A BELOVED soap opera star who played an iconic character for 50 years has died, aged 91.
Eileen Fulton, best known for her on and off portrayal of Lisa Miller in the popular show As the World Turns, died on July 14 in her hometown of Ashville, North Carolina.
Her tragic passing came “after a period of declining health”, Groce Funeral Home‘s obituary for her said.
Fulton popularised her character Lisa with a “bad girl” aesthetic, winning the hearts of many at home – from 1960 all the way until 2010.
The star previously revealed that her character had been written as a more innocent “sweet girl next door” figure.
But after delivering her lines in a more “conniving” manner to make Lisa more interesting, the writers picked up on the idea and played into it.
Her character was renowned for her “vixen” vibe – and Time magazine once described Fulton’s interpretation of Lisa as a “superb****h”.
Later on in the show, Lisa became a more gentle dame, with her personality maturing as both the actress and character grew older.
At one point during the show, Fulton famously had a “grandma clause” locked into her contract.
This would have prevented the character of Lisa from having grandchildren – out of fear that it would make her seem old or irrelevant.
Her iconic portrayal of Lisa on As the World Turns earned her a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1988 and 2004.
Fulton and Don Hastings – who played her first husband on the show – were also both given Lifetime Achievement honors at the Daytime Emmys.
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Eileen Fulton was born as Margaret McClarty in Asheville in 1933.
She moved homes frequently as a child due to her dad’s vocation as a Methodist priest.
By the age of two, she was already keen on acting.
She interrupted one of her dad’s services by singing the old folk song Shortnin’ Bread – and the endured the resulting spanking, she told the Washington Post.
Fulton majored in music at Greensboro College and her dad got her a job in a church choir.
But she was dead-set on moving to New York City – with big dreams of “being the greatest actress on Broadway”.
She studied under renowned acting teachers Sanford Meisner and Lee Strasberg, as well as modern dance pioneer Martha Graham.
And her journey continued after embarking on a showbiz career that finally took off in 1960 – when she was cast on As the World Turns.
For the next 50 years, she repeatedly left the show.
But she always wound up coming back – on one occasion commenting: “I’ve quit forever three times.”
Early on in the show, Fulton worked tirelessly to juggle the soap and the stage.
She would film by day – acting in such shows as The Fantasticks – and act by night, in the Broadway production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for example.
Her most enduring role, however, will always be known as her chic and ruthlessly conniving portrayal of Lisa on As the World Turns.
Fan-favourite Lisa made a whopping eight thousand appearances on the show – cementing herself as a core presence on the soap opera.
She was known for her quick-thinking improvised quips while performing live – and her character even got a brief spin-off called Our Private World in 1965.
Alongside her soap work, she performed a touring cabaret act.
She one said: “I love to sing. I love to make the audience cry. Of course, then I have to cheer them up.”
Fulton also wrote a string of novels during the 1980s and 1990s – including six murder mysteries and a roman à clef called Soap Opera.
She is survived by one of her two brothers, both of her sisters-in-law and her niece, as well as a grandnephew and grandniece.
