Martha Byrne
Encyclopedia
Mary Martha Byrne is an American actress, singer and screenwriter
.
In 2008, she left CBS
's As the World Turns
as the passionate role of Lily Snyder. In 2009, she was featured on ABC
's General Hospital
as Andrea Floyd. She currently serves as a script writer for the CBS Daytime
soap opera
The Bold and the Beautiful
.
musical
Annie
, where she played the role of July.
She was a featured actor on a number of prime time episodic television programs, including Kate and Allie, Murder, She Wrote
, Parker Lewis Can't Lose
, Jake and the Fatman
, In the Heat of the Night
, and Hearts are Wild
. Byrne also appeared in several television movies, with featured roles in When the Cradle Falls and Pink Lightning
.
Byrne's best known movie role would be the title character in the 1983 movie Anna to the Infinite Power
,, in which she had a perfect vee-ope, and in 2010 provided the commentary for the DVD release.
soap opera
As the World Turns
, portraying Lily Walsh Snyder
. She initially assumed the role from Lucy Deakins
in May 1985 and played Lily until October 1989, when she left the show and Heather Rattray
assumed the role of Lily. Byrne returned in April 1993.
Byrne became part of a "supercouple
" when then-Head Writer
Douglas Marland
paired Lily, a "poor little rich girl", with hard-luck farmhand Holden Snyder
, played by Jon Hensley
.
In 1987, Byrne was involved in controversy when she taped Lily's first love scene months before her own 18th birthday. Lily lost her virginity to the character of Dusty Donovan
; to add to the controversy, actor Brian Bloom
, who was playing Dusty, was even younger than Byrne. This provoked controversy (as teenage characters are generally portrayed by actors who are a few years older, and therefore of consenting age
).
From 2000 until 2003, Byrne assumed a double role when she played Lily's long-lost twin, Rose D'Angelo who was created by Hogan Sheffer
.
On February 29, 2008, TV Guide
reported that Byrne will be leaving As the World Turns and will be off the air by April 2008. The show's executive producer
Christopher Goutman
stated, "We made Martha an incredibly generous offer in hopes that she would remain a valuable member of the ATWT cast. Unfortunately, Martha has decided to leave despite our best efforts to keep her." Byrne would later assert that the contract negotiations fell through because As the World Turns
refused to guarantee her the same number of episodes to appear in that she appeared in 2007. She further added that a casting call was made for her successor during her contract negotiations, which further fueled her drive to leave. Byrne's last airdate on the show is April 22, 2008; her successor, Noelle Beck
, appeared in the role of Lily beginning in May 2008.
Byrne was hired as a script writer by Bradley Bell
for The Bold and the Beautiful
in early 2009.
On May 14, 2009 Martha was hired by ABC
's General Hospital
to take a recurring role as Andrea Floyd the wife of Port Charles current mayor Garrett Floyd. She debut on June 17, 2009 and she exited the role on September 9 of the same year.
, A Soap Opera Christmas. She released her self-titled album Martha Byrne in 1996.
She has also released a second album, Woman Thing Music. Byrne again was the subject of controversy, as the sponsor of the second album was Philip Morris
. The CD could only be purchased in conjunction with the purchase of cigarettes, or at one of the "Woman Music Thing" concerts that Philip Morris sponsored. Byrne eventually withdrew endorsement from the music label, as she did not want to be associated with a product that could encourage underage smoking.
In 2006 Byrne released a third album, The Other Side.
-nominee, winning Outstanding Younger Actress
in 1987 and Outstanding Lead Actress
in 2001.
, a former undercover officer in the New York City Police Department
. They live in her home town of Waldwick, New Jersey
.
Their first child, Michael Terrence McMahon, was born on May 29, 1998. An episode of the TLC series A Baby Story
chronicled her second pregnancy and the birth of her son, Maxwell Vincent McMahon, on September 3, 2002. Their third child and first daughter, Annmarie, was born June 12, 2006.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
.
In 2008, she left CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS 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...
as the passionate role of Lily Snyder. In 2009, she was featured on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
as Andrea Floyd. She currently serves as a script writer for the CBS Daytime
CBS Daytime
CBS Daytime is a television programming block on CBS. It's the branding for the CBS Television Network's late morning and early afternoon programming. The block has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows, and talk shows...
