An icon is being mourned in both Hollywood and the soap opera community. Eileen Fulton, the unforgettable star of As the World Turns, has died at age 91. The actress died July 14 in Asheville, North Carolina, after a long period of ill health, according to her obituary.
Fulton, whose birth name was Margaret Elizabeth McLarty, would make television history with her portrayal of Lisa Miller, one of daytime television's longest-lived and most infamous characters. She took on the role for the first time in 1960, only four years after graduating from Greensboro College with a degree in music. What followed was an incredible, 50-year run on As the World Turns, in which Fulton's character's journey took her from vengeful nemesis to a complex woman of great depth and nuance who captured the hearts and minds of posterity.
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Off-screen, Eileen Fulton proved to be as determined as she was talented. With training from the legendary acting coaches Sanford Meisner and Lee Strasberg, she imbued the work with an unmistakable depth and nuance. And while her character Lisa was infamous for sleeping her way to easy street, Fulton was refreshingly honest about the stark differences between herself and her on-screen counterpart. "She depended on men to do this, that, and the other thing and to make her rich," she said in a 2010 interview. "Believe me, that's not how I am. I create. I believe in setting goals, and going after it, and getting it. But as the years have gone on, there's more of a melding."
Her impact extended well beyond the realm of soap operas. Fulton was instrumental in redefining the stereotype of the "TV villainess." She brought emotional depth to the role and an attitude that connected with women long before it was as common as it is now. She made room for generations of female leads who could be unapologetically complex. As fans and colleagues fondly look back at her 50 years in the business, Eileen Fulton stands as a legend in the daytime drama world. A girl who's been around that long is bound to have collected some memories along the way.
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