Helen Gallagher, best known to soap fans for her role as matriarch Maeve Ryan on the ABC daytime drama series “Ryan’s Hope” has died. Gallagher passed away on Sunday, November 24. She was 98 years old.
Born July 19, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York, Gallagher was a two-time Tony Award winner and a three-time Daytime Emmy Award winner, who also appeared on the soap operas “Another World,” “All My Children” and “One Life to Live.”
The news of Gallagher’s passing was first announced by The Washington Post, which was confirmed by Edith Meeks, the executive and artistic director at the Herbert Berghof Studio, where Gallagher had a long affiliation. An official cause of death was not provided at press time.
Attending the American School of Ballet at just 15 years of age, Gallagher first gained recognition playing a ballerina on Broadway, where she performed in the corps of “Seven Lively Arts” and “Mr. Strauss Goes to Boston,” along with the original dancing ensembles of “Billion Dollar Baby” and “Brigadoon.” It was in 1947 when she got her big break after being cast by Jerome Robbins to play the Charleston-crazed Nancy in “High Button Shoes.” She went on to perform in numerous other stage productions, including “Mame,” “Brigadoon,” “Hazel Flagg,” “Sweet Charity,” “Touch and Go,” and “Oklahoma!”
Gallagher won two Tony Awards, including Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for “Pal Joey!” and Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for “No, No, Nannette.” Her turn as Irish matriarch Maeve Ryan on “Ryan’s Hope” in 1975 led her to win three Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1976, 1977 and 1988. Overall, she received five nominations for her portrayal throughout the show’s entire run (1975-1989).
Watch a clip from the final scenes of “Ryan’s Hope” where Gallagher can be in character singing the song “Danny Boy.”