Eileen Fulton, Legendary Soap Star, Dies at 91
Eileen Fulton, best known for her iconic role as Lisa Grimaldi on As the World Turns, died on July 14 in Asheville, North Carolina, at age 91 after a period of declining health.
Born Margaret Elizabeth McLarty on September 13, 1933, Fulton was raised in Asheville and earned a music degree from Greensboro College before moving to New York in 1956 to pursue acting. She studied with renowned teachers like Sanford Meisner and Lee Strasberg.
Her big break came in 1960 when she was cast as Lisa Miller (later Lisa Grimaldi) on As the World Turns. Originally a short-term role, it became a 50-year run, making her one of the longest-serving actors in soap history and one of its first “vixens.”
Known for her fiery character, Fulton once said, “I’ve had 32 lovers, four husbands, two children and one phantom fetus.” She embraced fans’ love-to-hate reactions, even recounting being slapped in a department store.
Beyond daytime TV, Fulton appeared in stage productions like Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, performed in cabarets, and authored multiple books, including memoirs and mysteries.
She retired in 2019 and returned to Asheville. Fulton received a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Soap Opera Hall of Fame.