Politics
Award-Winning Actress Dead At 98
Helen Gallagher, the distinguished actress whose career spanned Broadway and daytime television, passed away on Sunday at a Manhattan hospital. She was 98. Her death was confirmed by Edith Meeks, executive and artistic director at New York’s Herbert Berghof Studio, where Gallagher taught for many years. No cause was provided.
“We are saddened to report that two-time Tony winner Helen Gallagher has passed away at the age of 98,” Playbill wrote in a statement on Instagram. “Our condolences go out to her family, friends, and fans.”
Born in 1926, in Brooklyn, New York, Gallagher grew up in Scarsdale and the Bronx before launching her Broadway career in the 1940s.
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Gallagher’s illustrious career spanned seven decades, beginning with her role as Nancy in the 1947 musical “High Button Shoes.” Her rise to fame was marked by a Tony-winning performance as Gladys Bumps in the 1952 revival of “Pal Joey.”
In 1953, she starred as the title character in “Hazel Flagg,” marking her first leading role on Broadway. Her performance as Nickie in “Sweet Charity” in 1966 garnered a Tony nomination, and she later took over the lead role of Charity.
She earned her second Tony in 1971 for her portrayal of Lucille Early in “No, No, Nanette,” a role that also brought her a Drama Desk Award. In 1975, she took on the character of Maeve Ryan, the matriarch in the ABC soap opera “Ryan’s Hope,” a role she embodied until the show concluded in 1989, winning three Daytime Emmy Awards along the way.
She lived 98 beautiful years; Bob Fosse cast her alongside Gwen Verdon and me in Broadway’s “Sweet Charity” — where she captured every audience, a Tony Award and our hearts forever.
Rest in peace,
Helen Gallagher. pic.twitter.com/pmO8iLCUnd— RUTH BUZZI (@Ruth_A_Buzzi) November 29, 2024
Aside from her illustrious stage and screen career, Gallagher was also a passionate educator, teaching singing for musical theater at the Herbert Berghof Studio from the 1970s, where she guided many aspiring actors. Her personal life included her marriage to Frank Wise in 1956, which ended in divorce in 1972.
Two time Tony winner #HelenGallagher passes away at 98 pic.twitter.com/d1jNyqwmjg
— Apeksha Sandesh (@apekshasandesh_) November 27, 2024
Gallagher said that she never pursued or was comfortable with being labeled a “star.”
“I was a fearful little girl,” she recounted about her high school years to The New York Times in a 1983 interview. She found solace on stage, describing it as a sanctuary. “The stage gave me permission to escape,” she explained. “I say to my students, ‘They can’t get you when you’re on stage.'” She admitted she could have pursued a more prominent career but chose not to become “anyone’s commodity.”
Gallagher also shared her reluctance to face the public after performances. “I am shy about going out the stage door. I’ve always had an ability to duck and run down the street,” she said, noting her suitability for repertory theater and character roles.
On television, she was best known for her role as Maeve Ryan on the ABC soap opera “Ryan’s Hope,” which she portrayed from 1975 to 1989. In addition to her acting career, Gallagher contributed to the arts as an acting instructor at the Herbert Berghof Studio in New York City.
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