Bio

Hunter Tylo Bio: Chapter Three: The Very Bold Years (1990 - 1999), Part I: 1990 - 1995

 

Click photo thumbnails on this page to enlarge.

 

By July of 1990, Hunter had commenced her role as 'Dr. Taylor Hayes' on the world's most watched daytime soap opera, The Bold and The Beautiful (Bold), which is also known in Europe as 'Glamour' and 'Top Models'. By this time the transformation in appearance (seen just below) was almost complete - the curls soon changed to straight hair and the "glamour" look began (this is when this author and many others began to become mesmerized by her stunning beauty). In 1991 and 1992, this new look no doubt helped her career in modeling and TV commercials, which continued to blossom while she was working on Bold.

 

 

 

In 1993, Hunter's career and popularity had really taken off. Hunter was, rather deservedly, named in the list of People magazine's "The 50 Most Beautiful People". She also recorded the audio versions of such books as "June Masquerade" (with Valerie King) and "Midnight Lady" (with Georgina Devon) amongst others. She had well and truly developed, not really by choice, a God like status among millions of people in Italy and other parts of Europe where Bold fans are really fanatical. Back home she made an appearance on the TV crime/medical series called Diagnosis Murder in the "Physician, Murder Thyself" episode as "Claire McKenna".

 

It was all happening with Hunter embarking on the peak time of her personal and career life. By now Hunter and Michael, who were a dynamic daytime duo, in their separate soap roles, were considered soap's real life "super-couple", but the roller coaster that is life was about to take an unfortunate, darker, downward spiral. Hunter's popularity and beauty helped her to land a role, in 1994, on a television mini-series called The Maharajah's Daughter. The filming started in India and her character on Bold was seemingly killed off, causing much heartbreak for her fans. It seemed that we would not hear much about her for a while, but sooner than all thought we did.

 

Daytime's super-couple shocked the world with news of a split. After almost seven years of marriage, rumors of adultery, addiction, and illness rocked Hollywood, with Hunter asking Michael for a divorce. It was rumored that Hunter became romantically attracted to another (married) man, while filming in India, and Michael soon released a statement (a press conference was vetoed).

 

 

In his statement to the press, Michael made it clear he was reluctantly exposing his private life to quash the rumors and protect his children. Some points from his statement included the facts:

 

  • * that while building the Nevada residence in early 1994, he applied for further insurance;
  • * being older than 40 a physical examination was required including blood tests (this occurred early March);
  • * the tests turned up a condition that was thought could potentially affect his health but by late April the news was better.
  • * all was fine until, in early April, Hunter asked for a divorce;
  • * by late April legal separation proceedings were underway;
  • * as the primary custodian of their children at the time, Michael felt it was necessary to continue to provide stability and protect them from this bizarre and embarrassing moment in their lives;
  • * fortunately his family and Hunter's were most supportive at the time.

 

While the situation was not looking good for Hunter, she was claiming that she was being influenced by demons and soon after this more news of Hunter came from India. She discovered in India that different gods were worshipped and she experienced (initially without knowing it) what she described as a demon attack, resulting in confusion about her marriage. As if this was not enough for her to deal with, the world soon heard news of a serious car crash in India.

 

Filming of part of the mini-series The Maharaja's Daughter (aka The Kidnapped Princess) had finished and en-route to the airport (where she was going to fly to Canada to complete filming), her limousine crashed, breaking her clavicle (collarbone). The experience of this author in breaking that bone has led to the belief that this is an extremely painful time and most uncomfortable thereafter for a few months. Fortunately, Hunter underwent surgery in Bombay before leaving for Canada. Traveling to Canada, the marriage was still falling apart and looked set to become a permanent split.

 

At this time Michael was busy becoming Godfather to close friends Kimberlin Brown (also Hunter's Bold co-star) and Gary Pelzer's newborn, Alexes, and had heard little from Hunter. Soon enough filming finished in Canada and she returned home and visited some Christian friends for advice. She began the process of destroying her demons - it worked, and she was born again. Although legally separated, by late 1994, Hunter managed to patch up the marriage, with the support of family and friends. Their own strength also helped Hunter and Michael to heal wounds that could have torn any couple apart. With a heightened faith in God, together with their own strength and support from family and friends, they have provided all married couples with the inspiration to deal with any problems, hurt, anger or confusion.

