Born in Atlanta, GA, and raised in Orange County, CA, Alicia Leigh Willis's acting career got off to a Grrrreat start when she was 15 years old and was cast in a Frosted Flakes commercial in which she played beach volleyball with none other than Tony the Tiger. The spot landed her an agent, and a year later, her one line in the Aaron Spelling family drama 7TH HEAVEN turned into a recurring gig. It also became a family affair: Her parents, actors David and Leigh, both played her parents on the show. Falling in love with her new craft, Alicia opted not to go to college and studied acting at South Coast Repertory and continued with Joanne Baron at the D.W. Brown Studio.

Willis broke into the daytime foray in 1998 when she was cast as troubled teen Alli Fowler on the venerable ANOTHER WORLD, but sadly, she landed the job six months before the show was canceled. Willis didn't let sudden unemployment sour her; she chose to learn from the experience. "It taught me how quickly things can be taken away from you," she told Digest in 2002. Willis returned to the West Coast, where she landed roles in both film and episodic television. Then came the pivotal role of Sonny's sweet, sassy sister, Courtney and the rest, as they say, is soap-opera history.

Credit: soapoperadigest.com