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Ellen Holly

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Ellen Holly
Holly in One Life to Live (1975)
Born
Ellen Virginia Holly

(1931-01-16)January 16, 1931
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 6, 2023(2023-12-06) (aged 92)
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
EducationHunter College
Years active1959–1993; 2002
Known forBeing the first African-American to appear in a lead role on an American soap opera (One Life to Live)
Workssee Filmography
Partners

Ellen Virginia Holly (January 16, 1931 – December 6, 2023) was an American actress. Beginning her career on stage in the late 1950s, Holly was perhaps best known for her role as Carla Gray–Hall on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live (1968–1980; 1983–1985). Holly is noted as the first African American to appear on daytime television in a leading role.[1]

Biography

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Early life, education and family

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Holly was born on January 16, 1931,[2] in New York City, to William Garnet Holly and Grace Holly. Raised in Richmond Hills neighborhood of Queens, Holly graduated from Hunter College. Holly was African American,[3] and claimed African, English, French, and Shinnecock Native heritage.[4] Her father's grandmother was Susan Smith McKinney Steward, the third African-American woman to earn a medical degree, and the first in New York state.[5] Her grandaunt was Sarah Smith Thompson Garnet, an educator and suffragist from New York City who was a pioneering African-American female school principal in the New York City public school system.[5] Holly's great-grandfather was the Rev. James Theodore Holly, the first African-American bishop in the Protestant Episcopal church, who spent most of his episcopal career as missionary bishop of Haiti.[5] A great-great-grandfather was Sylvanus Smith, one of many leaders encouraging African American people to purchase land in Kings County, New York (later known as the Weeksville settlement).[5] Her maternal aunt was Anna Arnold Hedgeman, a civil rights leader, politician, educator, and writer who served under President Harry Truman as executive director of the National Council for a Permanent Fair Employment Practices Commission.[5]

Career

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Holly, a life long member of The Actors Studio, Began her acting career in the late-1950s.[6] Holly appeared in several Broadway productions including Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright and A Hand Is on the Gate; she also played Desdemona in a production of Othello by the New York Shakespeare Festival.[7] In 1960, Holly resolved a "feud" with producer Lester Osterman when he cast her in a play.[8] Holly guest-starred on Sam Benedict and The Nurses prior to starring on One Life to Live.[9]

One Life to Live

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Holly came to the attention of Agnes Nixon, the creator of One Life to Live, after writing a letter to the editor of The New York Times about what it was like to be a light-skinned African American.[10] Nixon created the role of Carla Gray, actress-turned-judge and offered Holly the role. In 1968, Holly became the first African-American actress to star on daytime television.[10] "She is beautiful, plainly cultured, has one of the most alive faces, full of lovely strength, ever to brighten our tube," wrote television reporter Jack O'Brian in 1969.[11] When Holly began on One Life to Live in October 1968, her African-American heritage was not publicized as part of the storyline. Holly's character, named Carla Benari, was a touring actress of apparently Italian-American heritage. Carla and white physician Dr. Jim Craig fell in love and became engaged, but she was falling for an African-American doctor. When the two kissed onscreen, it was reported that the switchboards at ABC were busy by fans who thought that the show had shown an African-American and white person kissing. The fact that Carla was an African-American posing as white was revealed when Sadie Gray, played by Lillian Hayman, was identified as her mother. Sadie convinced her daughter to embrace her heritage and tell the truth. Holly left the series in 1980, but returned in 1983.[2] In 1972, Holly was public in her criticism of Anthony Quinn being cast to play Haitian general Henri Christophe.[12] Holly returned to the question of race and casting when she commented on Jonathan Pryce's role in Miss Saigon in 1990.[13] In 1996, Holly released her autobiography describing her life and struggles as a light-skinned black actress in Hollywood.[14] According to her autobiography One Life: The Autobiography of an African American Actress, Holly was fired from the show by new executive producer Paul Rauch in 1985.

Later career and life

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In 1988, Holly appeared in Spike Lee's School Daze as Mission College president Mr. McPherson's wife Odrie. Holly returned to daytime in the long-term recurring role of a judge on Guiding Light from 1989 until 1993.[15] Holly made a return to the small screen in 2002, when she appeared as Selena Frey in the television film 10,000 Black Men Named George, alongside Andre Braugher and Mario Van Peebles.[16] Holly retired from acting in 1993 and became a librarian in White Plains, New York.[17]

Personal life and death

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Holly was a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.[18] Holly never married or had children. She had a relationship with her One Life to Live co-star Roger Hill, who is also known for his role as Cyrus in the cult film The Warriors (1979). In her autobiography, Holly wrote about her romances with actors Harry Belafonte and Ron O'Neal.[19] Holly died at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx on December 6, 2023, at the age of 92.[2][20][21]

