In 1981, Sullivan won the role of Maggie Gioberti in the CBS primetime soap drama Falcon Crest, replacing Samantha Eggar who had appeared in the original pilot. The series became a huge hit and Maggie became Sullivan's most prominent role to date. She appeared on the series from 1981 to 1989, during which time she was nominated for three Soap Opera Digest Awards. At the time Sullivan decided to leave the show in 1989, she had appeared in every episode of the series up to that date (207 out of the 227 episodes produced). Sullivan appeared in the first episode of season 9, when her character drowned.
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