Rita Stapleton Bauer is a fictional character from the CBS soaps Guiding Light. The character was played by Lenore Kasdorf, and was created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson, shortly after they became Guiding Light's head writers in 1975. Rita was written out in 1981, when Kasdorf announced she was leaving the show. She had been so popular in the role, producers decided against recasting.