Actress Ellen Holly, who made history as the first Black star of a daytime show when she played Carla Gray in ABC’s soap opera One Life to Live, died at the age of 92. Her publicist, Cheryl L. Duncan, informed in a statement that the actress passed away peacefully on Wednesday at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, New York.
Holly, who was born on January 16, 1931, in New York City in 1931, joined the Actors Studio at the start of her career and made appearances in Broadway productions of shows like A Hand Is on the Gate and Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright. She collaborated with actors such as Jack Lemmon, Roscoe Lee Browne, and James Earl Jones while performing on stage.
Holly came from a family that was renowned in the Black community. Her relatives included the first African American woman to be awarded an M.D. in New York City, the first Black female principal in the city, and the first Black woman to hold a position in the mayor’s cabinet. Holly, a Queens native, attended Hunter College and then started her acting career in the Boston and New York theater scenes.
Holly was the first African-American actress to be chosen for a daytime TV series regular role. In addition to landing the part of actress-turned-judge Carla Gray on One Life to Live, which she played from 1968 to 1980 and again from 1983 to 1985, Holly also made guest appearances on Sam Benedict and The Nurses.
After writing a letter to the editor of The New York Times about her experiences as a light-skinned African American, Holly was noticed by Agnes Nixon, the creator of One Life to Live. Holly was offered a role on Nixon’s show, and the latter created the character Carla.
She published her autobiography in 1996, detailing her experiences as a light-skinned black actress in Hollywood. In 1985, new executive producer Paul Rauch fired her from the show, according to her autobiography One Life: The Autobiography of an African American Actress.
Holly made a long-term comeback to daytime television in 1989, serving as a judge on Guiding Light until 1993. Alongside Mario Van Peebles and Andre Braugher, she portrayed Selena Frey in the television movie 10,000 Black Men Named George in 2002, marking her comeback to the small screen.
Holly never got married or had kids. She was romantically involved with Roger Hill, her co-star on One Life to Live, who is best known for playing Cyrus in the cult classic The Warriors. She talked about her romance with Harry Belafonte in her autobiography. Along with other family members, she is survived by her grandnieces and cousins.
