Helen Gallagher, a renowned actress famous for her Broadway career and her role as Maeve Ryan in the ABC soap opera “Ryan’s Hope,” died on November 24, 2024, in a hospital in Manhattan, New York City. Gallagher was 98 years old.
Gallagher was born on July 19, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York City. Raised in Scarsdale and the Bronx, Gallagher and her brother were cared for by an aunt after her parents separated. Despite struggling with asthma during her childhood, she pursued a career in performing arts and made her Broadway debut in 1944 in “Seven Lively Arts.”
She achieved significant recognition in 1952 when she won her first Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for “Pal Joey.” Gallagher continued to establish herself on Broadway with roles in “Make a Wish,” “Hazel Flagg,” “Portofino,” and “High Button Shoes.”
In 1966, Gallagher was nominated for a Tony for her role in “Sweet Charity” and later assumed the lead role of Charity. She won her second Tony Award in 1971 for her role in the revival of “No, No, Nanette,” a performance that also earned her a Drama Desk Award.
She transitioned to television in 1975, playing Maeve Ryan in “Ryan’s Hope.” Gallagher remained with the show until 1989, participating in more than 2,000 episodes. Her performance as the Irish-American matriarch garnered her three Daytime Emmy Awards.
Regarding the appeal of the show, Gallagher once said, “Ryan’s Hope was the best-written soap ever. And it’s not so much just the writing, it’s the whole situation. It lent to the complications of ordinary life, but at the same time, it had a foot in reality, which made it so much easier to play.”
Aside from “Ryan’s Hope,” Gallagher appeared on other soap operas like “All My Children” and “One Life to Live.” She also had roles in TV series such as “Law & Order” and “The Cosby Mysteries” and films like “Strangers When We Meet” (1960) and “Roseland” (1977).
Furthermore, Gallagher was a committed educator. She taught singing for musical theater at the Herbert Berghof School in New York, where she was a student of Uta Hagen. In 2020, the school honored her by naming a performance space the Helen Gallagher Studio Theatre. Gallagher once shared, “HB Studio is my home, and teaching there has been one of the greatest joys of my life.”
In 1956, Gallagher married Frank Wise, a stagehand she met during “The Pajama Game.” They divorced in 1972.
Throughout her career, Gallagher was awarded numerous times for her contributions to the arts. These included two Tony Awards, a Drama Desk Award, and three Daytime Emmy Awards. Her legacy continues through her prolific work and the many students she mentored.
She is survived by her extended family, friends, and a multitude of fans who remember her for her skill, commitment, and the warmth she radiated on stage and screen.