Brenda Dickson, the actress who originated the role of Jill Foster Abbott on The Young and the Restless, was arrested for misdemeanor battery earlier this month. The 77-year-old was booked on July 9 by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office and released the same day on her own recognizance.
Law enforcement sources said that officers were called to a location in Hollywood on the night of July 8 for a battery investigation. Police determined Dickson had allegedly assaulted someone, leading to her arrest. The identity of the alleged victim and the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear.
Dickson played the iconic role of Jill Foster Abbott on The Young and the Restless from 1973 to 1980 and again from 1983 to 1987, appearing in over 220 episodes. She also had guest roles in series including Men at Law, The F.B.I., Love, American Style, Here We Go Again, and Falcon Crest. In 1988, she won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Villainess for her portrayal of Jill.
This is not Dickson’s first encounter with the legal system. In 2007, she was jailed in Hawaii for 16 days on a civil contempt order stemming from a bitter divorce from attorney Jan Weinberg. She had refused to vacate a Los Angeles condominium that was part of the divorce settlement, resulting in fines of $1,000 per day. The judgment was later set aside after an appeals court found the judge had abused his discretion.
Dickson has not commented publicly on her recent arrest.
