Heather Hill, the six-time Emmy Award-winning director who directed hundreds of episodes of “The Young and the Restless,” died on Oct. 10 in Las Vegas. She was 85.
A pioneer for women in daytime drama, she began her television career in her hometown of New York City after graduating from Rye Country Day School. She became a production assistant on the CBS soap opera “Love of Life,” which ran for 29 seasons during the 1950s until the 1980s.
While in New York City, Hill also rose from assistant director to director, helming episodes for daytime dramas including “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing,” “Search for Tomorrow” and “As the World Turns.”
In 1985, Hill relocated to Los Angeles and became a contract director for the CBS soap opera “The Young and the Restless.”
She remained a part of the production for 15 years, where she directed hundreds of episodes. From 1988 through 2000, Hill was nominated for 13 Daytime Emmy Awards in the category of outstanding drama series directing team for her work on “The Young and the Restless.”
She won the Emmy award six times throughout her career, sharing her first win with her colleagues Rudy Vejar, Frank Pacelli, Randy Robbins and Betty Rothenberg.
Her other directing credits include “General Hospital” and the popular hit drama series “Baywatch.” Additionally, she earned a supervising producer credit for her work on the 1980s daytime soap “The Caitlins.”
Hill is survived by her husband Randy; sons Tim and Chris; daughter-in-law Debbie Deuble Hill and grandchildren Violet, Quinn and Carter.
