Mary Stuart on AllMovie

A veteran of such well-loved soap operas as Search for Tomorrow, The Guiding Light, and One Life to Live, actress Mary Stuart began her career in numerous uncredited bit roles in the early '40s before breaking out with roles in Thunderhoof and Embraceable You (both 1948) in the late '40s and early '50s. Born in Miami, FL, in July of 1926, the "Queen of Soaps" enjoyed a stunning 35-year run on Search for Tomorrow and was often noted for by her constant generosity and good humor. The first daytime performer to be nominated for an Emmy, Stuart eventually received other such nominations as well as the honor of being inducted into the Soap Opera Hall of Fame in 1995. Beginning her career as a Hotel Roosevelt "camera girl" in New York at the age of 18, Stuart photographed dancing couples before she was noticed by MGM producer Joe Pasternak. Given a contract at the studio after completing a successful screen test, Stuart began a stint in features which included such films as The Adventures of Don Juan (1948) and Henry, the Rainmaker (1949). Cast in the lead of Search for Tomorrow when the show debuted in 1951, Stuart remained a member of the cast until the final episode in 1986. Though she would make a brief appearance in One Life to Live two years later, Stuart returned to a recurring small-screen role when she joined the cast of The Guiding Light in 1996. In addition to her career as an actress, the Queen of Soaps also initiated the BookPALS program under which Screen Actors Guild members read books to children in New York public schools.