# Lynn Herring

Sheryl Lynn Herring (born September 22, 1958) is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She is perhaps best known for her role as Lucy Coe on the long-running soap opera General Hospital which she has played on and off since 1986.

## Early life

Herring was born in Enid, Oklahoma. Before acting, Herring was Miss Virginia USA 1977, and was 4th runner-up to Kimberly Tomes for the title of Miss USA 1977. She earned a B.A. in psychology from Louisiana State University, where she was also a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority.

## Acting career

Herring is best known for her work in daytime television, first portraying the role of mousy librarian Lucy Coe on General Hospital in 1986. Over time, Lucy became much more glamorous and man-hungry, and the role proved to be very lucrative for Herring. She left after six years to explore other opportunities, which led to a role on Days of Our Lives. Her character, Lisanne Gardner, was never fully developed, and Herring asked to be let out of her contract with the show. Days producers agreed, and she then returned to General Hospital.
She played Lucy on General Hospital until 1997, when she was asked to reprise her character on a spin-off series called Port Charles. She appeared on the series until it was canceled in 2003, and subsequently made a brief return to General Hospital in 2004.
She joined the cast of As the World Turns on July 24, 2009, as Audrey Coleman.
On November 2, 2012, after more than eight years off-screen, it was announced that Herring would return to General Hospital as Lucy in December. She first aired on December 17.

## Personal life

Herring was married to actor Wayne Northrop from May 1981 until his death in 2024. They had two sons: Hank Wayne, born on January 9, 1991, and Grady Lee, born on July 20, 1993, in Los Angeles. They owned and ran a working cattle ranch in the Madera County area of Raymond.
In a February 2007 interview, Herring's former co-star Kin Shriner said of Herring: "She's living a life that most women would love. She's going to restore an old train depot on land up where she lives and bring it back to a sort of museum quality. She's lobbying. She's back at school. She's working with animals. She's got her two boys. She's like Barbara Stanwyck in The Big Valley. She's running the whole town."

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| Television ||||
| 1980 | Tenspeed and Brown Shoe | Gail | TV series Season 1, Episode 11 : "This One's Gonna Kill Ya" |
| 1981 | Quincy, M.E. | Stewardess Elaine Collier | TV series Season 6, Episode 10 : "Headhunter" |
| 1982-83 | Matt Houston | Cheerleader / Waitress | TV series Season 1, Episode 4 : "Killing Isn't Everything" Season 2, Episode 11 : "The Outsider" |
| 1983 | Cutter to Houston | Red | TV series Season 1, Episode 6 : "Tell Me a Riddle, Daddy" |
| 1983 | Tucker's Witch | Linda Dawn | TV series Season 1, Episode 9 : "Rock Is a Hard Place" Credited as Lynn Herring-Northrop |
| 1984 | Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer | Georgette / Kiki Small | TV series Season 1, Episode 4: "Vickie's Song" (as Georgette) Season 1, Episode 8 : "Negative Image" (as Kiki Small) Season 1, Episode 9 : "The Perfect Twenty" (as Georgette) |
| 1984 | Jessie | Renee | TV series Season 1, Episode 2 : "The Lady Killer" |
| 1984 | Hotel | Carol | TV series Season 2, Episode 4 : "Transitions" |
| 1984 | T. J. Hooker | Simone | TV series Season 4, Episode 7 : "Model for Murder" |
| 1984 | Riptide | Lizzie Jackson | TV series Season 2, Episode 9 : "Peter Pan Is Alive and Well" |
| 1985 | Finder of Lost Loves | Waitress at Club | TV series Season 1, Episode 13 : "Deadly Silence" |
| 1986 | The Colbys | Lena | Soap Opera Season 1, Episode 16 : "My Father's House" |
| 1986–2001, 2004, 2012– | General Hospital | Lucy Coe | Soap Opera |
| 1987 | L.A. Law | Jessica Teicher | TV series Season 2, Episode 6 : "Auld L'Anxiety" |
| 1992 | Days of Our Lives | Lisanne Gardner | Soap Opera |
| 1997–2003 | Port Charles | Lucy Coe | Soap Opera |
| 2009 | As the World Turns | Audrey Coleman | Soap Opera 26 episodes |
| Film ||||
| 1979 | Roller Boogie | Featured Skater | Uncredited |
| 1982 | Pandemonium | 60's Cheerleader | Feature film |
| 1984 | Gone Are the Dayes | Girl #2 | Television Movie |
| 1995 | Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story | as Herself | Television Movie |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 1989 | Soap Opera Digest Awards | Outstanding Villainess – Daytime | General Hospital | Won |
| 1990 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | General Hospital | Nominated |
| 1990 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Villainess – Daytime | General Hospital | Nominated |
| 1991 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Villainess – Daytime | General Hospital | Won |
| 1992 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | General Hospital | Nominated |
| 1992 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Villainess – Daytime | General Hospital | Won |
| 1996 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Hottest Female Star | General Hospital | Won |
| 1999 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Lead Actress | Port Charles | Won |