Emmy-Winning Soap Opera Star Has Died: Helen Gallagher Was 98

The soap opera world is in mourning. Helen Gallagher, star of ABC’s Ryan’s Hope, died on Nov. 24 at 98 in a hospital in Manhattan, Herbert Berghof Studio executive and artistic director Edith Meeks told The Washington Post. Gallagher had a long affiliation with the New York acting school, teaching a “Singing for the Musical Theater” class for several years, which is why her death was confirmed by Meeks.

Gallagher was born on July 19, 1926, in New York City. She hit it big on Broadway and appeared in productions such as Make a Wish, Hazel Flagg, and Sweet Charity, receiving a 1967 Tony Award nomination for Featured Actress for the latter. In 1952, she won her first Tony Award for her performance in the revival of Pal Joey, earning her second in 1971 for her role in the No, No, Nanette musical revival.

In 1975, Gallagher landed the role of Irish matriarch Maeve Ryan on Ryan’s Hope. The series, which ran for 13 seasons and ended in 1989, revolved around a large Irish-American family in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Gallagher played Maeve for the show’s entire run and was nominated for five Daytime Emmys. She took home the award in 1976, 1977, and 1988. The role marks Gallagher’s longest role, both in television and on Broadway, having played Maeve for 14 years.

After Ryan’s Hope, Gallagher stayed in the soap opera world, appearing in Another World in 1989, All My Children in 1995, and had a small arc in One Life to Live in 1997 and 1998. One Life to Live ended up being Gallagher’s final role. Other credits before her retirement include Neptune’s Rocking Horse, The Cosby Mysteries, Law & Order, Roseland, and Strangers When We Met, among others. She also continued to appear in off-Broadway and other theater productions when she wasn’t doing TV or film work.

Helen Gallagher’s final on-screen appearance was as herself in a 2009 episode of PBS’ biography series American Masters. The episode was about dancer/choreographer/producer Jerome Robbins, who died in 1998. Gallagher married Frank Wise, a stagehand she met during The Pajama Game, in 1956, and they divorced in 1972. Her longtime partner, Gardner Brooksbank, died in 2019. She didn’t have any kids, but survivors include her brother.