Greenlee Smythe

Greenlee Smythe is a fictional character from the American daytime drama, All My Children. She was originally portrayed by actress Rebecca Budig from August 11, 1999 to November 30, 2005, and was portrayed by actress Sabine Singh from April 20, 2007 to January 15, 2008. On December 14, 2007, it was announced that Budig accepted the offer to reprise the role, and would continue her portrayal of the character. Episodes with Budig began airing again January 16, 2008. The return is one of the most widely reported in the genre's history, with newspapers such as the Associated Press and New York Daily News featuring the story. Budig again departed the role on February 17, 2009, the day the character was killed off. In the June 29, 2009 issue of ABC Soaps in Depth magazine, head writer Charles Pratt, Jr. confirmed they had written Greenlee to remain alive, but that Budig would be making no immediate plans to return to the show. On October 8, 2009, it was confirmed that Budig would return to the show in December. Budig returned on December 23, 2009 and remained with the series until its finale on September 23, 2011. Greenlee became one of daytime television's top bad girls, but later reformed into a heroine. The character's relationships with Ryan Lavery and Kendall Hart feature prominently in her storyline. She is noted as the last currently-airing, major daytime character to be created by show creator Agnes Nixon. Background Casting and character creation When producers at All My Children were looking for a new villainess to wreak havoc in fictional town Pine Valley, they created character Greenlee Smythe, inspired by the likes of Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) and Kendall Hart (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Executives at ABC were already considering actress Rebecca Budig for the role. Budig, who felt that becoming the character was a great opportunity to expand her range as an actress, sent the show her video reel.