‘All My Children’ star Mary Fickett dies at age 83
Mary Fickett, who played Ruth Martin on All My Children from its premiere episode in 1970 to 2000, died Thursday at her home in Callao, Virginia.
According to The Los Angeles Times, her death was confirmed, but the cause was not explained by an ABC spokeswoman.
The Associated Press wrote that she made her film debut in Man on Fire in 1957, but gained fame through her work on the ABC soap opera.
In 1958, she was also nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in Sunrise at Campobello as Eleanor Roosevelt.
In 1973, she won the first individual Emmy for Best Actress in a dramatic series. That year on All My Children, her character’s adopted son was sent to fight in Vietnam and she made an impassioned speech about the war. That performance resulted in the win.
All My Children has been cancelled by ABC, but their Sept. 21 episode will be dedicated to Fickett.