Helen Gallagher

Helen Gallagher (born July 19, 1926 in New York City) is an American actress.

For decades, Gallagher was known as an actress of the New York stage. In 1952, she won a Tony Award for her work in Pal Joey, and won another Tony in 1971 for her work as the lead in No, No, Nanette. An aficionado 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 Ryan, and as such, focused much loving care and attention in crafting her development. As a result, Gallagher's motherly character quickly became the heart and soul of the show. She was nominated for four Daytime Emmy Awards for her work on the serial, winning in 1976 and 1977.

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 decided to take her "semi-retirement" from acting, appearing in the various mediums now and again.