Legendary Soap Actress Helen Gallagher Dead At 98
Helen Gallagher, actress of the small screen and stage, passed away on November 24th. The actress was 98 years old.
Before the role that she is likely most associated with, Helen was already a lauded member of the Broadway community. She won two Tony awards, in 1952 (Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Pal Joey) and 1971 (Best Actress in a Musical for No, No Nanette). However, Helen's role on the daytime drama Ryan's Hope is the role that most probably associate her with. Helen was cast as Maeve Cleary Ryan, the matriarch of the Ryan clan, the founding family and namesake of the show. For the entire duration of the show, from 1975 to 1989, Helen portrayed Maeve as a pillar of strength who supported her family and friends through countless issues as befitting a soap opera. Helen was awarded the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series a total of three times, in 1976, 1977 and 1988, being nominated for the same award an additional two times (1979 and 1981).
The Irish identity of the Ryan clan was a foundational trait of the family and Maeve, an immigrant from Ireland, would regularly sing Danny Boy, most commonly during each St. Patrick's Day themed episode that the show had while airing. Ryan's Hope ended in early January of 1989, preventing one final St. Patrick's Day episode from being written and filmed after the show's cancellation was announced. Unsurprisingly, the show ended with Maeve singing the song one last time in the iconic Ryan's Bar. Unscripted, based on accounts from actors filming that final scene, Helen ad-libbed parts of those final moments by requesting that the cast join in. Many of the tears seen on the performers were genuine. In her final ad-lib, Helen, as Maeve, looks at the camera and utters the final lines of the series "Have a good life." The scene can be seen below:
After Ryan's Hope ended, Helen remained part of the Daytime family in much smaller roles. She appeared on One Life to Live for a short storyarc as a sex therapist. She also became an acting teacher. And she would occasionally give interviews about her career where, in all honesty, the woman was very blunt and it was kind of glorious to see.
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Helen was a powerhouse of a performer! I didn't watch Ryan's Hope while it aired, but I have watched episodes of it since and she was glorious.
Before the role that she is likely most associated with, Helen was already a lauded member of the Broadway community. She won two Tony awards, in 1952 (Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Pal Joey) and 1971 (Best Actress in a Musical for No, No Nanette). However, Helen's role on the daytime drama Ryan's Hope is the role that most probably associate her with. Helen was cast as Maeve Cleary Ryan, the matriarch of the Ryan clan, the founding family and namesake of the show. For the entire duration of the show, from 1975 to 1989, Helen portrayed Maeve as a pillar of strength who supported her family and friends through countless issues as befitting a soap opera. Helen was awarded the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series a total of three times, in 1976, 1977 and 1988, being nominated for the same award an additional two times (1979 and 1981).
The Irish identity of the Ryan clan was a foundational trait of the family and Maeve, an immigrant from Ireland, would regularly sing Danny Boy, most commonly during each St. Patrick's Day themed episode that the show had while airing. Ryan's Hope ended in early January of 1989, preventing one final St. Patrick's Day episode from being written and filmed after the show's cancellation was announced. Unsurprisingly, the show ended with Maeve singing the song one last time in the iconic Ryan's Bar. Unscripted, based on accounts from actors filming that final scene, Helen ad-libbed parts of those final moments by requesting that the cast join in. Many of the tears seen on the performers were genuine. In her final ad-lib, Helen, as Maeve, looks at the camera and utters the final lines of the series "Have a good life." The scene can be seen below:
Click to viewAfter Ryan's Hope ended, Helen remained part of the Daytime family in much smaller roles. She appeared on One Life to Live for a short storyarc as a sex therapist. She also became an acting teacher. And she would occasionally give interviews about her career where, in all honesty, the woman was very blunt and it was kind of glorious to see.
NEWS SOURCE
VIDEO SOURCE
Helen was a powerhouse of a performer! I didn't watch Ryan's Hope while it aired, but I have watched episodes of it since and she was glorious.