ELIZABETH HUBBARD PASSES AWAY AT 89
Beloved daytime vet Elizabeth Hubbard has passed away at the age of 89. Her son, Jeremy Bennett, posted the news on Facebook, writing, “I’m sorry to say with a broken heart mi mum passed over the weekend. Thank you for being an unmovable rock that guided me through life. I will try to honour your memory for as long as I live.”
Born in New York City on December 22, 1933, the actress earned a degree in philosophy from Radcliffe College (the women’s college of Harvard University) and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, England, earning the school’s prestigious silver medal. She began her soap career in 1962, playing Anne Benedict Fletcher on GUIDING LIGHT, then joined EDGE OF NIGHT in 1963 as Carol Kramer. From 1964-69, 197078 and 1981-82, she became a fan favorite as Althea Davis on THE DOCTORS, a role for which she earned the very first Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1974. Following the cancellation of THE DOCTORS, she did a 1983-84 stint on ONE LIFE TO LIVE as Estelle Chadwick, then was tapped by AS THE WORLD TURNS to play Lucinda Walsh, a role she held — save for a break in 1999 — from 1984 through the series’ finale in 2010. She was nominated eight times for the Outstanding Lead Actress Daytime Emmy over the course of her run as Lucinda and received 10 Soap Opera Digest Award nominations, six of which were for Lead Actress.
Outside of her work on daytime, Hubbard appeared in the TV movie FIRST LADIES DIARIES, earning a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Special for her work as Edith Wilson; she played Ruth in the 1980 movie Ordinary People; and she made multiple appearances on Broadway, including roles in Present Laughter, Joe Egg, Time For Singing and Look
Back in Anger.
Hubbard remained close with her ATWT daughter, Martha Byrne (ex-lily), who posted on social media, “As many of you are finding out this morning, Elizabeth Hubbard passed away. First and foremost I want everyone to know I made sure she was aware of how much everyone loved her. I would share your comments from social media, videos and your fond memories of her as Lucinda, Althea, every time I saw her .... On a personal level there aren’t words to describe how much she meant to me. Only feelings, which override words in so many cases when it comes to love. I will be sharing more so we can all grieve together but here are our last words together only just a few days ago. I said, ‘Liz, do you know how much you have done for me?’ She said, ‘You can do more.’ Because of what she has done for me over the last 38 years, the strength and fearless nature in how she lived her life, she is right, I can AND WILL do more. I look forward to sharing more about her life, which encompasses so much more than her INCREDIBLE career on daytime television .... I’ll miss her every day but grateful the universe gifted me with such a force of nature, of which the world will not see the likes of again.”
As news of Hubbard’s passing spread online, Alec Baldwin (ex-billy, THE DOCTORS) tweeted, “I worked on THE DOCTORS with the great Liz Hubbard. An amazing woman and remarkable actress.” Mary Beth Evans (Kayla, DAYS), who appeared on ATWT as Lucinda’s daughter Sierra, posted, “I was so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Elizabeth Hubbard for six years on As the World Turns, where she played my mother. What an amazing powerhouse this woman was ... always striving for spontaneity and keeping it real. My favorite times with her were riding in the car from Manhattan to Brooklyn — the stories she would tell were so much fun. Rest in peace, sweet lady.” Noted Michael Park (ex-jack), “If Liz was involved in a scene I was lucky enough to be in, I could always count on learning a little something and laughing a whole lot. She was a ferocious talent in love with her craft. One of the greats that will certainly be missed.” “Rest in peace, Boss!” offered Peter Boynton (ex-tonio). “Working with/for you at ‘Walsh Enterprises’ was a highlight of my NYC years! Your encouragement and respect meant the world to me. I’m raising a glass to you and feel so lucky to have worked with you in that great ‘ATWT’ community.” Kin Shriner (ex-keith; Scott, GH) wrote, “I had the great pleasure of spending a year on @CBSATWT and spent time with Elizabeth Hubbard and was time well spent a class act!” Terri Conn (exkatie) observed that Hubbard “always fought hard for the truth of her character and the integrity of the story and I was always inspired by that .... She was a force and will be greatly missed!” Shared Lauren B. Martin (ex-camille), “An incredible woman. A mentor, an icon. A vocabulary and a wit, unrivaled.”
In her final interview with Digest in 2015, Hubbard voiced her deep appreciation for her loyal fans, saying, “I love them and I mean that. They’re in my heart ... let the fans know that I love them and honor them and I still look at the poems I sent them. I’ve dated many men in my life, but my secret love affair is with the fans.”