Ellen Holly, Trailblazing Black Soap Star, Dies at 92

Ellen Holly, the first Black actress to star on a U.S. soap, died December 6 at a Bronx hospital, The New York Times reports. She was 92.

Holly, who was born January 16, 1931, grew up in Queens, debuting on Broadway in "Too Late the Phalarope" (1956). She appeared in several more Broadway productions.

A lifetime member of the Actors Studio, she shone on TV's "One Life to Live" from 1968-1985. As Carla — who passed for white on the show, then came out as Black while in the midst of romances with one white and one Black doctor — she captivated audiences, appearing on the cover of Jet magazine.

The experience was not altogether positive; she later wrote of disrespectful treatment from executives on the series she helped make a hit.

Other TV acting roles included a stint on "The Guiding Light" (1988-1993) and "In the Heat of the Night" (1989-1990). She appeared in such features as "Take a Giant Step" (1959) and Spike Lee's "School Daze" (1988).

She published the 1996 memoir "One Life: The Autobiography of an African American Actress," and stayed active writing opinion columns for The New York Times. An early op-ed in The Times, "How Black Do You Have to Be?," had led to her casting as Carla.

Holly never married, though detailed an affair with Harry Belafonte in her book.

She is survived by grand-nieces and extended family members.