After what had been called an "exhaustive search," the casting department for The Young and the Restless has announced that soap opera veteran Judith Chapman will assume the role of Gloria Fisher early next year. As previously reported, Joan Van Ark announced earlier this year that she planned to exit the role as the Fisher family matriarch.

According to set sources, Van Ark opted to leave the show because she was unaccustomed to the rigors of daytime television, including the long work days and the fast turnaround on scripts and production. Van Ark, who first appeared on April 6, will make her final appearance on the show on January 7, 2005. Van Ark expects to appear in a play in early spring.

Chapman, meanwhile, brings with her years of experience in daytime television. Known for roles on As the World Turns (Natalie Bannon Hughes), Days of our Lives (Anjelica Deveraux), General Hospital (Ginny Blake Webber), One Life to Live (Sandra Montaigne), and Ryan's Hope (Charlotte Greer), Chapman was last seen on daytime television in 1991. Since then, she has appeared in a handful of feature films and appeared in primetime dramas such as Murder, She Wrote and Silk Stalkings.

Chapman makes her debut on The Young and Restless on January 17, 2005.