Jean Passanante (born June 26, 1953) is an American television screenwriter best known for her work in daytime soap operas. Passanante got her start as an actress doing bit parts in the 1980s, including John Sayles's Return of the Secaucus 7. In 1985, she married writer Jack Shannon. They are still married and have one daughter, Ruth Shannon.
She got her start on soaps working as a staff writer on the ABC Daytime drama One Life to Live from 1992 to 1996. In 1996 she was promoted to the top position of Head Writer, only to be replaced in 1997. She remained as a staff writer until 1998, at which time she was made Co-Head Writer of the ailing soap opera Another World. Passanante wrapped up the show's 35-year run in June 1999. The next month, she relieved All My Children creator Agnes Nixon of head writing duties after Nixon was called in to temporarily replace Megan McTavish.
Passanante's contract with All My Children expired in 2001, and she was replaced by Richard Culliton. She was then hired by CBS As the World Turns in 2001, where she served as Co-Head Writer (second in command to Hogan Sheffer) until she was promoted to Head Writer in early 2005; she continued in that role through the show's 2010 cancellation. Following the cancellation of "As the World Turns", Passanante returned to One Life to Live as Associate Head Writer, a role she last served in 1998, until It's television cancellation in January 2012. Passanante was one of the writers who followed Ron Carlivati to General Hospital as breakdown writer from May 3, 2012 until November 25, 2013 when Passanante was named head writer of The Young and the Restless, working alongside Shelly Altman. Passanante's tenure was from December 23, 2013 to March 18, 2015, Passanante was also a breakdown writer for the show under Charles Pratt, Jr. from March 23, 2015 to June 18, 2015. In July 2015, Passanante and Altman returned to General Hospital as its co-head writers, replacing Carlivati.[1]
Passanante attended Dartmouth College. From January 25, 2008 through April 17, 2008, ATWT episodes were written by non-union writers due to Passanante and her team participating in the WGA strike. It is speculated that Christopher Goutman and Vivian Gundaker took over as Head Writers. Passanante's post-strike episodes hit the airwaves on April 18, 2008.
On June 6, 2017, Soap Opera Digest broke the news that Passanante would retire as Co-Head Writer at the end of July.[2]
Leah Laiman (Head Writer), Jean Passanante (Co-Head Writer), Stephen Demorest, Melissa Salmons, Laura Maria Censabella, Judy Tate, Tom Wiggin, Tom King, Maura Penders, Richard Culliton, Shelly Altman, Carolyn Culliton, Richard J. Allen, Sofia Landon Geier, Lynn Martin, Gillian Spencer, Mary Sue Price, Edwin Klein, Gordon Rayfield, Courtney Simon, Eleanor Labine
Head Writer: May 25, 2005 - January 24, 2008, April 18, 2008 - October 5, 2009 with Leah Laiman, October 6, 2009 to June 4, 2010 with David Kreizman, June 7, 2010 - September 17, 2010 with Lloyd Gold
