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Ellen Wheeler | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ellen Jayne Wheeler October 9, 1961 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, director, producer |
| Years active | 1983–2009 |
| Spouse | |
Ellen Jayne Wheeler (born October 9, 1961 in Glendale, California [1] ) is an American actress, director and producer. Her work, both on screen and in production, has been primarily in American daytime drama.
Wheeler's parents both had a background in theater and entertainment; her father was an assistant director at MGM, while her mother was an actress. She was raised Mormon, and attended Brigham Young University to study acting.
Wheeler has appeared in several soap operas, including Another World and All My Children . In 1986, she won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series for her work as twins Marley and Vicky Love Hudson on Another World. In 1988, she won another Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work as Cindy Parker Chandler on All My Children . Wheeler's character was one of the first characters with AIDS on daytime television. Wheeler also made a memorable guest appearance as Phyllis Wicke in the 1991 primetime revival of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows .
In 1996, she starred in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, "The Quickening".
In 1998, she briefly reprised the role of Marley on Another World . Rather than have the same actress play the role of both twins, the show made the decision to have Wheeler, the first actress to play the twins, portray Marley, and have actress Jensen Buchanan continue to play Vicky; their differences in appearance (other than a considerable height and build difference which were never addressed) were explained by plastic surgery after Marley was disfigured in a fire.
Wheeler was once married to her Another World costar, Tom Eplin. They were married during the time that their characters Vicky/Marley and Jake were involved.
During the final season of Another World , Wheeler drew on her stage directorial experience and was invited by AW's executive producer, Chris Goutman, to direct a few episodes of the show.
After the cancellation of Another World in 1999, she continued her focus on directing. While continuing to act, she directed several episodes of As the World Turns and finally became part of the directorial team at As the World Turns.
After two seasons with ATWT, Wheeler worked as an associate producer at another Procter & Gamble serial, Guiding Light . She returned to ATWT and directed episodes of the show for several years, until she was appointed executive producer of Guiding Light in April 2004, a position she would hold until the final episode of the show in September 2009. Under her direction, the show named a new head writer, David Kreizman, and in 2008, she created a four-person head writing team; in addition to Kreizman, that team includes Lucky Gold, Chris Dunn and executive story editor (and eventual head writer) Jill Lorie Hurst.
In response to budget cuts and changing production methods, Wheeler led Guiding Light's transition to a new filming method. The show moved away from traditional three-camera filming in a "proscenium" stage setting, and in early 2008 began to broadcast episodes that were recorded on digital cameras. The show rebuilt smaller, more realistic sets in its studio and utilized several other interior and exterior sets in a New Jersey town (adjacent to New York City, where GL is produced).
In 2007, Wheeler launched Guiding Light's 70th anniversary (the longest running show in history) by volunteering her cast and crew on a charity and service campaign known as "Find Your Light", encouraging viewers to participate alongside actors, directors and crew members in work for the homeless and other deserving groups and individuals across the country.
Despite Wheeler's efforts to save the show, CBS cancelled the program on April 1, 2009. The final episode was broadcast on September 18, 2009. [2]
In 2015, Glenn Beck announced that Wheeler would join his team to help create and produce content. [3]
Wheeler is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As of April 2008 [update] , she was living with her husband and children in Utah. [4]
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and iTunes.
Guiding Light is an American radio and television soap opera. Guiding Light aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio between January 25, 1937, and June 29, 1956. With 72 years of radio and television runs, Guiding Light is the longest-running soap opera, ahead of General Hospital, and is the fifth-longest-running program in all of broadcast history; only the American country music radio program Grand Ole Opry, the BBC religious program The Daily Service (1928), the CBS religious program Music and the Spoken Word (1929), and the Norwegian children's radio program Lørdagsbarnetimen (1924–2010) have been on the air longer.
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light. With 13,763 hours of cumulative narrative, As the World Turns has the longest total running time of any television show. In terms of continuous run of production, As the World Turns at 54 years holds the fourth-longest run of any daytime network soap opera on American television, surpassed only by General Hospital, Guiding Light, and Days of Our Lives. As the World Turns was produced for its first 43 years in Manhattan and in Brooklyn from 2000 until 2010.
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Susan Flannery is an American actress and director. She made her screen debut appearing in the 1965 Western film Guns of Diablo and later appeared in some television series. From 1966 to 1975, Flannery starred as Laura Horton on the NBC daytime soap opera, Days of Our Lives for which she received her first Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
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Hogan Sheffer was an American screenwriter.
Mary Alice ("Mickey") Dwyer-Dobbin is an American daytime television producer.
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Lucinda Walsh is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns (ATWT). Elizabeth Hubbard played the role from April 1984 until the show's final episode on September 17, 2010. The character is described as a no-nonsense businesswoman and mega-mogul who transformed into one of daytime's most memorable and prolific characters. Hubbard left the show briefly in March 1999, but returned in August of that year. A loving mother and grandmother, while still retaining her edge fiery nature, she has been front and center in some of the show's biggest stories.
Donna Swajeski is an American writer known for her work on television soap operas. She has been a head writer, a co-head writer and a breakdown writer on award-winning daytime dramas for NBC Daytime, ABC Daytime and CBS Daytime. Before beginning her writing career on daytime dramas, she was Director of the East Coast Daytime Programs for NBC.
Christopher Goutman is an American writer, producer, actor and director. He is most notable for his work on daytime soap operas.
Holden Snyder is a fictional character on the CBS daytime soap opera As the World Turns. He was portrayed by Jon Hensley from 1985 to 1988, 1990 to 1995 and 1997 until the show's final episode on September 17, 2010. Hensley's character is part of the large Snyder clan, one of the central families on the show that reflected the life of the show's then-head writer Douglas Marland. Holden's introduction immediately involved his romance and struggles with future wife Lily Walsh Snyder.
Jennifer Landon is an American actress. She is known for her role as Teeter on the Paramount Network series, Yellowstone (2020–present). She is also known for her role as Gwen Norbeck Munson in the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. For her part on the show, Landon won three consecutive Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series.
Lily Walsh is a fictional character from the CBS daytime soap opera, As the World Turns. Most notably played by Martha Byrne from May 1985 to September 29, 1989 and again from April 1993 to April 22, 2008, the character was originated in June 1984 by Lucy Deakins. Heather Rattray stepped into the role from December 24, 1989 to December 24, 1992. In the show's final two years, Lily was recast with Noelle Beck and she aired from May 8, 2008 after the much-publicized departure of Byrne until its final episode on September 17, 2010. Byrne is considered to be one of the most recognized faces of daytime television and is often called a "superstar" of soap opera history.
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