Suzanne Rogers plays Maggie Horton on NBC's daytime drama "Days of our Lives." It's not so very common to find a soap opera star who's played the same character on the same show for more than 20 years, but the Emmy Award-winning actress has played Maggie Horton since 1973!

Growing up in Colonial Heights, Virginia, with her parents Edna and Pete Crumpler and younger sister Loretta, Rogers was an avid dancer from the moment she could walk. Whether it was tap, ballet or jazz, her passion was dance. By the time she reached Colonial Heights High School, Rogers was so polished a performer that she won first prize in the school talent show. Her voice was as impressive as her moves, so she was also selected as the glee club soloist.

High school success in the performing arts wasn't enough. Rogers longed to nail a spot with one of the most renowned dance troupes in all of America - the Rockettes. So her mother took her to New York to audition against hundreds of other ambitious, talented girls for the few spots available. Rogers vividly remembers the agonizing series of auditions where the girls were scrutinized for appearance as well as talent. Her impressive dancing ability took her through the screening process to land a spot with the Rockettes.

In between her theater engagements, Rogers returned to her dance roots and performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show" as one of the Peter Gennaro dancers. Additionally, she appeared in several national television commercials for products such as Pepsi Cola, Noxema and Lysol. Finally, a producer told her that if she wanted to have a serious career, she would have to change her last name, tone down her voice and dispose of her Southern twang. The newly christened Suzanne Rogers (born Suzanne Crumpler) studied voice and diction and was ready to hit the big time.

In 1973, after Rogers decided to give California a shot, she landed a role on NBC's "Days of our Lives." She had originally auditioned for a part on "The Young and the Restless," but it turned out they were looking for blondes. The folks at "Days" saw her tape, though, and Maggie Horton was born.

Rogers has starred on the daytime drama ever since and received an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1979. She finds acting on a soap opera to be incredibly challenging. "It is the best repertoire in the world. If you can do a soap, you can do anything," she says.

Rogers proved to herself and all of her devoted viewers that she could indeed conquer anything when she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis in 1984. Initially, she was terrified. For one year, during which she took a hiatus from the show, Rogers developed horrible symptoms: she became emaciated, could barely speak and had double vision. With medication, therapy and remarkable inner strength, she combated her disease.

Since that time, Rogers has worked to bestow her positive way of thinking on other myasthenia gravis patients. She sends cards and calls to the afflicted all over the world to tell them of her battle and to give them encouragement. Rogers is now in remission and lives a strong, healthy life. She plays golf, walks daily and loves to cook in her Studio City home. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and watching old films on the American Movie Classics channel.