While she’s best known for her role as Lois Cerullo on General Hospital (which won her a Daytime Emmy in 1995), Rena Sofer is also remembered for playing Heidi Petrelli on Heroes and Quinn Fuller on The Bold and the Beautiful.
After leaving General Hospital for the second time in 2025, the 57-year-old actress has been focusing on a quieter life in the Hudson Valley. But how did she break into the world of entertainment? And what else is keeping her busy in 2026?
Rena Sofer’s Early Life: How She Broke Into Acting
Born on December 2, 1968, in Arcadia, California, Rena Sofer’s childhood was characterized by her Jewish upbringing. Following her parents’ divorce, she moved to New Jersey with her rabbi father and her brother.
At 15, Rena was approached by a talent scout while hanging out on the streets of Greenwich Village. Her modeling career was rather short-lived, with her later stating: “It just never really worked for me. It just wasn’t my style.” However, it did open up the doors to TV commercials, music videos, and eventually professional acting.
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Rena Sofer’s First TV Roles: Another World, Loving and General Hospital Fame
The late ’80s were an exciting time for Rena Sofer. Her TV series debut arrived with a multi-episode stint on Another World (1987) as Joyce Abernathy. Next came her role as the rebellious Rocky on the ABC soap Loving (1988-1991), followed by her part as Shayna in the feature film A Stranger Among Us (1992).
But it was General Hospital, which she appeared in from 1993, that became a real game-changer for Sofer. She played fast-talking music manager Lois Cerullo, which earned her the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1995.
1995 was also the year Sofer married her General Hospital co-star Wally Kurth (the pair shared an on-screen romance as Lois and Ned). A year later, they welcomed their daughter, Rosabel, before they divorced in 1997. This is also around the time that Sofer left the show to focus on raising her child.
Rena Sofer After General Hospital: Her 2000s Roles, From Friends to Heroes
Sofer kicked off the millennium with a few guest roles followed by a recurring role on the dramedy Ed (2001) and 22 episodes as Grace Hall on The Chronicle (2001-2002). Other noteworthy credits include an appearance on Friends (2002) and a regular part on Just Shoot Me! (2002-2003).
In 2003, Sofer married TV producer Sanford Bookstaver — creating a blended family with Bookstaver’s daughter, Meghann, and Sofer’s daughter, Rosabel. In 2005, their daughter Avalon was born.
We can’t talk about Sofer in the mid-2000s without talking about Heroes (2006-2007). The NBC show was hugely popular and audiences loved Sofer’s portrayal of the resilient Heidi Petrelli.
Rena Sofer on The Bold and the Beautiful: Her Return to Daytime as Quinn Fuller
In 2013, Sofer played Queen Eva, Snow White’s mother, in ABC’s Once Upon a Time (78% on Rotten Tomatoes). That same year, she joined The Bold and the Beautiful in a new role, Quinn Fuller (a scheming jewelry designer), which later won her Soap Awards France Prizes for Best Villain of the Year in 2016 and 2018. In 2022, she left the show.
What Is Rena Sofer Doing Now? General Hospital Exit, New Film and Ceramics
Rena Sofer rejoined the General Hospital cast in October 2023, to take up her role as Lois once more. She crossed paths with ex-husband Wally Kurth, sparking commentary from their daughter Rosabel. Sofer’s final episode took place in October 2025.
Sofer’s latest film credit is Death on the Brandywine (2026) (no Tomatometer score yet on Rotten Tomatoes), an independent mystery film written and directed by Nick Wilkinson, in which she plays Lauren Riley opposite Kate Burton and Tuc Watkins. She also appeared as Marlowe in Vespertine (2025), a short film by Lauri Levenfeld and Grace Wethor.
Aside from acting, Sofer is a talented ceramic artist. What began as a simple pottery class soon flourished into a well-supported business. You can view and purchase her pieces online, with 10% of proceeds going towards various animal charities.
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In 2017, after 14 years of marriage, Sofer and Bookstaver divorced and spent years apart before reconnecting and getting engaged in 2019. They tied the knot for the second time in 2024 on what would have been their 21st wedding anniversary if they’d never separated.
In search of a quieter life, the couple currently live in Rhinebeck, New York, with their rescue dogs.
Death on the Brandywine is available to rent or buy digitally on Apple TV, Prime Video and Fandango at Home, while new episodes of General Hospital air weekdays on ABC.
