Ellen Holly at the Americans for the Arts National Arts Awards in October 2010.Photo:CLINT SPAULDING/Patrick McMullanEllen Holly, the trailblazingOne Life to Liveactress who became the first Black person to star on a soap opera, has died. She was 92.In a statement shared with PEOPLE, her publicist Cheryl L. Duncan announced that the actress died in her sleep on Wednesday at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, New York.Holly began her career on stages in New York City and Boston and made her broadway debut inToo Late the Phalaropein 1956. She went on to star in other Broadway productions such asFace of a Hero,Tiger Tiger Burning BrightandA Hand is on the Gate.She also made appearances on television shows includingThe Big Story(1957),The Defenders(1963),Sam Benedict(1963),Dr. Kildare(1964) andThe Doctors and the Nurses(1963 and 1964).Ellen Holly in ‘One Life to Live’.ABC Photo Archives/GettyIn 1968, Holly became a household name with her portrayal of Carla Benari on ABC’sOne Life to Live. Her soap opera debut was a historic one as Holly became the first Black actress to secure a longterm contract on a daytime soap.She went on to play the role until 1980 and later reprised her character from 1983 to 1985.Holly advocated for Black representation in television over the course of her entire career. In fact, the actress landed her historic role onOne Life to Livewhen the soap’s creator Agnes Nixon came across an op-ed she wrote forThe New York Timestitled“How Black Do You Have to Be?”in 1968.Nixon signed Holly for a one-year contract for $300 a week, and the actress took on the role of a White-passing woman who’s race wasn’t revealed until the end of her first season. In the show, a White doctor (Robert Milli) falls in love with Holly’s character after he treats her for a nervous breakdown when she finds herself attracted to a Black intern (Peter De Anda).Carla’s “attempt to come to terms with her racial identity and her love triangle with two doctors,” launched the viewership of the soap opera “into the stratosphere,” according to Holly’s obituary. As a result, other popular soaps likeAll My ChildrenandGeneral Hospitalbegan adopting Black story lines in response to Carla’s popularity, which helped ABC “dominate daytime for two decades.Later in her career, Holly spoke out about being “underpaid” and facing “mistreatment” from the show’s executives alongside some of her Black castmates.“I feel as if I was hired as a temporary gimmick to rocket-boost a payload of white stars into orbit. Basically, that’s what I was used as. And that’s how it worked out,” she explained in a 2012 interview withThe Root.Over the years, Holly wrote numerous pieces for theNew York Timesand published her autobiographyOne Life: The Autobiography of an African American Actressin 1996. She eventually retired from her career on television and became a librarian at White Plains Public Library after passing her civil service examination in the 1990s.“She referred to her years there as some of the happiest of her life,” her obit states. “Holly had many friends and was a well-loved member of her White Plains community… She is sorely missed and mightily celebrated.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.According to the obituary, there will be no funeral per Holly’s wishes. Instead, her loved ones ask that expressions of sympathy be made in the form of donations to The Obama Presidential Center or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Ellen Holly at the Americans for the Arts National Arts Awards in October 2010.Photo:CLINT SPAULDING/Patrick McMullan
CLINT SPAULDING/Patrick McMullan
Ellen Holly, the trailblazingOne Life to Liveactress who became the first Black person to star on a soap opera, has died. She was 92.In a statement shared with PEOPLE, her publicist Cheryl L. Duncan announced that the actress died in her sleep on Wednesday at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, New York.Holly began her career on stages in New York City and Boston and made her broadway debut inToo Late the Phalaropein 1956. She went on to star in other Broadway productions such asFace of a Hero,Tiger Tiger Burning BrightandA Hand is on the Gate.She also made appearances on television shows includingThe Big Story(1957),The Defenders(1963),Sam Benedict(1963),Dr. Kildare(1964) andThe Doctors and the Nurses(1963 and 1964).Ellen Holly in ‘One Life to Live’.ABC Photo Archives/GettyIn 1968, Holly became a household name with her portrayal of Carla Benari on ABC’sOne Life to Live. Her soap opera debut was a historic one as Holly became the first Black actress to secure a longterm contract on a daytime soap.She went on to play the role until 1980 and later reprised her character from 1983 to 1985.Holly advocated for Black representation in television over the course of her entire career. In fact, the actress landed her historic role onOne Life to Livewhen the soap’s creator Agnes Nixon came across an op-ed she wrote forThe New York Timestitled“How Black Do You Have to Be?”in 1968.Nixon signed Holly for a one-year contract for $300 a week, and the actress took on the role of a White-passing woman who’s race wasn’t revealed until the end of her first season. In the show, a White doctor (Robert Milli) falls in love with Holly’s character after he treats her for a nervous breakdown when she finds herself attracted to a Black intern (Peter De Anda).Carla’s “attempt to come to terms with her racial identity and her love triangle with two doctors,” launched the viewership of the soap opera “into the stratosphere,” according to Holly’s obituary. As a result, other popular soaps likeAll My ChildrenandGeneral Hospitalbegan adopting Black story lines in response to Carla’s popularity, which helped ABC “dominate daytime for two decades.Later in her career, Holly spoke out about being “underpaid” and facing “mistreatment” from the show’s executives alongside some of her Black castmates.