Filmography

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Film
Year Film Role Notes
1959 Take a Giant Step[22] Carol, the Girl in the Bar
1973 Cops and Robbers[23] Secretary
1988 School Daze[24] Odrie McPherson
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1963 The Defenders Janet Lamb 1 episode
Sam Benedict Elissa Reagan 1 episode
1963–1964 The Nurses Helena Fuentes
Natalia Cortez 		2 episodes
1964 Dr. Kildare Lucille Mann 1 episode
1968–1986 One Life to Live[15] Clara Hall/Carla Scott/Carla Bonari 91 episodes
1974 King Lear Regan Television movie
1978 Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force Amy Television movie
1985 ABC Afterschool Special Mrs. Robbins 1 episode
1986 Spenser: For Hire Amanda Layton 1 episode
1989–1990 In the Heat of the Night Ruth Peterson 4 episodes
1989–1993 Guiding Light[15] Judge Collier Unknown episodes
2002 10,000 Black Men Named George Selena Frey Television movie

Broadway credits

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Year Title Role Theatre Notes
1956 Too Late the Phalarope[7] Stephanie Belasco Based on a novel by Alan Paton
1960 Face of a Hero[7] Elizabeth Falk Eugene O'Neill With Ed Asner, Sandy Dennis and Jack Lemmon
1962–1963 Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright Cille Morris Booth Written by Peter Feibleman; Alvin Ailey, Roscoe Lee Browne, and Cicely Tyson were also in the cast
1966 A Hand is on the Gate Longacre With Roscoe Lee Browne, James Earl Jones, Gloria Foster, and Cicely Tyson

References

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  1. ^ Lynch, Hillary (July 21, 2020). "The Box: Looking Back At Daytime's First Black Leading Actress Ellen Holly". A Hot Set. Archived from the original on February 24, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Levinsky, Mara (December 7, 2023). "Remembering One Life to Live Legend Ellen Holly, 1931–2023". Soap Opera Digest. United States: A360media. ISSN 0164-3584. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  3. ^ Holly, Ellen (September 15, 1968). "How Black Do You Have To Be?; How Black Do You Have To Be?". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "Living a White Life – for a While". The New York Times.
  5. ^ a b c d e Cristi, A. A. (December 7, 2023). "Broadway Actress And America's First Black Soap Opera Star Ellen Holly Has Died". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  6. ^ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 278. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
  7. ^ a b c Calta, Louis (July 12, 1960). "Ellen Holly Gets 'Face of a Hero' Role". The New York Times. p. 38. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  8. ^ "Negro Actress Concludes Feud". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 19, 1960. p. 13. Retrieved December 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Schemering, Christopher. The Soap Opera Encyclopedia, September 1985, pg. 158–166, ISBN 0-345-32459-5 (1st edition)
  10. ^ a b "'One Life to Live' star Ellen Holly, first Black actor to lead a daytime TV show, dies at 92". NBC News. December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  11. ^ O'Brian, Jack (November 13, 1969). "TV Actress Ellen Holly Has a Strange Problem". The Columbia Record. p. 24. Retrieved December 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Stone, Louise Davis (August 15, 1972). "Anthony Quinn as a Haitian General?". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 10. Retrieved December 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Holly, Ellen (September 2, 1990). "A 'Miss Saigon' of Another Color". Oakland Tribune. p. 87. Retrieved December 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Underwood, Kim (August 7, 1997). "Revelation: Writing leads Holly to appreciate her own life". Winston-Salem Journal. p. 26. Retrieved December 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b c Hirsch, Linda (December 21, 1988). "'Guiding Light' actress has long history from 'One Life'". The Island Packet. p. 27. Retrieved December 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Fearn-Banks, Kathleen; Burford-Johnson, Anne (October 3, 2014). Historical Dictionary of African-American Television. Scarecrow Press. p. 195. ISBN 9780810879164.
  17. ^ WHITE PLAINS, Trailblazing actress Ellen Holly of White Plains, star of 'One Life to Live', dies at 92, Ellen Holly, the first Black person to have a lead role on a daytime television show and a White Plains resident, died on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 92, December 11, 2023
  18. ^ Roses and Revolutions : Waxidermy Archived January 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ America, Kodansha (December 17, 1996). Nonfiction Book Review: One Life: The Autobiography of an African American Actress by Ellen Holly. Publishers Weekly. Kodansha International. ISBN 978-1-56836-158-1. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  20. ^ Barnes, Mike (December 7, 2023). "Ellen Holly, Pioneering Black Actress on 'One Life to Live,' Dies at 92". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  21. ^ Yoon, John (December 7, 2023). "Ellen Holly, Trailblazing Star in 'One Life to Live,' Dies at 92". The New York Times.
  22. ^ Crowther, Bosley (March 6, 1961). "Screen: Confused Hero:Johnny Nash Has Lead in 'Take a Giant Step'". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  23. ^ Greenspun, Roger (August 16, 1973). "Police Team Engineers Caper in 'Cops and Robbers'". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  24. ^ Trainor, Daniel (December 8, 2023). "Ellen Holly, the First Black Soap Opera Star, Dead at 92". The Messenger. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
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