Helen Gallagher, the acclaimed stage and television actress best known for her iconic role as Maeve Ryan on the ABC daytime drama Ryan’s Hope, has died at the age of 98.
Gallagher died on Sunday in a Manhattan hospital, as confirmed by the Herbert Berghof studio in New York, where he had taught musical theater singing classes for many years.
The Big Apple native’s Broadway debut came in 1952 when she was cast as Gladys Bumps in the musical Pal Joey, earning her a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
He went on to star in numerous Golden Age Broadway musicals, including The Pajama Game, Mame, Finian’s Rainbow, and Sweet Charity, the latter alongside Gwen Verdon and Ruth Buzzi.
In 1970, Gallagher earned another Tony nomination for her role in No, No, Nanette, where she played the original Lucille Early, and ultimately won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance.
Her Broadway career also saw her perform in revivals of Guys and Dolls and Brigadoon, cementing her place as one of the leading actresses of her generation.
Helen Gallagher, the acclaimed stage and television actress best known for her iconic role as Maeve Ryan on the ABC daytime drama Ryan’s Hope, has died at the age of 98.
Gallagher died on Sunday in a Manhattan hospital, as confirmed by the Herbert Berghof studio in New York, where he had taught singing classes in musical theater for many years; (Ryan’s Hope 1979)
However, it was in 1975 that Gallagher found a new audience when she was cast as Maeve Ryan, the matriarch of the Ryan family, in the soap opera Ryan’s Hope.
The show, which aired for 13 years on ABC, featured Gallagher as the heart and soul of a close-knit Irish American family in New York City.
Over the course of the series, Gallagher was nominated for five Daytime Emmy Awards, winning three times (1976, 1977 and 1988).
Gallagher’s portrayal of Maeve, opposite her on-screen husband Johnny Ryan (played by Bernard Barrow), was instrumental to the show’s success.
The series gave initial roles to future stars such as Christian Slater, Kate Mulgrew and Marg Helgenberger.
After Ryan’s Hope, Gallagher continued his television career with guest roles on other daytime soap operas, including Another World, All My Children and One Life to Live.
He also appeared in episodic television dramas such as Law & Order and The Cosby Mysteries.
Gallagher’s talents were not limited to daytime television, as he made occasional appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and several talk shows, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
The Big Apple native’s Broadway debut came in 1952 when she was chosen to play Gladys Bumps in the musical Pal Joey, which earned her a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical.
However, it was in 1975 that Gallagher found a new audience when she was cast as Maeve Ryan, the matriarch of the Ryan family, in the soap opera Ryan’s Hope.
In addition to his extensive career on television, Gallagher also ventured into film.
He appeared in the 1960 drama Strangers When We Meet, starring Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak, and then worked with director James Ivory on Roseland (1977).
His last film role was in the 1997 independent film Neptune’s Rocking Horse.
Beyond her illustrious work on stage and screen, Gallagher was also a dedicated teacher, working for many years as a faculty member at the Herbert Berghof Studio.