Helen Elliott Donnelly
Encyclopedia
Helen Elliott Donnelly was a fictional character
on the now-cancelled American
soap opera
, Love is a Many Splendored Thing. She was first played by actress Grace Albertson, who was replaced by actress Gloria Hoye.
was named after his late uncle. As one of San Francisco's most successful architects, Helen only wanted the best for him. She did bond well with her niece, Mia Elliott
and had in fact allowed the Amerasian
to stay with her family. She eventually went back to Hong Kong after her beau at the time had been discovered to have performed an illegal abortion.
The often well-meaning, but interfering Helen had made no secret her dislike for Mark's fiancee, Iris Donnelly Garrison
, and had begun to promote a relationship between Mark and her softer sister, Laura Donnelly
, who had recently left a convent. She was absolutely pleased when Mark and Laura married.
Some time later, Phil, Helen's husband and Mark's father, had died, and now she was alone. She began to bond with Laura's brother, Tom Donnelly, a police officer in San Francisco, and after his divorce from his wife, Martha Donnelly (alias Julie Richards), began to see him and were eventually married. Helen proved to be an excellent mother to her stepson Ricky (Shawn Campbell). Presumably, she and Tom are still married and living in San Francisco.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the now-cancelled American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, Love is a Many Splendored Thing. She was first played by actress Grace Albertson, who was replaced by actress Gloria Hoye.
Meddling mother
When she was first introduced, Helen was the wife of Philip Elliott, the brother of late war correspondent and Korean War veteran, Mark Elliott. In fact, her son, MarkMark Elliott (Love Is a Many Splendored Thing)
Mark Elliott is a fictional character in the American soap opera, Love is a Many Splendored Thing. Numerous actors played him during the run of the show, Sam Wade,David Birney,Michael Hawkins,Vince Cannon, Tom Fuccello.- Torn Between Two sisters :...
was named after his late uncle. As one of San Francisco's most successful architects, Helen only wanted the best for him. She did bond well with her niece, Mia Elliott
Mia Elliott
Mia Elliott was a groundbreaking character and the first protagonist on the American soap opera Love is a Many Splendored Thing. She was played for the show's first few months by Nancy Hsueh, an American actress of Chinese and Scots-Irish origin....
and had in fact allowed the Amerasian
Amerasian
In its original meaning, an Amerasian is a person born in Asia, to a U.S. military father and an Asian mother. The term has sometimes been used to describe a person in the United States of mixed Asian and non-Asian ancestry, regardless of the circumstances....
to stay with her family. She eventually went back to Hong Kong after her beau at the time had been discovered to have performed an illegal abortion.
The often well-meaning, but interfering Helen had made no secret her dislike for Mark's fiancee, Iris Donnelly Garrison
Iris Donnelly Garrison
Iris Donnelly Garrison was a fictional character in the American soap opera, Love is a Many Splendored Thing. She was played, most notably, by actresses Leslie Charleson and Bibi Besch. As the first Iris, Leslie Charleson was a member of the original cast of Love Is a Many Splendored Thing.-Older...
, and had begun to promote a relationship between Mark and her softer sister, Laura Donnelly
Laura Donnelly
Laura Donnelly Elliott is a fictional character in the American soap opera Love is a Many Splendored Thing. She was played by actress Donna Mills, who is closely identified in the role; Laura was also played by Barbara Stanger and Veleka Gray later on....
, who had recently left a convent. She was absolutely pleased when Mark and Laura married.
Some time later, Phil, Helen's husband and Mark's father, had died, and now she was alone. She began to bond with Laura's brother, Tom Donnelly, a police officer in San Francisco, and after his divorce from his wife, Martha Donnelly (alias Julie Richards), began to see him and were eventually married. Helen proved to be an excellent mother to her stepson Ricky (Shawn Campbell). Presumably, she and Tom are still married and living in San Francisco.