dickson returned in 1983 and, although she stated that she would never leave the role again, she was replaced by Jess Walton in 1987, who continues in the role to present time.
When she debuted, Jill was an 18-year-old manicurist working to support her struggling family. The character is known for her rivalry with Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper), which is the longest feud in the history of American soap operas. Their rivalry began when she fell in love and had sex with Katherine’s husband Phillip Chancellor II (Donnelly Rhodes) and became pregnant. Following Phillip’s accidental death, the women fought over custody of Jill’s son, Phillip Chancellor III (Thom Bierdz), as well as numerous of Katherine’s other husbands. A 2003 plot twist shockingly revealed Jill to be Katherine’s long lost biological daughter, although in 2009, former head writer Maria Arena Bell…