Ellen Holly, First Black Soap Opera Star, Dies At 92

Ellen Holly, the first Black actor to star in a soap opera with a lead role on “One Life To Live,” has died. She was 92.

Actress Ellen Holly passes away

In a statement by her publicist, Holly died Wednesday in her sleep at a hospital in the Bronx, New York.

History making acting career

Holly began her career in theatre, debuting on Broadway in 1956. She went on to work with James Earl Jones, Jack Lemmon and Cicely Tyson.

She earned her history making role on “One Life to Live” after she published a column in The New York Times in 1968 candidly sharing her difficulties finding roles as a Black woman with lighter skin, backed by the “turbulent and racially divisive 1960s.” A producer chose the actress for the role of Carla Gray after she read the piece, titled “How Black Do You Have To Be.”

Holly would go on to be a shining star on the soap opera for more than a decade, from 1968 to 1980 and again from 1983 to 1985. Her storylines included a love triangle between her character and two doctors, one white and one Black.

She also appeared on television shows such as “The Guiding Light” and “The Heat of the Night”.

Her family remembered her as a pioneering actress with a long career on screen and stage.

“Ellen Holly was a trailblazer who lead an incredible life,” her family said in a statement. “We hope that her life and career will serve as an inspiration for others to follow their dreams and passions. While we will miss her extraordinary personality, we can only celebrate a life remarkably lived.”