Helen Gallagher, who famously brought matriarch Maeve Ryan to life on Ryan's Hope throughout the soap's entire run, has passed away at the age of 98.
Helen Gallagher was a soap and theater legend
Gallagher was born on July 19, 1926, in New York City, where she spent her life and built her storied career. By the time she was in her 20s, she was singing and dancing on Broadway. She eventually went on to star in such classic musicals as Pal Joey, The Pajama Game, Finnean's Rainbow, Sweet Charity, and Mame.
Playbill.com confirmed the actress' death with friends at the Herbert Berghof Studios, the famed NYC acting school where Gallagher taught.
Gallagher, who was married to Frank Wise from 1956-1972, was considered a triple threat throughout her career, meaning she could sing, dance, and act. According to Deadline, She earned two Tony Awards before she switched gears and found a home on daytime television on a new half-hour soap opera called Ryan's Hope. Created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, Ryan's Hope ran from 1975-1989 on ABC as a lead-in to All My Children.
Gallagher's soap opera career
Gallagher played the lead role of Maeve Ryan, who owned New York City's fictional Ryan's Bar along with her husband, Johnny Ryan. Maeve and Johnny had five children living their own complicated lives. The audience watched Maeve and Johnny be supportive parents to Frank, Kathleen, Patrick, Mary, and Siobhan as Gallagher made Maeve the heart and soul of the day it premiered until the day it left the airwaves.
Ryan's Hope helped Gallagher add to her awards collection. She won three Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1976, 1977, and 1988. Gallagher's sweet and lilting rendition of the Irish classic Danny Boy became Maeve's signature song as she performed the famous tune for Ryan's Bar patrons.
On Ryan's Hope's final episode on January 13, 1989, Gallagher closed out the soap's run with Danny Boy one last time. When interviewed on a 2000 SoapNet special commemorating the daytime drama, Gallagher described filming that legendary soap moment.
"I started singing and nothing would come out," she said. "Believe me, that was like leaving my family, so I turned to them and said, 'Come on, everybody, sing with me.' And they all sang."
After Ryan's Hope ended, Gallagher briefly appeared on several other New York-based soaps, including All My Children, Another World, and One Life to Live. She also had small primetime roles on Law and Order and The Cosby Mysteries, per IMDb.
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During an interview on The Locher Room in 2023, Gallagher recalled first landing the role of Maeve. After years on Broadway, she and her management team approached Ryan's Hope producers about her joining the in-development soap. When she was offered the role, she had no doubt she wanted it.
"I didn't hesitate at all because I loved the idea of the part," Gallagher said. "I loved that she just gathered children around her and I've always gravitated toward children...She was just the center of a very large, loving family and that's what I always wanted to be."
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