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,...
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
.
Featured roles
Byrne began acting at a young age when she joined the cast of the BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
, where she played the role of July.
She was a featured actor on a number of prime time episodic television programs, including Kate and Allie, Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
, Parker Lewis Can't Lose
Parker Lewis Can't Lose
Parker Lewis Can't Lose is an American teen sitcom that originally aired on FOX from September 1990 to June 1993. During the last season, the series sported the simpler title Parker Lewis. The series was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and was strongly influenced by the feature film Ferris...
, Jake and the Fatman
Jake and the Fatman
Jake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from 1987 to 1992. Diagnosis: Murder was a spin-off of this series...
, In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night (TV series)
In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995...
, and Hearts are Wild
Hearts Are Wild
Hearts Are Wild is an American drama series that aired on CBS on Fridays from January 10, 1992 to March 13, 1992. The series was filmed on location in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Premise:...
. Byrne also appeared in several television movies, with featured roles in When the Cradle Falls and Pink Lightning
Pink Lightning
Pink Lightning is the 99th cartoon produced in the Pink Panther series. A total of 124 6-minute cartoons were produced between 1964 and 1980.-Plot:...
.
Byrne's best known movie role would be the title character in the 1983 movie Anna to the Infinite Power
Anna to the Infinite Power
Anna to the Infinite Power is a 1983 science fiction/thriller film about a young teenager who learns that she was the product of a cloning experiment. The film was based on the novel of the same name by Mildred Ames...
,, in which she had a perfect vee-ope, and in 2010 provided the commentary for the DVD release.
Daytime television
Byrne is best known for her role on the CBS DaytimeCBS Daytime
CBS Daytime is a television programming block on CBS. It's the branding for the CBS Television Network's late morning and early afternoon programming. The block has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows, and talk shows...
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,...
As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS 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...
, portraying Lily Walsh Snyder
Lily Walsh Snyder
Lily Walsh Snyder was a fictional character on the American TV soap opera, As the World Turns. Most notably played by Martha Byrne from May 1985 to December 1989 and again from 1993 to April 22, 2008, the character was originated in June 1984 by Lucy Deakins...
. She initially assumed the role from Lucy Deakins
Lucy Deakins
Lucy Deakins was known for being an American child actress.Deakins was born in New York City, the daughter of Alice, a professor at William Paterson University, and Roger, a retired New York University professor. She graduated from Stuyvesant High School and enrolled in Harvard University in 1988....
in May 1985 and played Lily until October 1989, when she left the show and Heather Rattray
Heather Rattray
Heather Rattray is an American actress who has starred in several movies and soap operas. She is the sister of Laird Macintosh. Her acting career began when she was 11 years old, when she was discovered by a film producer...
assumed the role of Lily. Byrne returned in April 1993.
Byrne became part of a "supercouple
Supercouple
A supercouple or super couple is a popular or financially wealthy pairing that intrigues and fascinates the public in an intense or even obsessive fashion...
" when then-Head Writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
Douglas Marland
Douglas Marland
Douglas Marland was an American actor and writer of soap operas.-Career:He began his soap opera career as an actor, appearing on the Irna Phillips series The Brighter Day and As the World Turns. He also did odd jobs on the side as a director for small theatre groups...
paired Lily, a "poor little rich girl", with hard-luck farmhand Holden Snyder
Holden Snyder
Holden Snyder was a fictional character on the American daytime soap opera As the World Turns. He was portrayed by Jon Hensley, who originated the role.-See also:*Holden Snyder and Lily Walsh*Supercouple...
, played by Jon Hensley
Jon Hensley
Jon Hensley is a former American actor and current singer and songwriter.- Career :Hensley's first television role was in 1985 on the daytime drama One Life to Live as Brody Price...
.
In 1987, Byrne was involved in controversy when she taped Lily's first love scene months before her own 18th birthday. Lily lost her virginity to the character of Dusty Donovan
Dusty Donovan
Dustin "Dusty" Donovan is a fictional character on CBS's daytime drama As the World Turns. He was recently portrayed by Grayson McCouch from February 18, 2003 to January 18, 2008. McCouch returned to the role on September 24, 2008.-Character history:...
