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Dudney, who stars as Georgia Tucker on the CBS soap opera As The World Turns is the real-life daughter of country music singer and actress Barbara Mandrell and Nashville businessman, Ken Dudney. Making her acting debut at 4, Dudney played her aunt Irlene in various skits on the NBC variety series Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters. Today the 23-year old Dudney has a great deal of experience under her belt. She has gone on to appear in the made-for-TV drama X's and O's, and last year, she reprised the role of Irlene in the CBS movie-of-the-week Get To The Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story. She also recently helped coreograph one of her mother's concerts tours. Growing up in Nashville and Los Angeles, Dudney considers her childhood normal despite having a famous mother. "It was a normal childhood. I toured with mom and a normal night was watching the show," Dudney said. "And, When I was home and mom was on the road, my dad was always there, but both parents gave equal support. Dudney believes her mother was the inspiration for her going into the business. "At first I really didn't want to be an actress, but I saw the joy mom had performing and it just stayed with me," she said. "I attended college for a year, but it just wasn't for me. I need to do this". Dudney believes in working hard, and said that everything her mother accomplished was from hard work. Playing Georgia on As The World Turns, has changed her life. In show business with its job uncertainty, Dudney knows she has work. "One week I was laying on the beach in Los Angeles unemployed, and the next week I'm living in New York with this fabulous job," Dudney said. Dudney auditioned for the part in Los Angeles through her agent. She was put on tape and it was sent to New York, where As The World Turns is taped. Within a week, Dudney was called to screen-test along with nine other actresses. They offered her the part and she began working immediately. "In my career, I've never experienced playing a character. It's a lot of fun. I created her with the writer's and I love playing her," Dudney said. The character of Georgia is quite spunky and a vegetarian. Dudney admits to being spunky, but said she is a meat and potatoes girl. However, she can relate in a lot of ways to her alter-ego, especially when it comes to standing on her own two feet. Dudney hated leaving her family behind on the West Coast, but said, "I always wanted to do a soap opera, and I'd always wanted to live in New York". Living in the Big Apple has been quite a change. Dudney shares a little apartment with Isabella, her cat, and is adjusting to being away from the L.A., lifestyle and the big homes she was accustomed to living in. From the business aspect, Dudney loves New York. "In Los Angeles, it's like everyone is in the business and it's looked upon as a business, and here they don't care what you do," she said. Dudney remains close to her family. Everyone watches As The World Turns. Her grandparents tape the show and her aunt Louise visited the set, but they never talk about her performance, she said. Dudney has been playing the role of Georgia since July of 1998, and was nominated for her first "Soap Opera Digest Award" for Outstanding Female Newscomer. Her mother Barbara, is quite proud of her accomplishments. "I am so grateful for Jaime's talent and I am so grateful she has a wonderful job. She has had so many wonderful opportunities at a young age. I believe she has what it takes to go to the moon", Mandrell said. "I'm so proud I'm her mom. I love it when people say, 'Are you Jaime Nicole Dudney's Mom?" Things are also going well on the personal front for Dudney. The actress is dating an electrician, whom she met through a friend. "I enjoy his friendship. We're so opposite! He doesn't even watch the show, and he's such an unaffected person,"Dudney said. Dudney's goal in life is to someday be a mom. "If I died today, the only thing in life I'd miss was not having a husband and kids,"she said. "I want to be super mom, and I'd love to paint the house and scrub the floors". Professionally, Dudney would love to do an episodic movie, or a comedy. Her secret dream is to be a rock star, but there is one problem. "I can't sing!" she said. Mark Edward Wilows has written articles for Soap Opera Magazine and currently does features on soap stars and celebrities for the Indiana Post-Tribune. In the past, Mark has covered soap opera news for Chicago Daytime and the Danny Bonaduce show. This article was originally published in the Indiana Post-Tribune on April 4, 1999 and is used with permission of the author.
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With show business in her blood, it would only seem natural for
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