Eileen Fulton

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Eileen Fulton (Lisa, ATWT)

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The 411

The much beloved Eileen Fulton — "Miss Eileen" to some, Margaret McLarty as a child — grew up the daughter of a Methodist minister in Asheville, NC. And while she was a PK (preacher's kid), she wasn't destined for that profession. Fulton majored in music and minored in dramatics at Greensboro College in North Carolina. She made her professional debut in The Lost Colony, an annual presentation at Manteo, NC. In 1956, Fulton made the big move to New York City to pursue singing and studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater. She supported herself by selling hats in a department store and singing in the Riverside Church choir.

Her first soap audition was for a role on THE BRIGHTER DAY, fittingly, as a minister's daughter, but the producers thought she'd be better as Bob Hughes' social climbing girlfriend Lisa Miller. She took that role in 1960 and never looked back.

In 1965, Proctor & Gamble decided to spin the character into her own show, CBS' prime-time serial OUR PRIVATE WORLD. The short-lived — four months — drama followed the adventures of Lisa as she left Oakdale for Chicago.

Fulton returned to ATWT, with a few leaves in 1966 and 1983, to become one of the few actors who has been on a soap for more than 40 years. Yet however steady the acting, Fulton never gave up her love of singing. She frequently performs her nightclub act nationwide and has recorded a CD, I Think About You. Fulton also devotes much time and energy to numerous causes devoted to the betterment of women everywhere.

She received The Soap Opera Digest Editor's Award in 1991. She was also nominated for a Soap Opera Digest award in the lead actress category for in 1996. Fulton was inducted into Soap Opera Weekly's Soap Opera Hall of Fame in 1998.

Et Cetera

—Was born Margaret Elizabeth McLarty
—Character's full name is Lisa Miller Hughes Eldridge Shea Coleman McColl Mitchell Grimaldi Chedwyn
—Her first film role was as Lisa (foreshadowing perhaps?) in Girl of the Night
—First soap actor to hire a publicist, in the 1960s
—Published her memoirs As My World Turns in 1970 and As My World Still Turns in 1996
—At one point in the mid-60s did triple acting duty — on ATWT, matinees of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (opposite Elaine Stritch) on Broadway and evening performances of The Fantasticks off-Broadway
—Demanded the now-famous "Granny Clause" in her contract, saying her character would not become a grandmother (the clause came out in 1985)
—Nicolas Coster played her husband on OUR PRIVATE WORLD in 1965; he later played Eduardo Grimaldi, another husband on ATWT in 1993-95
—Established two scholarships, one in her father's honor at Brevard College in North Carolina and another in honor of her mother at Greensboro College
—Has written a number of murder mysteries and one romance novel.

Career Highlights

Other Soap Roles
OUR PRIVATE WORLD (Lisa Hughes, 1965)
Film Roles
The Signs of the Cross (Betty, 2004)
The Drum Beats Twice (Mrs. Carreck, 2004)
Tinsel Town (2002)
Girl of the Night (Lisa, 1960)

Memorable Quotes

"Maybe for some women to have a home and a family is their career. That's no easy task. I do think that if you decide to have a family, there's a certain dedication needed, and those wives are very important. That's probably one of the reasons I didn't have any children. It would seem very selfish to bring one into the world being the creatively driven person I am." —Soap Opera Digest, 5/9/95

"I'm the only one who ever had the guts to have a granny clause. And I did it for such a good reason." —Soap Opera Weekly, 2/8/00

"Why should I do such a thing? I only did that the last time — husband No. 3 — because I needed some good press. And I got it. It was a slump in my life." —when asked if she'd ever get married again, Digest, 3/25/03

"I did not want to play that sweet girl so I played her with my own thoughts and made her a little scamp." —on taking on the role of Lisa, Weekly, 9/15/98

"I am who I am, and I've never been old. So I don't know how to act old." —Weekly, 6/6/1995

Official Web Site

www.eileenfulton.com

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