Soap Actress Ellen Holly Dies
Click to viewEllen Holly, widely considered to be the first black soap opera star, passed away in her sleep on December 6th.
Hired as a cast member of ABC's One Life to Live in its first season (1968), Ellen's character, Carla Gray, was brought to the series as Carla Benari. Early on in the story, it was revealed that Carla was the daughter of Sadie Gray and that Carla was passing as a white woman!
Ellen remained a member of the cast until 1980. Carla eventually found love with Ed Hall, having a child, Josh, who was played by a young Lawrence Fishburne. Ellen returned for a second stint from 1983 - 1985. Her second stint ran under the tenure of executive producer Paul Rauch, who fired every black performer during his time at the helm of the show. Ellen, nor the character of Carla, ever returned to the series.
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I highly recommend watching Ellen's entire television academy series! RIP, Daytime Legend!