Mary Martha Byrne (born December 23, 1969) is an American actress, singer and television writer. She played the role of Lily Walsh Snyder on the

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') 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 s ...

'' from 1985 to 1989, then again from 1993 to 2008; as well as, from 2000 to 2003, Lily's twin sister, Rose D'Angelo. Byrne has also appeared in other stage, television and movie roles, including the title role in the 1983 film ''

Anna to the Infinite Power ''Anna to the Infinite Power'' is a 1982 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 1981 novel of the same name by Mildred Ames. It was produced by ...

''. She is currently executive producer of the digital drama series ''

Anacostia Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. It is located east of the Anacostia River, after which the neighborhood is nam ...

'', where she has played the role of Alexis Jordan since 2011. Byrne has won three

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

s for acting.

Early life

Byrne was born in

Ridgewood, New Jersey Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 24,958,Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

'' 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 ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The seri ...

'', '' Parker Lewis Can't Lose'', ''

Jake and the Fatman ''Jake and the Fatman'' is an American crime drama television series starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. (Jason Lochinvar) "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from Septemb ...

'', '' 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 film role was as the title character in the 1983 film ''

''. In 2010 she provided the commentary for the film's DVD release.

Daytime television

Byrne is best known for portraying Lily Walsh Snyder on the

CBS Daytime CBS Daytime is a division within CBS that is responsible for the daytime television block programming on the CBS' late morning and early afternoon schedule. The block has historically encompassed soap operas and game shows. Schedule NOTE: All tim ...

''. She started in May 1985 at age 15, taking over from another teenage actress. Byrne soon became part of a " supercouple" when then-

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. In fictional comedy o ...

Douglas Marland Douglas Marland (born Marland Messner; May 5, 1934 – March 6, 1993) was an American writer, known for his work as the head writer of several soap operas. Career Marland began his career as an actor, appearing on the Irna Phillips series '' The ...

paired "poor little rich girl" Lily with hard-luck farmhand Holden Snyder, played by Jon Hensley. The show attracted controversy in 1987 when Byrne—months shy of her 18th birthday—and equally underage actor

Brian Bloom Brian Keith Bloom (born June 30, 1970) is an American actor and screenwriter. He co-wrote the screenplay and starred in ''The A-Team'', produced by brothers Tony and Ridley Scott. Bloom is the voice of Captain America in '' The Avengers: Earth ...

played out a storyline in which they lost their virginity to each other. Byrne won a

for

Outstanding Younger Actress The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series was an award presented annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It was given annually f ...

in 1987. She left ''As the World Turns'' in 1989, and returned in April 1993. From 2000 until 2003, Byrne also played a second role, Lily's long-lost twin, Rose D'Angelo. She won another Daytime Emmy in 2001, this time as Outstanding Lead Actress. Byrne left ''As the World Turns'' again in April 2008. The show's

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...

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 later asserted that the contract negotiations fell through because the show refused to guarantee her the same number of episodes of work she had previously been guaranteed. She added that a casting call was made for her successor during her contract negotiations, which fueled her drive to leave. Byrne's last airdate on the show was April 22, 2008; her successor,

Noelle Beck Noelle Beck (born December 14, 1967, in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American actress, best known for her role as Trisha Alden on the ABC daytime soap opera '' Loving''. Career Beck graduated from Baltimore School for the Arts. She portrayed ''Lo ...

, appeared in the role of Lily from May 2008 until the series' end in 2010. Byrne was hired as a script writer by

Bradley Bell Bradley Phillip Bell (born June 29, 1964) is an American television writer and producer. Bell is an eight-time Daytime Emmy Award winner and is executive producer and head writer for '' The Bold and the Beautiful'', an American soap opera. ...

for ''

The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''The Yo ...

'' in early 2009. From June 17 though September 9, 2009, she portrayed Andrea Floyd on the ABC soap opera ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the longest-running American soap opera in production, and the second in American history after '' ...

''. Byrne began portraying Alexis Jordan (née Joanne Edwards) on the soap opera

web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single in ...

'' in 2011, winning a 2012

Indie Series Award The Indie Series Awards (formerly the Indie Soap Awards) is an annual event hosted by '' We Love Soaps'', based in Los Angeles, California, honoring the best in independently produced, scripted entertainment created for the Internet. The ceremon ...

for Best Guest Appearance (Drama), and a 2015

for Outstanding Performer in a New Approaches Drama Series. The entire cast won a 2015 Indie Series Award for Best Ensemble (Drama). Byrne served as a co-executive producer, director and writer for the series from 2012-2016, and was promoted to Executive Producer in the show's 2017 fifth season. As a producer, Byrne was also nominated for the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding New Approaches Drama Series in 2015.

Music

Byrne is also a singer. She contributed a Christmas medley to the 1994 RCA release, ''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 Phil(l)ip or Phil Morris may refer to: Companies *Altria, a conglomerate company previously known as Philip Morris Companies Inc., named after the tobacconist **Philip Morris USA, a tobacco company wholly owned by Altria Group ** Philip Morris Inte ...

. 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 a ten-time

-nominee as actress and producer, winning

in 1987, Outstanding Lead Actress in 2001, and Outstanding Performer in a New Approaches Drama Series in 2015.

Personal life

Byrne married Michael McMahon, a former undercover officer in the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act i ...

, on November 12, 1994. She grew up in Waldwick, New Jersey and lives in nearby Ridgewood.Staff
"'Empire’s Got Talent': Bergen native Martha Byrne holds one night only event"
Bergen.com, November 8, 2011. Accessed December 20, 2013. "Waldwick native and Ridgewood resident Martha Byrne held an 'Empire’s Got Talent' event last night in New York City." 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.

Filmography

Writer

Producer

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Martha 1969 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from New Jersey American child actresses American women singers American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American soap opera actresses American soap opera writers American television actresses Daytime Emmy Award winners Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series winners Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series winners People from Ridgewood, New Jersey People from Waldwick, New Jersey Women soap opera writers American women television writers Screenwriters from New Jersey