Lily Walsh

Lily Walsh was originally played by Lucy Deakins for 1984–1985. As the daughter of an acting coach, Deakins also entered the field and was cast on the show following her appearance in the play So What Are We Going To Do Now? as part of the Circle Repertory Company.[2] After Deakins departed from the role, Martha Byrne initially assumed the character from 1985–1989 and became the most notable portrayer. Byrne, who was 15 at the time of her first appearance also had a background in theater as she appeared in the play Annie at the age of 10. Her early years were greatly involved in stories with Holden Snyder (Jon Hensley), with whom she is one half of the show's most popular and well-received love stories.[3] Byrne is also an accomplished singer, having written and performed the song "Find My Way Back" as part of her album The Other Side in tribute of Holden and Lily and her co-star Hensley. The song made its television debut on the December 5, 2005 episode as a montage of clips played of Holden and Lily through the years.[4]

Byrne commented on her song "Find My Way Back" and her inspiration behind its creation during an interview with Soapdom.com columnist Laura DeBrizzi on December 1, 2005.

"About a year ago, I decided that I really wanted to write something for Holden and Lily since the couple has been together for so long – 20 years. Plus, having come this far and still being with Jon (Hensley, Holden), both as an actor and a friend, I thought now would be the perfect time."[4]

—Martha Byrne, Soapdom.com

Byrne departed the role and Heather Rattray took over from 1989–1993 and took the character in a different direction with a colder personality following a fire. Rattray had a small role in the CBS soap opera Guiding Light as Wendy in 1988 and led a primetime career before and after her time on ATWT.[5] The show's then-head writer Douglas Marland lured Byrne back to the role when Rattray announced her departure.[6]

Martha Byrne's second run on the show proved to be her most successful as she took on the role of Lily's twin sister Rose D'Angelo initially from 2000–2003[7] and continued to play in role until 2006 with various appearances. Lily and Rose's characters were often involved in storylines with Holden and Dusty Donovan (Grayson McCouch) and Rose's presence continued to be felt in Lily's life until her death in 2003. Byrne was nominated for several Daytime Emmy Awards and won for Outstanding Ingenue in 1987 and Outstanding Lead Actress in 2001.[8] After nearly 20 years in the role, Byrne left the show after her contract negotiations with the show's executive producer Christopher Goutman "took a turn for the worse."[9] Byrne reportedly left the show when she was not guaranteed the same number of episodes she contractually received a year earlier and was upset that an audition breakdown was released to recast the role during negotiations.[9]

When Byrne left the role, she spoke with the New York Daily News about her appreciation from the fans and feelings about the show.

"I want to thank all the loyal fans who, over the course of two decades, have unconditionally supported me and the characters of Lily and [her late twin] Rose," she continued. "It was a wonderful journey, one I sincerely hoped would continue. I consider myself fortunate to have shared so many years with you."[9]

—Martha Byrne, New York Daily News

Byrne last aired on April 22, 2008[10] but continued to make her presence known within the daytime community. In 2009, she began a three-episode stint as a writer for CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful after sending some writing samples to the show's executive producer and head writer Bradley Bell. After her writing duties came to an end, Byrne returned to acting and appeared on ABC's General Hospital as Andrea Floyd that same year.[11] Her character was completely different than her ATWT role and this was often cited in comparison to both roles.[12] Andrea was eventually killed off after being hit by a car driven by Edward Quartermaine (played by John Ingle) after Andrea poisoned him, technically bringing on her own death.[13] Byrne eventually created the web series Gotham: The Series, which premiered on November 23, 2009 and starred many ATWT and GL cast members.[14] Byrne's web series debut also mirrored the new addition to the web series Venice: The Series, created and starring Crystal Chappell of Guiding Light.[15] Byrne continued her filmmaking career with former ATWT co-star Paul Leyden, who played the role of Simon Frasier when they premiered their short film "Bye Bye Sally" in 2010. The film starred their former co-star Paolo Seganti, who portrayed Damian Grimaldi and Malin Åkerman, best known for her roles in the feature films The Heartbreak Kid, 27 Dresses and Watchmen.

On March 26, 2008, Noelle Beck was named Byrne's replacement and first aired in the role on May 8 of that year.[16] Beck previously played the role of Trisha Alden on the ABC soap opera Loving from 1985–1993 and again in 1995 in time for its finale.[10] Before joining ATWT, Beck led an impressive career in primetime that included roles in CBS' Central Park West,[17] NBC's Tucker[18] and many guest appearances on other series including ABC's Cashmere Mafia.[16]

Beck's casting came with criticism due to the actress replacing the popular Byrne. With columnist Michael Fairman, Beck spoke about her initial hesitance to rejoin daytime after nearly 15-year break and her approach to playing the character of Lily.

"I hadn't been involved in daytime for quite awhile [sic?]. I left in 1993 and there was a big long gap since I returned. I was raising my children and not watching a lot of daytime TV. So I forgot how committed and loyal soap fans are, because a lot of the work I did after I left "Loving" was episodics and pilots. People don't have that kind of loyalty to characters like in soaps, because you are not in their homes every day."[19]

—Noelle Beck, Michael Fairman On-Air On Soaps

In the same interview, Beck further added:

"When I did daytime before, they didn't have any blogs. So I didn't know when people didn't like me. Ignorance is bliss. I was like, 'I think this is fun,' and then I was reading a lot of negative stuff. It's hard not to take it personally. Than I thought, 'You know what? I am not going to do this to myself. I'm just going to do the best job I can."[19]

—Noelle Beck

Following the final episode of ATWT, Beck continued to appear in primetime with guest appearances on CBS' Blue Bloods,[20] NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and USA Network's Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which also starred Jay Mohr in a Charlie Sheen rant-inspired episode.[21]