Jacklyn Zeman

Zeman was born in Englewood, New Jersey, to a family of Jewish descent. Her parents are Rita Zeman-Rohlman, a magazine supervisor, and Richard S. Zeman, a systems engineer. She grew up in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and completed her high school studies at age 15, at Bergenfield High School, after which she studied dance on a scholarship at New York University. She was a Playboy Bunny at the Playboy Club in 1972. Zeman had several small parts before landing a regular role in the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live playing Lana McClain from 1976 to 1977. Later that year, she was cast as Bobbie Spencer on the sister-soap General Hospital, a role she played on a regular basis until 2010. Zeman received three Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series nominations and one Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series nomination for her role. Since 2013, Zeman appeared on General Hospital on a recurring basis.

ABC Broadcasting Network paid respect and homage to Zeman, whose character Bobbie Spencer was also killed off on the show. The soap "killed off" Zeman's character in 2023, and honored both the character and actress during the week of January 10, 2024 when they aired Bobbie's funeral and memorial service.

Outside soap operas, Zeman appeared in the 1982 comedy film National Lampoon's Class Reunion and had a cameo in the spoof comedy film Young Doctors in Love. She starred in the made-for-television movies Jury Duty: The Comedy (1990) opposite Heather Locklear and Montana Crossroads (1993) opposite Kellie Martin. She performed in off-Broadway and other productions including Come Blow Your Horn, Barefoot in the Park, and The Boy Friend. Zeman received another Daytime Emmy Award nomination for her regular role as Sofia Madison in the streaming series The Bay in 2021.