“I feel as if I was hired as a temporary gimmick to rocket-boost a payload of white stars into orbit. Basically, that’s what I was used as. And that’s how it worked out,” she explained in a 2012 interview withThe Root.Over the years, Holly wrote numerous pieces for theNew York Timesand published her autobiographyOne Life: The Autobiography of an African American Actressin 1996. She eventually retired from her career on television and became a librarian at White Plains Public Library after passing her civil service examination in the 1990s.“She referred to her years there as some of the happiest of her life,” her obit states. “Holly had many friends and was a well-loved member of her White Plains community… She is sorely missed and mightily celebrated.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.According to the obituary, there will be no funeral per Holly’s wishes. Instead, her loved ones ask that expressions of sympathy be made in the form of donations to The Obama Presidential Center or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Ellen Holly, the trailblazingOne Life to Liveactress who became the first Black person to star on a soap opera, has died. She was 92.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, her publicist Cheryl L. Duncan announced that the actress died in her sleep on Wednesday at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, New York.
Holly began her career on stages in New York City and Boston and made her broadway debut inToo Late the Phalaropein 1956. She went on to star in other Broadway productions such asFace of a Hero,Tiger Tiger Burning BrightandA Hand is on the Gate.
She also made appearances on television shows includingThe Big Story(1957),The Defenders(1963),Sam Benedict(1963),Dr. Kildare(1964) andThe Doctors and the Nurses(1963 and 1964).
Ellen Holly in ‘One Life to Live’.ABC Photo Archives/Getty
ABC Photo Archives/Getty
In 1968, Holly became a household name with her portrayal of Carla Benari on ABC’sOne Life to Live. Her soap opera debut was a historic one as Holly became the first Black actress to secure a longterm contract on a daytime soap.
She went on to play the role until 1980 and later reprised her character from 1983 to 1985.
Holly advocated for Black representation in television over the course of her entire career. In fact, the actress landed her historic role onOne Life to Livewhen the soap’s creator Agnes Nixon came across an op-ed she wrote forThe New York Timestitled“How Black Do You Have to Be?”in 1968.
Nixon signed Holly for a one-year contract for $300 a week, and the actress took on the role of a White-passing woman who’s race wasn’t revealed until the end of her first season. In the show, a White doctor (Robert Milli) falls in love with Holly’s character after he treats her for a nervous breakdown when she finds herself attracted to a Black intern (Peter De Anda).
Carla’s “attempt to come to terms with her racial identity and her love triangle with two doctors,” launched the viewership of the soap opera “into the stratosphere,” according to Holly’s obituary. As a result, other popular soaps likeAll My ChildrenandGeneral Hospitalbegan adopting Black story lines in response to Carla’s popularity, which helped ABC “dominate daytime for two decades.
Later in her career, Holly spoke out about being “underpaid” and facing “mistreatment” from the show’s executives alongside some of her Black castmates.
“I feel as if I was hired as a temporary gimmick to rocket-boost a payload of white stars into orbit. Basically, that’s what I was used as. And that’s how it worked out,” she explained in a 2012 interview withThe Root.
Over the years, Holly wrote numerous pieces for theNew York Timesand published her autobiographyOne Life: The Autobiography of an African American Actressin 1996. She eventually retired from her career on television and became a librarian at White Plains Public Library after passing her civil service examination in the 1990s.
“She referred to her years there as some of the happiest of her life,” her obit states. “Holly had many friends and was a well-loved member of her White Plains community… She is sorely missed and mightily celebrated.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
According to the obituary, there will be no funeral per Holly’s wishes. Instead, her loved ones ask that expressions of sympathy be made in the form of donations to The Obama Presidential Center or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
source: people.com
