Helen Gallagher, a two-time Tony Award winner on Broadway, has died. She was 98 years old.
Gallagher died Sunday at a Manhattan hospital.
He was dead. Confirmed By Edith Meeks, executive and artistic director of New York’s Herbert Berghoff Studio, where Gallagher taught classes.
Playbill issued a statement on Instagram about Gallagher’s death.
“We are saddened to report that two-time Tony winner Helen Gallagher has passed away at the age of 98. Our condolences go out to her family, friends and fans,” the statement said.
Gallagher received her first Tony for her portrayal of Gladys Bumps in the 1952 revival of “Paul Joey.”
She won her second Tony in 1971 for the show “No, No, Nanette” where she played Lucille Early. He also received the Drama Desk Award for this performance.
Gallagher had his first starring role on Broadway in 1953’s “Hazelflag.” She appeared in the musicals “The Pajama Game,” “Mummy,” “Fenne’s Rainbow” and “Sweet Charity,” which earned her another Tony nomination.
He also performed in revivals of “Guys and Dolls” and “Brigadeon.”
Gallagher’s last Broadway role was in January 2000 in “70, Girls, 70”.
The late star also found success on the ABC soap opera “Ryan’s Hope.” She played Irish matriarch Mayo Ryan for the show’s 13-year run from 1975 to 1989.
Gallagher’s performance won her three Daytime Emmy Awards out of five nominations.
“Ryan’s hope was the best,” Gallagher said in a 1997 interview RyansBarOnline. “First of all, it was a half-hour show – wonderfully cast and wonderfully written. There were a lot of times when it was boring, but as a rule, it was really interesting – the people were focused. And they had to work.”
“It wasn’t just a matter of sitting on couches and talking about your emotional problems,” he added. “The place was alive, maybe because it was centered around a bar. It was just magic.”
Gallagher said that “Ryan’s Hope” is the best written soap of all time.
“And it’s not just the writing, it’s the whole situation,” she explained. “It lent itself to the complexities of ordinary life, but at the same time, it actually had one foot, which made it very easy to play. It wasn’t Never Never Land. It was a person and a place. It was It was great!
Additionally, Gallagher made guest appearances on the soaps “All My Children” and “One Life to Live.” In the 1990s, he guest-starred on “Law & Order” and “The Cosby Mystery.”
In film, Gallagher was in 1960’s “Strangers When We Meet” with Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak and 1977’s “Roseland” with Geraldine Chaplin and Christopher Walken.
Gallagher served as a faculty member at the Herbert Berghoff Studio in the last years of his life.
Credit : nypost.com
