<Tr> <Th> Nephews </Th> <Td> Mark Henderson </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Nieces </Th> <Td> Lorie Brooks </Td> </Tr> <P> Elizabeth "Liz" Foster Brooks is an original character to The Young and the Restless; she was known for her marriages to William Foster and Stuart Brooks and was one of the show's two original matriarchs . She was portrayed by actress Julianna McCarthy on and off for 37 years until her death onscreen on June 18, 2010 . Until her initial departure in 1985, McCarthy was the show's longest running cast member although she hadn't been on contract in some time . </P> <P> History Elizabeth Foster was an assembly line laborer at Chancellor Industries, and the mother to William "Snapper" Foster and Greg Foster . She is also the adoptive mother of Jill Foster Abbott although this wasn't made known to viewers until several decades into the series . Liz dated a man named Sam Powers until her long - departed husband, Bill Foster, returned . She was married to Bill, and then he walked out on her and their children in the late 1960s, only to return in 1975 with ailing health, unbeknownst to the Fosters . During the first year of the show, Liz's family history was explored . Her brother, Dr. Bruce Henderson, appeared briefly as Jennifer Brooks' former lover who turned out to be Laurie Brook's biological father . Liz blamed Bruce for neglecting their aging mother, Mrs. Henderson (Dorothy Adams) who lived on the family farm, struggling for years only with help from Liz who was having a difficult enough time supporting herself and her children . Bruce had chosen to leave the Genoa City area years before to pursue a medical career, only returning when Jennifer and her husband Stuart were separated . While Laurie Brooks liked Liz, she never acknowledged that Bruce was her father, blaming her mother for stealing her birthright and her man, having fallen in love with Bruce's son, Mark . </P>

Who played liz foster on the young and the restless