Helen Gallagher (born July 19, 1926) is an American actress, dancer, singer and makeup artist. She was born in New York City of Irish, French, and English descent.
Gallagher was known for decades as a Broadway performer. She appeared in Make a Wish, Hazel Flagg, Portofino, High Button Shoes, Sweet Charity, and Cry for Us All. Multi-talented, but fiery, Gallagher once reportedly kicked an actor (who tried to upstage her) into the orchestra pit, according to Merv Griffin, who once appeared in Finian's Rainbow on Broadway with her.
In 1952, she won a Tony Award for her work in the musical Pal Joey. In 1971, she won her second Tony Award for her role in the revival of the musical No, No, Nanette, which also starred Ruby Keeler and Patsy Kelly. Helen appeared in the 1977 movie Roseland opposite Christopher Walken. An aficionada of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she appeared on a special tribute episode of The Bell Telephone Hour.
Despite her extensive work on Broadway, she is perhaps best known as the gentle Irish American matriarch, Maeve Ryan, on the soap opera Ryan's Hope, a role she played for the show's entire duration, from 1975 to 1989. Creator and head writer Claire Labine had much affection for the character of Maeve, and as such, focused much loving care and attention in crafting her development. As a result, Gallagher's motherly character quickly came to be portrayed as the heart and soul of the show. She was nominated for five Daytime Emmy Awards for her work on the serial, winning in 1976, 1977, and 1988.
As the show progressed further into the 1980s, the ratings took a steep slide. When ABC executives decided to cancel Ryan's Hope, Claire Labine decided to end the final episode with Maeve at the family bar, Ryan's, singing her favorite tune, Danny Boy.
Since the cancellation of Ryan's Hope, Gallagher has appeared in All My Children and One Life to Live and in various Off-Broadway productions, although she considers herself in "semi-retirement".
References
^ Finian's Rainbow at the Internet Broadway Database
External links
Helen Gallagher at the Internet Broadway Database
Helen Gallagher at the Internet Movie Database
Helen Gallagher at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
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Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Elizabeth Hubbard, The Doctors (1974) · Susan Flannery, Days of our Lives (1975) · Helen Gallagher, Ryan's Hope (1976) · Helen Gallagher, Ryan's Hope (1977) · Laurie Heineman, Another World (1978) · Irene Dailey, Another World (1979)
Complete list: (1974-1979) · (1980-1989) · (1990-1999) (2000-2009)
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Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Judith Light, One Life to Live (1980) · Judith Light, One Life to Live (1981) · Robin Strasser, One Life to Live (1982) · Dorothy Lyman, All My Children (1983) · Erika Slezak, One Life to Live (1984) · Kim Zimmer, Guiding Light (1985) · Erika Slezak, One Life to Live (1986) · Kim Zimmer, Guiding Light (1987) · Helen Gallagher, Ryan's Hope (1988) · Marcy Walker, Santa Barbara (1989)
Complete list: (1974-1979) · (1980-1989) · (1990-1999) (2000-2009)
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Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Grace Hartman (1948) · Nanette Fabray (1949) · Mary Martin (1950) · Ethel Merman (1951) · Gertrude Lawrence (1952) · Rosalind Russell (1953) · Dolores Gray (1954) · Mary Martin (1955) · Gwen Verdon (1956) · Judy Holliday (1957) · Thelma Ritter/ Gwen Verdon (1958) · Gwen Verdon (1959) · Mary Martin (1960) · Elizabeth Seal (1961) · Anna Maria Alberghetti/ Diahann Carroll (1962) · Vivien Leigh (1963) · Carol Channing (1964) · Liza Minnelli (1965) · Angela Lansbury (1966) · Barbara Harris (1967) · Patricia Routledge/ Leslie Uggams (1968) · Angela Lansbury (1969) · Lauren Bacall (1970) · Helen Gallagher (1971) · Alexis Smith (1972) · Glynis Johns (1973) · Virginia Capers (1974) · Angela Lansbury (1975)
Complete list · (1948-1975) · (1976-2000) · (2001-present)
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Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Juanita Hall (1950) · Isabel Bigley (1951) · ) · Helen Gallagher (1952) · Sheila Bond (1953) · Gwen Verdon (1954) · Carol Haney (1955) · Lotte Lenya (1956) · Edie Adams (1957) · Barbara Cook (1958) · Pat Stanley (1959) · Patricia Neway (1960) · Tammy Grimes (1961) · Phyllis Newman (1962) · Anna Quayle (1963) · Tessie O'Shea (1964) · Maria Karnilova (1965) · Beatrice Arthur (1966) · Peg Murray (1967) · Lillian Hayman (1968) · Marian Mercer (1969) · Melba Moore (1970) · Patsy Kelly (1971) · Linda Hopkins (1972) · Patricia Elliott (1973) · Janie Sell (1974) · Dee Dee Bridgewater (1975)
Complete list: (1950-1975) · (1976-2000) · (2001-present)
Persondata
NAME
Gallagher, Helen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Actress
DATE OF BIRTH
19 July 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH
New York City, New York
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Gallagher"
Categories: 1926 births | Living people | American musical theatre actors | American soap opera actors | American film actors | Daytime Emmy Award winners | Tony Award winners | Irish-Americans | New York actors
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