Ellen Holly was an actress who starred as Carla Gray-Hall on “One Life to Life,” becoming the first Black star of a daytime soap opera.
- Died: December 6, 2023 (Who else died on December 6?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospital in New York City at the age of 92.
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Ellen Holly’s legacy
Holly debuted on “One Life to Live” in 1968 in a controversial storyline that initially introduced her character as Italian American. When Carla began dating a Black man in that same year, some of the show’s late-1960s viewers struggled with the onscreen relationship: interracial marriage had only been made federally legal in 1967, and it was still a controversial topic. In a move that shocked viewers, it was soon revealed that Carla was in fact a Black woman who had been passing for white.
The big reveal generated plenty of press for “One Life to Live,” and it made Holly a groundbreaking daytime TV star. A new Black audience embraced “One Life to Live,” excited to see Holly continue in her role as Carla for a decade and a half. She left the show in 1980 but returned in 1983 for several more years.
After her time on “One Life to Live,” Holly also appeared on TV in several episodes of “In the Heat of the Night” and “Guiding Light,” as well as in a guest role on “Spenser: For Hire.” On the big screen, she had a role in Spike Lee’s 1988 movie “School Daze,” and she appeared in “Take a Giant Step” and “Cops and Robbers.” In later years, having retired from acting, Holly worked as a librarian, and she wrote the memoir “One Life: The Autobiography of an African American Actress.”
Holly on her character’s big reveal
“I realized that a lot of people are prejudiced who don’t know that they are. They really don’t know it, and when they felt one way about me on Friday, and did a whole 180 on me on Monday, it was demonstrated to them that it had nothing to do with anything tangible. It was a very illuminating moment.” —from a 2012 interview for We Love Soaps
Tributes to Ellen Holly
Full obituary: The New York Times