; to add to the controversy, actor Brian Bloom
Brian Bloom
Brian Keith Bloom is an American actor, voice actor, and screenwriter.Bloom was born in Merrick, New York, the brother of producer/actor Scott Bloom and musician Mike Bloom....
, who was playing Dusty, was even younger than Byrne. This provoked controversy (as teenage characters are generally portrayed by actors who are a few years older, and therefore of consenting age
Age of consent
While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
).
From 2000 until 2003, Byrne assumed a double role when she played Lily's long-lost twin, Rose D'Angelo who was created by Hogan Sheffer
Hogan Sheffer
Hogan Sheffer is an American Daytime Emmy-winning screenwriter. During the WGA strike, he chose financial core status with the WGA and continued working.-Personal life:...
.
On February 29, 2008, TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
reported that Byrne will be leaving As the World Turns and will be off the air by April 2008. The show's executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
Christopher Goutman
Christopher Goutman
Christopher Goutman is an American soap opera producer, writer, actor, and director. He has played minor roles on Search for Tomorrow, Texas and The Edge of Night. After leaving acting, he began to direct on All My Children, As the World Turns, Guiding Light, and Another World...
stated, "We made Martha an incredibly generous offer in hopes that she would remain a valuable member of the ATWT cast. Unfortunately, Martha has decided to leave despite our best efforts to keep her." Byrne would later assert that the contract negotiations fell through because As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS 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...
refused to guarantee her the same number of episodes to appear in that she appeared in 2007. She further added that a casting call was made for her successor during her contract negotiations, which further fueled her drive to leave. Byrne's last airdate on the show is April 22, 2008; her successor, Noelle Beck
Noelle Beck
Noelle Beck is an American actress, best known for her role as Trisha Alden on the ABC daytime soap opera Loving.-Career:...
, appeared in the role of Lily beginning in May 2008.
Byrne was hired as a script writer by Bradley Bell
Bradley Bell
Bradley Bell is an American television writer and producer. Bell is a six-time Daytime Emmy Award winner and is executive producer and head writer for The Bold and the Beautiful, an American soap opera.-Career:...
for The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
in early 2009.
On May 14, 2009 Martha was hired by ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
to take a recurring role as Andrea Floyd the wife of Port Charles current mayor Garrett Floyd. She debut on June 17, 2009 and she exited the role on September 9 of the same year.
Music
Byrne is also a singer. She contributed a Christmas medley to the 1994 RCA releaseRCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
, A Soap Opera Christmas. She released her self-titled album Martha Byrne in 1996.
She has also released a second album, Woman Thing Music. Byrne again was the subject of controversy, as the sponsor of the second album was Philip Morris
Philip Morris USA
Philip Morris USA is the United States tobacco division of Altria Group, Inc. Philip Morris USA brands include Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Benson and Hedges, Merit, Parliament, Alpine, Basic, Cambridge, Bucks, Dave's, Chesterfield, Collector's Choice, Commander, English Ovals, Lark, L&M, Players and...
. The CD could only be purchased in conjunction with the purchase of cigarettes, or at one of the "Woman Music Thing" concerts that Philip Morris sponsored. Byrne eventually withdrew endorsement from the music label, as she did not want to be associated with a product that could encourage underage smoking.
In 2006 Byrne released a third album, The Other Side.
Awards and recognition
Byrne is an eight-time Daytime Emmy AwardDaytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
-nominee, winning Outstanding Younger Actress
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys since the 12th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony in 1985. The award category was originally called the Outstanding Ingenue in a Drama Series...
in 1987 and Outstanding Lead Actress
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974...
in 2001.
Personal life
Byrne has been married since 1994 to Michael McMahonMichael McMahon
Michael E. "Mike" McMahon is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was previously a member of the New York City Council....
, a former undercover officer in the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
. They live in her home town of Waldwick, New Jersey
Waldwick, New Jersey
Waldwick is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 9,625.-Geography:Waldwick is located at ....
.
