Frank Pacelli

A native of Chicago native, Frank Pacelli got his start in show business at the tender age of 5 as the voice of "Sucky" on the local radio show "Skippy". He later moved to New York City where he started as a helmer for the public affairs department's live religious shows. Pacelli worked his way up to director of "The David Susskind Show". In the 1960s his affiliation in the field of directing soap operas began. He participated in the launch of such daytime dramas as Dark Shadows (1966), Bright Promise (1969), The Young Marrieds (1964) and Morning Star (1965). In 1967, he began directing Days of Our Lives (1965) and stayed there until joining the team of the CBS' The Young and the Restless (1973) in 1980 as the show expanded to one hour and hired new personnel behind and in front of the camera. He eventually became lead director. He occasionally also served as director for sister show The Bold and the Beautiful (1987). Pacelli directed "The Young and the Restless" for the last 16 years of his life. He was nominated for 12 Emmys and won 5 of those as member of the directing team in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1996. He died of heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles at age 72.