 

With those times behind her, Hunter described it (asking for a divorce) as the most stupid thing she has ever done. Fortunately all went uphill from there and on New Year's Eve in 1994, amongst friends and family, the super-couple renewed their wedding vows, in their dream home in Nevada. Despite all the happiness, there was still one situation that needed resolving - the close friendship with Kimberlin Brown, that had soured in 1994. The two had a big falling out over a business deal, according to rumors. They set about restoring the friendship, after months of avoiding each other on the Bold set, and by February of 1995, the two seemed to have buried the hatchet. Possibly knowing that the media would continue to talk about it, at that year's "Soap Opera Digest Awards", Hunter brought along a big burly bodyguard as a joke. Sure enough it caused a stir but also some closure to the situation. The roller coaster ride of the past year had slowed for now.

 



Above: Kimberlin & Hunter share a laugh on the set of The Bold and The Beautiful, and a big hug.

 

So, of course, Hunter had been back on Bold for quite some months and her story line had changed dramatically to accommodate it, revealing that her experience in India was actually not all that bad. She was able to introduce to the world two little known actors, who were involved in her story line on Bold. The first was a respected actor by the name of Kabir Bedi, Hunter's co-star on the 1994 film. Kabir featured heavily as "Prince Omar Rashid" in the story line, for a few months, during which Hunter's life and her then character "Laila" crossed over again. The second "actor" Hunter introduced to us was her pet snake, a boa constrictor called "Kingfish". Her character used the snake for a seductive dance in the story line. In interviews between Hunter and the media, at the time, this "snake dance" was mentioned and Hunter revealed more about it's origins in her marriage than she did about it's use in the story line.

 

  
Above: Kabir Bedi & Hunter & Laila's snake dance.

 

Hunter's revelation gave us some insight into how she keeps the spark in the marriage going, and reassured us that all was going very well after overcoming the troubled times in 1994. She was quoted as saying she was quite comfortable doing the "snake dance" on Bold. She was also quoted as saying that she performed a similar, but more, raunchy dance for Michael, on Valentine's Day in 1995. She also said that dancing for Michael was something she had been doing regularly over the years. Other ways of keeping the love strong were also revealed in interviews in 1995. When the couple wanted an evening of peaceful, romantic, wining and dining, with some dancing, 'Andre's' in Las Vegas, just off the beaten track a little, provided the perfect venue (it looks like a French chateau apparently).

 

They also found that one of the most romantic things they can do is to read to each other from the Bible, especially from I Corinthians 13:4-7 (the meaning of love). Perhaps there is a lesson for all in these - you have to work on a marriage and a bit of creativity (like dancing) certainly helps. Obviously, overall, the roller coaster ride called life turned out to be a steady ride in 1995. The friendship with Kimberlin had been restored, the marriage was working out well, and the Bold storyline was back on track. Hunter's character, was discovered by her former character's loved ones, and she returned to life in Los Angeles as "Taylor", leaving "Prince Omar" behind in Morocco. It was certainly a year that Hunter's fans lived a little more comfortably, knowing that all was fine and normal in the lives of Hunter and her family. If you thought that the next year would be equally tame, it was but only to a degree!

 


Above: Hunter & Michael share their interest in horse riding.

 

Prologue.

Chapter One: Another Lifetime (1962 - 1987).

Chapter Two: The Days of Our Lives & The Masked One (1988-90).

Current page: Chapter Three: The very Bold years (1990 - 1999), Part I (1990 - 1995).

Chapter Three: The very Bold years (1990 - 1999), Part II (1996).

Chapter Three: The very Bold years (1990 - 1999), Part III (1997).

Chapter Three: The very Bold years (1990 - 1999), Part IV (1998 - 1999).

Epilogue: What might the new millennium bring for Hunter?

 

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© 1999, L Ramsay. All rights reserved.