Their first child, Michael Terrence McMahon, was born on May 29, 1998. An episode of the TLC series A Baby Story
A Baby Story
A Baby Story is a program that airs daily on The Learning Channel . There are more than 100 episodes in the series. The program follows a couple through the late days of their pregnancy, sometimes showing the baby shower, final family outing, or dinner party. Then, it always shows the family...
chronicled her second pregnancy and the birth of her son, Maxwell Vincent McMahon, on September 3, 2002. Their third child and first daughter, Annmarie, was born June 12, 2006.
Filmography
| Films | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 1982 | The Eyes of the Amaryllis | unknown | |
| Drop-Out Father | Elizabeth McCall | ||
| 1983 | Anna to the Infinite Power Anna to the Infinite Power Anna to the Infinite Power is a 1983 science fiction/thriller film about a young teenager who learns that she was the product of a cloning experiment. The film was based on the novel of the same name by Mildred Ames... |
Anna Hart | |
| The Hamptons | Miranda | 1 episode | |
| 1984 | He's Fired, She's Hired | Emily Grier | |
| 1985 | As the World Turns As the World Turns As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS 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... |
Lily Snyder | 1985–1989, 1993–2008 |
| The Beniker Gang | Molly Stamwick | aka Dear Lola, or How to Start Your Own Family | |
| Kate & Allie Kate & Allie Kate & Allie is an American television situation comedy which ran from March 19, 1984 to May 22, 1989. Kate & Allie first aired on CBS as a midseason replacement series and only six episodes were initially commissioned, but the favorable response from critics and viewers alike easily convinced CBS... |
Carter Lowe | 1 episode | |
| 1986 | As the World Turns: 30th Anniversary | Lily | |
| 1989 | In the Heat of the Night In the Heat of the Night (TV series) In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995... |
Lizbeth Hagen | |
| 1990 | Jake and the Fatman Jake and the Fatman Jake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from 1987 to 1992. Diagnosis: Murder was a spin-off of this series... |
unknown | |
| The Young Riders The Young Riders The Young Riders is an American Western television series created by Ed Spielman that presents a fictionalized account of a group of young Pony Express riders based at the Sweetwater Station in the Nebraska Territory during the years leading up to the American Civil War... |
Vera Collins | 2 episode | |
| Doogie Howser, M.D. Doogie Howser, M.D. Doogie Howser, M.D. is an American television comedy-drama starring Neil Patrick Harris as a 16-year-old doctor who also faces the problems of being a normal teenager. Created by Steven Bochco and David E. Kelley, ABC aired the show from 1989 to 1993 for four seasons totaling 97 episodes.-Plot:Dr.... |
Sasha Larkin | 1 episode | |
| Over My Dead Body | Julie Talmadge | 1 episode | |
| 1991 | Bob Hope & Friends: Making New Memories | Herself | |
| Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,... |
Sarah Lapp | 1 episode | |
| Silk Stalkings Silk Stalkings Silk Stalkings is a TV crime drama originally shown on CBS in 1991 as part of the network's late-night Crimetime After Primetime programming package, and rebroadcast on the USA Network. After CBS ended the Crimetime experiment in 1993, the series ran exclusively on USA until its finale in the... |
Erica Dietz | 1 episode | |
| Pink Lightning | Jill | ||
| 1992 | Parker Lewis Can't Lose Parker Lewis Can't Lose Parker Lewis Can't Lose is an American teen sitcom that originally aired on FOX from September 1990 to June 1993. During the last season, the series sported the simpler title Parker Lewis. The series was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and was strongly influenced by the feature film Ferris... |
Erin | |
| 1997 | The Marksmen | Alison Wells | |
| When the Cradle Falls | Donna McDermott | ||
| 2001 | The 28th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards | Herself | |
| Mergers & Acquisitions | Iowa | ||
| 2004 | Living It Up! With Ali and Jack | Herself | 17 March 2004 |
| 2006 | SoapTalk | Herself | 8 May 2006,5 April 2006 |
| Life After Tomorrow | Herself | ||
| 2009 | General Hospital General Hospital General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns.... |
Andrea Floyd | June 17-September 9, 2009 |
Writer
| Films | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2009 | The Bold and the Beautiful The Bold and the Beautiful The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987.... |
script writer | 3 episodes |
Producer
| Films | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2009 | Bye Bye Sally | executive producer | |