| Liz Foster | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Julianna McCarthy as Liz Foster | |||||||||||||||||||
| The Young and the Restless | |||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Julianna McCarthy | ||||||||||||||||||
| Current status | Former, Recurring | ||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1973-1986, 1993, 2003-2004, 2008, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | March 26, 1973 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | June 18, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cause/reason | Death | ||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | William J. Bell | ||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||||
| Family | Foster Family | ||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Elizabeth Henderson Foster | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Liz | ||||||||||||||||||
| Alias(es) | Elizabeth Henderson | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gender | Female | ||||||||||||||||||
| Age | June 18, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cause of death | Granulomatosis with polyangiitis | ||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Former housekeeper and maid Former factory worker at Chancellor Industries | ||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | London, England | ||||||||||||||||||
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Elizabeth "Liz" Foster (née Henderson, previously Brooks) was a recurring fictional character on The Young and the Restless, portrayed by Julianna McCarthy.
Biography[]
Liz Foster had one brother, Bruce Henderson and three children with her husband, Bill Foster: Snapper Foster, an ambitious medical student, Greg Foster, a recent graduate of law school, and Jill Foster, her youngest who works at Hazel's beauty salon while dreaming of a better life.
In 1973, Liz Foster served as the resilient matriarch of the struggling Foster family. She worked long hours on the assembly line at Chancellor Industries after her husband, Bill Foster, abandoned her and their children years earlier. Liz dreamed of better lives for her kids and encouraged her eldest son, Snapper, to court Chris Brooks, the well-bred daughter of newspaper publisher Stuart Brooks. Liz was unaware that Snapper was simultaneously involved with waitress Sally McGuire, a relationship that would later produce Liz's first grandchild, Pierre "Chuckie" Roulland.
Soon after Chris and Snapper began dating, Liz was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Her brother, Dr. Bruce Henderson, and their mother returned to Genoa City to support her through treatment. During her recovery, Liz and Bruce mended their long-strained relationship
In 1974, after Sally attempted suicide upon hearing of Snapper and Chris’s engagement, she resolved to tell Snapper that she was carrying his child. When Liz learned the truth, she intervened, begging Sally not to jeopardize her son’s future or marriage. Reluctantly, Sally agreed to stay silent. In return, Liz promised to stand by her and the baby as though Sally were family.
In 1975, Liz Foster's relationship with widower Sam Powers deepened, and her son Snapper urged her to have her long-absent husband, Bill Foster Sr., declared legally dead. Unknown to the family, Bill was living in a nearby town. After almost a decade of silence, he wrote to say he was destitute and dying of emphysema. Infinitely compassionate, Liz invited Bill to to return home.
The family greeted Bill's return with mixed emotions: Greg and Jill were happy to see him, but Snapper struggled to forgive his father's abandonment. Although Bill realized he still loved Liz, he encouraged her to move forward with her life and marry Sam. Torn between her past with Bill and her future with Sam, Liz finally decided to begin divorce proceedings.
The Foster Family briefly moved into the Chancellor Estate after Jill's husband, Phillip Chancellor II, died the previous year. Katherine Chancellor later had Jill's marriage to Phillip annulled, by a technicality, and expelled the Fosters, reclaiming her mansion. Although Jill and Katherine's relationship remained bitter, Katherine came to like Liz and Bill. She offered Liz a position as her housekeeper for far more than she had earned working on the assembly line at Chancellor Industries. Liz accepted, and the two women quickly became friends.
Katherine developed feelings for Bill and offered to take over his care while Liz started her new life with Sam in Kansas, but Liz refused. When Bill collapsed at work, she ended her engagement to Sam, realizing she still cared deeply for her husband. Liz and Bill reconciled, finally mending their marriage and the strained relationship between Bill and Snapper. The reconciliation briefly caused tension between Liz and Katherine, but they soon resumed their friendship. As Bill's health worsened, Liz remained devoted, caring for him through his illness.
In 1976, Bill's cancer progressed quickly, and the doctors doubted that he would live the year. Bill was eventually hospitalized and was put on life support. He pleaded with Liz to pull the plug. Because she didn’t want to see him suffer, Liz did so. But she suffered a stroke and forgot that she did it, so Snapper was accused of killing his father.
Luckily Greg was now a practicing lawyer who got Snapper was cleared of murder charges, and Liz was never charged. Liz began seeing Stuart Brooks. Although Stuart was taken with Liz, she felt she was not in his class and avoided becoming romantically involved. Jill saw her opportunity in her mother's reluctance, and looking for a rich man to provide for her and her son, she went after Stuart. Stuart resisted Jill's advances, but she eventually spent a weekend in Las Vegas with him.
Soon after, in a sly attempt to trap Stuart into marrying her, Jill announced that she was pregnant. Stuart agreed to marry Jill, even though he was in love with Liz, who was heartbroken by the news. Shortly after the marriage, Jill accidentally fell down a flight of stairs. When Stuart questioned her doctor about her pregnancy, he was told that Jill was not pregnant and Stuart realized that he had been conned. In time Stuart and Liz were married, and she became the new family matriarch.
In 1982, Liz, Stuart, Snapper and Greg moved to London. Later news came to Jill that Stuart had died. Liz moved in with Chris and Snapper and devoted herself to helping raise her granddaughter, Jennifer Foster, who had two hard-working parents.
In 2003, Liz arrived in Genoa City with Snapper and Greg from their home in England with the news that she was to undergo brain surgery from cancer. Knowing she may not survive, Liz felt it was time to admit to Jill that she was adopted. All she knew was that her husband Bill brought Jill home wrapped in a blanket as a baby. After several years of mistakenly believing that her arch enemy, and Liz’s good friend, Katherine Chancellor was her real mother, a DNA test proved that she was not.
Liz Foster in 2010
In 2008, Katherine was believed to have died, and Liz returned to town for her memorial service. Katherine was later found to be alive, and her doppelganger Marge Cotroke was the person they buried that day.
In 2010, Liz and Snapper came to town to visit Jill, but Liz collapsed on the plane. She was rushed to the hospital where they discovered that her cancer was back. Knowing she was going to die, she told Snapper of Jill's real family. She made him promise not to tell. She later died surrounded by her family and Snapper told Jill of her parentage.
Gallery[]
