The Biography of Maura West!

Maura Jo West was born in Springfield, MA on April 27, 1972.  She was raised in nearby Ludlow  Her birth name was Maura Jo Snyder but at the age or 17 she took her mother's maiden name of West.  She is the youngest of four children.  Her siblings include two older brothers, Peter and Andrew, and one sister, Amy. Maura is a graduate of Boston University where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Maura is a big fan of the New York Yankees and it was at a Yankees game in 1999 that her husband, Scott DeFreitas, proposed to her via the giant video screen in center field used to display player stats and scores in Yankee Stadium.  Maura met Scott on the set of As the World Turns, where he played Andy Dixon, another fan favorite.  Maura followed an ATWT tradition, that of marrying co-stars, when she married Scott DeFreitas. Colleen Zenk Pinter (Barbara) met Mark Pinter while he played Brian. Kelley Menighan Hensley (Emily) married Jon Hensley (Holden) in 1996.  Maura and Scott were married January 22, 2000.  It was the 2nd marriage for Maura.  She was previously married to director Jonathan Knight from 1995 to 1999.

Maura's hobbies include reading, going to the movies and spending time with her family. She is a mother to five children; Benjamin Crawford West Knight (b.6/96) Joseph Peter DeFreitas (b. 3/29/00) Katherine Marie DeFreitas (b. 1/9/02) Basil John DeFreitas (b. 1/30/2007) Birdie West DeFreitas. (b. 6/162009). Her son Joseph was born on TV as part of the TLC show, A Baby Story.

As an actress, Maura is best known for her role as Carly Tenney on the CBS Daytime Drama, As the World Turns (April 11, 1995-May 8, 1996; September 10, 1997-present.)  Maura won the role of Carly in 1995 after the show's casting director saw her in a college production in Boston.  Maura watched As the World Turns while attending high school and was a huge fan of the show as well as a big fan of Martha Byrne (Lily) and the late Ben Hendrickson (ex-Hal.)  Maura took a break from the show after the birth of her first child, but returned about a year later.  Maura quickly became a fan favorite and remains so today in addition to being praised as one of the best in daytime television.  She finally won a long overdue Daytime Emmy Award in June 2007.  In June 2010, As the World Turns taped their final episode and will go off the air in September 2010.

Her stage roles include Much Ado About Nothing, Translations, Top Girls, and Hamlet.

With the end of As the World Turns it is time for Maura to embark on a new venture.  September 1 she joins the cast of The Young and the Restless and will again be on our screens on October 8, this time in the role of Diane Jenkins.

Awards

In recognition of the work she has done, Maura has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy seven times — twice for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2001 and 2002 and for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2004. She finally won a Daytime Emmy in 2007 for  Outstanding Lead Actress. She again received nominations for the Outstanding Lead Actress category in the 2008 and 2009 Daytime Emmy awards.  In 2010 Maura again received a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress and was rewarded with her second Daytime Emmy Award.

She has also received four Soap Opera Digest award nominations, including one for Favorite Couple, with Michael Park (Jack) in 2001, two for Younger Lead actress in 1999 and 2000 and one for Outstanding Villainess in 1996.