Beloved Guiding Light and As the World Turns Vet Dead at 67: ‘We Are Devastated at the Loss of an Incredible Woman’
Lisa Brown passed away on November 24.
Sadly, while the rest of us were basting our turkeys and trying to jog off all the Thanksgiving calories that we knew we were going to ingest a day later, Lisa Brown was taking her final bow following a brief illness.
Though the actress’ last daytime appearance was more than a decade ago, her impact on the genre will be everlasting. She first took audiences by storm when the late, great Douglas Marland created the character of scheming have-not Nola Reardon on Guiding Light. The teenage hellraiser could’ve been a dime-a-dozen spoiler, but between Marland’s writing and Brown’s acting, Nola transcended cliche to become the unlikeliest of heroines.
Above: Brown made Guiding Light’s teen scene must-see TV in the early ’80s with such peers as Kevin Bacon as adolescent tippler Tim and John Wesley Shipp as her obsession, Kelly.
Credit: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
More: As the World Turns through the years [PHOTOS]
In fact, in her most popular storyline, Nola was thrust into a series of fantasies about true love Quint Charmberlain that were based on classic old movies. There was nothing that she couldn’t do — and the soap knew it. Check her out opposite the late Michael Tylo below in a Casablanca homage.
After leaving Guiding Light, Brown tackled another Marland-created role, that of As the World Turns’ Iva Snyder, the surprise biological mother of Lily Walsh. She didn’t just knock it out of the park, she knocked it out of the park’s parking lot. Just watch her in action below, in the scene in which Lily learns that Lucinda isn’t her biological mother — for starters.
“She was my friend since I was 15 years old from the day Doug introduced me to my ‘mother,’” Martha Byrne (Lily) told Soap Opera Digest. She “was my mentor, mother, sister and so much more for my entire life. As a scene partner, she was always present and full of creativity. As a writer and director, her instincts were second to none…
“For the fans, she loved and respected you all more than you will ever know,” the Emmy winner added. “She loved entertaining you, and her appreciation for your support was immeasurable. We are devastated at the loss of an incredible woman.”
In the 1980s, Brown also worked on Broadway (in 42nd Street, no less). Following her storied run on screen, she became an acting coach at Guiding Light and One Life to Live. She is survived by two children with her first husband, Guiding Light co-star Tom Nielsen (Floyd), two grandchildren and second husband Brian Neary.
Above: Guiding Light’s Floyd was as into Nola as she was Kelly.
Credit: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
More: Catching up with Guiding Light alumni [PHOTOS]
On this heartbreaking occasion, stop off on your way to the comments to share your favorite Brown scenes to pay your respects to all the soap greats we’ve lost in 2021 by perusing the photo gallery below.
Video: YouTube/Garrett, YouTube/QuintNola
