What happened to Nancy Drew star Pamela Sue Martin? Inside her life after quitting Hollywood at the height of her fame in the 1980s

After appearing as Nancy Drew in The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Pamela was one of the most recognizable actresses in Hollywood. She went on to star as Fallon Carrington Colby on the ’80s hit soap opera Dynasty.

But, after just four years on the show, Pamela quit, with her character being portrayed as “missing and presumed dead” before being recast. “I had enough. I was not happy with the direction that my character took,” Pamela told Closer. “And then Joan [Collins] came in with her caricature and it became less and less real. It became a trashy soap opera. If you were strong, you were [an expletive]; if you were weak, you were a victim. For me, coming out of the women’s movement of the ’70s, I didn’t take to that very well.”

Some people live with their regrets for years, but Pamela doesn’t regret leaving Hollywood at all. The retired actress told Closer: “As I grew older and got out of my very serious point of view about everything, I came to recognize the value in doing things that just simply make people smile. Sheer entertainment. I’ve learned that through directing theater and staging things that were just fun.”

Pamela was just 31 when she left Hollywood, but she felt like she had her whole life ahead of her. The Poseidon Adventure actress told Closer: “After Dynasty, I moved up to Hailey, Idaho, with my horses and raised my son. I’ve had this place for over 35 years. Then I moved to Mexico [as my primary residence]. I renovated a barn into my little living space. That was over a dozen years ago.”

She now fills her life with a variety of interests. From watercolor painting, gardening, and playing the ukulele, the former actress is still a creative. 

The retired actress has been married four times. In 1975, she tied the knot with Charles Gates. The two divorced four years later in 1979. Pamela married Jorge Brusch that same year, and split ways in 1981. After their divorce, she tied the knot with Manuel Rojas who she was with for five years.

In 1990, Pamela married Bruce Allen. The two welcomed son Nick in 1991 and were married until 1998. In 2023, she opened up to Closer about her boyfriend, Allan Amarod Cervantes, who she practices her Spanish with.

Pamela raised her son in Idaho, and while she kept him out of the public eye during his childhood, she now loves to brag about Nick. “He has a biochemistry degree and a wonderful depth of knowledge about nature and plants. He and his girlfriend started their own river guiding company called Cascadia Rafting,” she told Closer. “They’re a couple hours outside Seattle in Washington state, but he comes to stay with me in the winter.”