Gladys Pope was a beautician first introduced when she created a disguise for psychiatrist Taylor Hayes, who was presumed to have died in a plane crash. As Taylor had returned to Los Angeles to see her ailing father in the hospital but didn't want to be recognized by anyone else, especially her "widowed" husband Ridge Forrester, Gladys took the gorgeous Taylor and gave her a mousy wig, bland make-up, and ugly glasses, encouraging her to attend a seminar Ridge was holding with his new wife, Brooke Logan.

Gladys showed up the following year at the Beverly Hills Hideaway, where she watched young Dylan Shaw perform a strip tease. Gladys was also on hand a few months later when Dylan did his final routine; she wanted him to autograph a photo saying "Thanks for all the steamy nights." A few months later, Gladys gave fashion knockoff queen Sally Spectra a coiffure, dishing with her about the return of her ex-husband, Clarke Garrison. Gladys eagerly attended a concert held by Sally's pop singer daughter, Macy Alexander.

In 1997, Gladys helped Sally put together a costume for a party thrown by Grant Chambers, who had recently been shot; Gladys and Sally discussed possible suspects. Later that year, Gladys worked in a salon and took care of Sally and her friend, Lauren Fenmore. Gladys got the scoop about how Lauren's ex-lover, Eric Forrester, was about to remarry his ex-wife, Stephanie Forrester, until the minister found an X-rated photo of Eric and Lauren in his Bible. Gladys was aghast when Stephanie rose from the next chair and gave Lauren a bitter tongue-lashing.

The next year, Gladys helped make Lauren look like a movie star for dates with the hunky Johnny Carrera; Gladys arched an eyebrow because Lauren had no problem dating Johnny, whose deceased twin brother, Rush Carrera, held Lauren and Eric hostage in Greenland and tried to kill them. In 1999, Gladys provided Lauren's young wrong-side-of-the-tracks friend Amber Moore with a makeover so she could wow Eric's sophisticated son, Rick Forrester. Months later, Gladys did the same for Amber's trailer park cousin, Becky Moore. As the millennium started, Gladys worked her magic on Kimberly Fairchild, the daughter of Sally's ex-husband, Adam Alexander, who wanted to impress older man Thorne Forrester.

By 2003, Thorne had taken on a female roommate, grief counselor Tricia Quick; Gladys helped Sally, who wanted Thorne back with Macy, don disguises and enter Thorne's house as repairmen who came to work on his hot tub. Gladys watched as Sally fell into the jacuzzi after hearing Tricia's side of a hypersexual phone call. Six months on, Gladys attended and videotaped Macy's wedding to former con man Deacon Sharpe, where Gladys witnessed a catfight between Macy and Amber, who didn't want Macy raising her son Eric Sharpe.

Gladys rang in 2004 by training her videocamera on the birth of Aly Forrester, Thorne's daughter with Macy's friend Darla Einstein; Thorne and Darla named their child Alexandria to honor Macy, who had been taken off life support before Aly was born. Later in the year, when Ridge wouldn't let Spectra's line be sold in a Beverly Hills boutique alongside that of his family company, Forrester Creations, Gladys made Sally look like shipping tycoon Massimo Marone, who owned the boutique and was comatose in a hospital, so "Massimo" could personally offer Spectra clothes in the store. Gladys helped create interest in Spectra's couture and sell Dynasty stars Stephanie Beacham and Christopher Cazenove on the collection.

Gladys didn't surface again until 2012, when she added landscaper to her repertoire; the nonagenarian was doing an array of odd jobs because she had fallen on hard times. Gladys worked the Forrester mansion and ran into Eric and Stephanie; when Stephanie admitted that she and Eric were just "shacking up," Gladys revealed she was also licensed to officiate weddings and, in her final appearance, made Eric and Stephanie man and wife again just in time for what would have been their 50th anniversary.

Gladys' portrayer, Phyllis Diller, died just a few months later, on August 20, 2012, at the age of 95.