Eileen Fulton, Iconic ‘As The World Turns’ Star, Dies At 91

Eileen Fulton, the actress, singer and author remembered for her role as Lisa Miller for almost 50 years in the daytime drama As the World Turns, died July 14 in Asheville, North Carolina at the age of 91. Her family announced her death, stating she had been in a period of declining health.

Known as the “first bad girl of daytime television,” Fulton joined As the World Turns in 1960 for what was originally planned as a three-month storyline. She immediately resonated with the audience and, in 1965, and segued into the primetime spinoff Our Private World, which ran twice weekly and aired for four months. Following its cancellation, Fulton returned to As the World Turns and continued on through the final episode broadcast on Sept. 17, 2010.

For her work on long-running serial, Fulton received an Editor’s Award at the Soap Opera Digest Awards in 1991 and a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.

Born Margaret Elizabeth McLarty on September 13, 1933, in Asheville, North Carolina she made her professional acting debut in the play The Lost Colony in Manteo, North Carolina. In 1956, she moved to New York City, where she studied under acting legends Sanford Meisner and Lee Strasberg. Supporting herself by modeling and selling hats at Macy’s, she adopted the stage name Eileen Fulton shortly before landing her breakout role.

Before her soap opera fame, Fulton appeared in the 1960 drama film Girl of the Night, opposite Anne Francis.

In addition to her television career, Fulton was an accomplished stage actress, with credits including Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and The Fantasticks on Broadway. She also performed in cabaret and authored two memoirs and several mystery novels.

Fulton retired in 2019 and moved to Black Mountain, North Carolina. She is survived by her brother, Charles, and her niece, Katherine. A funeral service will be held on August 9, 2025.