Actress Eileen Fulton Dies at 91 After Five Decades on As the World Turns

Eileen Fulton, a pioneering figure in daytime television, passed away at 91 in Asheville, North Carolina, following a period of declining health. Best known for her role as Lisa Miller on CBS’s As the World Turns, she portrayed the character from 1960 until the show ended in 2010, making her one of the longest-serving soap opera actors in history. Initially intended as a short-term role, her portrayal transformed Lisa into one of daytime TV’s first complex female characters, earning Fulton a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the Soap Opera Hall of Fame. Fulton’s career extended beyond television to Broadway and off-Broadway performances, as well as writing two autobiographies and several novels. Her impact on the genre was profound, with Lisa Miller considered the original “soap diva” who influenced subsequent characters and helped maintain the show’s popularity for decades. Fulton’s legacy includes not only her enduring portrayal on As the World Turns but also her role in elevating soap operas to cultural prominence.