Diana Van der Vlis (June 9, 1935 - October 22, 2001) was a Canadian-American stage, screen and television actress best known for her characters Dr. Nell Beaulac (1975–76) on the ABC soap opera Ryan's Hope and Kate Hathaway Prescott on the soap opera Where the Heart Is. Two other roles on daytime dramas that she played were Sherry Rowan (1987–89) on Ryan's Hope and Susan Ames Carver on The Secret Storm, when she was a substitute for J ...