Ellen Holly is a retired Black American actress. She was best known for her part as Carla Benari Hall in "One Life to Live" which she played for more than 20 years but she she was more then a soap opera actress.
On Broadway, she showed her versatile acting
talent in the various roles she played in "A Hand Is on the Gate", "Tiger Tiger Burning Bright", "Face of a Hero", "Taming of the Shrew",
"Henry V", "Too Late the Phalarope", "MacBeth", "Funnyhouse of a Negro", "Camino Real", "The Cherry Orchard", and others. She appeared in a handful of films, starting with "Take a Giant Step".
Her autobiography was titled "One Life: An Autobiography of an African American Actress".
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Alicia T. (MsLadySoul@aol.com)
On July 25, 1968, Ellen became the first black actress to become a
recurring cast member on daytime TV. On ABC's One Life to Live (1968), she
was cast as Carla Benari, a black woman passing for white. Holly was on
the show until 1985.
November 1996: Release of her memoir from Kodansha International publishing, titled "One Life: The Autobiography of an African American Actress".