Helen Gallagher, the actress who honed her craft on Ryan’s Hope for over a decade, has passed away at the age of 98.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed on Tuesday, November 26, that the two-time Tony Award winner’s death was announced to The Washington Post by Edith Meeks, the executive and artistic director of New York’s Herbert Berghof Studio, where Gallagher taught “Singing for the Musical Theater” for many years.
The versatile performer, known for her Broadway triple threat; singing, dancing, and acting, reportedly passed away on Sunday at a hospital in Manhattan.
Gallagher won her first Tony Award in 1952 for her portrayal of showgirl Gladys Bumps in the revival of Rodgers and Hart’s Pal Joey.
She earned her second Tony in 1971 for playing Lucille Early, a wise-cracking flapper, in the revival of Busby Berkeley’s No, No, Nanette.
In addition to her stage success, Gallagher is best known for her role as matriarch Maeve Ryan on the ABC soap opera Ryan’s Hope, which she played for over 13 years.
After Ryan’s Hope was canceled, Gallagher continued her work in daytime television, appearing in roles such as Hannah Tuttle on NBC’s Another World in 1989, Nurse Harris on ABC’s All My Children in 1995, and Maude Boyland Hayes on One Life to Live from 1997 to 1998.
Gallagher’s career spanned nearly two dozen Broadway shows from 1944 to 1981.
