NAME: Maureen GarrettRANK: 18
SOAP ROLES: Holly Norris, GUIDING LIGHT (1976-1981, 1988-2006, 2009); Elizabeth Jane "E.J." Ryan, RYAN'S HOPE (1981-1982)
AWARDS:
1994 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
1994 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress
1994 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress
1992 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
1991 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
1994 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress: Daytime
COMMENTS FROM THE PANEL:
Nelson Aspen: GL's Holly was one of the most complex and interesting characters of the 70s and 80s. Even when the writers began to tinker with her history and credibility, Maureen always managed to make her believable and heroic. Her simple style of acting, wholesome beauty and simmering sexuality kept the GL audience interested in her, even when she had nothing important to play. I'd love to see her work again, perhaps as the quixotic matriarch of a new soap clan.
Lynn Liccardo: Where to begin? GL viewers who only saw Maureen Garrett's appearance in the final days got only a tiny taste of what was in her all-too-brief scenes with Peter Simon and Liz Keifer. And of course, they have no idea what they missed back in the day. What GL fan was shocked at the "Woody Allen-Mia Farrow-Soon-Yi Previn" saga when we had already seen Holly confront Ross and Blake?
And, of course, there's the iconic "Roger raped Holly" story: so powerfully written and acted that even an autistic child was said to have responded. Wouldn't have happened without the powerhouse combination of Garrett and Michael Zaslow.
Roger Newcomb: I watched GUIDING LIGHT from an early age and by the late 1970s Roger Thorpe was scaring me big time. I was young but I was drawn to her and felt such a loyalty to Holly, played by Maureen Garrett, and hated to see her suffer. It wasn't until her return to the show a decade later that I was really old enough to start appreciating what an incredible actress I had been watching. Maureen Garrett is the type of actress that can say so much without saying a word. I am in awe of her and miss seeing her talent on my television screen.
Damon L. Jacobs: There was always a pronounced dignity present in every one of Maureen Garrett's performances. Whether she was portraying a survivor of spousal abuse, a scorned lover, or even the Pied Piper of Springfield, there was a reality based dimension that lent honor to every scene. Here's hoping that a wise internet producer decides to capitalize on Ms. Garrett's talent, skills, and beauty very soon.
COMMENTS FROM CO-STARS/CO-WORKERS/INDUSTRY:
Robert Newman: (worked with Garrett on GL) Maureen is sneaky. Her work sneaks up on you. She has that calming sort of presence and you think she’s doing very little, and in fact that’s exactly true. She understood more than anyone that less can in fact be so much more. Her work would draw you in. You couldn’t not watch her, with that incredible beauty and silky voice. She didn’t bounce off the walls or chew up the scenery. She simply told the truth, with every line and every movement. I loved watching her work.
DAYTIME SOAP OPERAS
