Victoria Rowell, the actress who came into Jamaican living rooms for years, playing the role of Drucilla Winters on the CBS soap opera ‘The Young & the Restless’, has been searching for her Jamaican father, and is making a public appeal for help in finding information about him.
Rowell, who grew up in foster care in the United States, where she was born, says she was told as an adult that her father is a Jamaican man who left the island in 1957 or 1958 to join the United States Navy. She said her father left the island on the ship, the USS Leyte.
“It’s been an ongoing search (for dad) for me. It’s a very slow process,” she said.
“I believe the family was from St Ann, and I was told the last name is Wilson. But, until we secure the first name, it’s very, very difficult,” Rowell said.
The Young & the Restless star is in the island for the screening of a film at the University of the West Indies.
Rowell added that she spent 18 years in foster care and one of her foster mothers was also Jamaican. As such, she feels a special closeness to the island. Rowell has travelled to Jamaica many times since the 1980s, most recently in August to complete filming on her movie, The Rich and the Ruthless, which stars Jamaican actor Oliver Samuels.
Having come up empty-handed, despite her numerous searches, Rowell is desperate for information on her father.
“If anyone out there knows of a Jamaican man that would have left Jamaica on the USS Leyte around 1957 or 1958, I am open to information. I’m not a waiter, I’m a doer,” Rowell said.
Wish her good luck with that. But why she nuh check wide di navy directly? Dem nuh must did a keep records. Mi know some Wilsons from St Ann, gonna pass did on.
The Navy don’t give out information like water ” …loose lips sinks ships” dem say.
I feel for her and hope she finds some honest, loving family member. Sad to have spent her early years “unwanted”.
It would be very nice if she could see him. Hopefully, he is still alive.
Wow I know someone close to me that she resemble .. She is Jamaican too … but that I think is coincidence
She should link Susan, sure she would try her hardest to find him. Or that man on RJR on Sunday evenings ( dont remember his name, hopefully the show still on)