A list of notable characters from the ABC soap opera All My Children who significantly impacted storylines and began their run from the years 1970 to 1979.
Phoebe Tyler
Phoebe Wallingford was portrayed by Ruth Warrick from 1970 until her death in 2005. Warrick was nominated twice for Emmy Awards, and received the Daytime Emmy Award for lifetime achievement for her portrayal of the character.
Phoebe was a pillar of Pine Valley. Her family, the Englishes, were founders of the region. The leading socialite in the community, Phoebe prides herself on her family's ancestry, and is a member of the fictional "Daughters of Fine Lineage."
Phoebe is first married to Charles Tyler, Chief of Staff at Pine Valley Hospital. They have three children, Charles Jr. (Charles' son by his first wife, and thus, Phoebe's stepson at the time), Lincoln, and Anne. Charles Jr. and his wife are killed in a car wreck, leaving Phoebe and Charles to raise their grandson, Chuck. Chuck gives his grandmother plenty of grief with his involvement in one of the show's earliest love triangles between himself, his best friend Philip Brent, and the young Tara Martin. Lincoln becomes a prominent attorney and is first married to Amy Parker. After Amy's secret child from a prior relationship is eventually found out, she leaves Lincoln and Pine Valley.
Chuck later marries Donna Beck, a reformed prostitute whom Phoebe detests, calling her "that Donna creature;" and Carrie Sanders, whose father had been abusive to both his wives. He dates several other women in Pine Valley. He is the natural father of Donna's son Palmer John, conceived in an affair while she is married to Phoebe's friend, Palmer Cortlandt. Phoebe and Chuck have a very close bond throughout the show, and she considers him more of a son than a grandson.
Phoebe's son Lincoln is married to a set of twins, Kitty Shea Davis and Kelly Cole. Anne is married at first to a European nobleman, then to Nick Davis (the father of Amy's son), and, finally, to the attorney Paul Martin (who is involved with other women during the time of Ann's institutionalization).
Phoebe constantly meddles in the lives of her children and niece, much to the dismay of her husband Charles. Despite this, though, she always meant well. Charles, much more down-to-earth than his often snobby and overbearing wife, later turns to his secretary, Mona Kane, for comfort. This pushes Phoebe to begin drinking heavily, often making a spectacle of herself at public events. Her fondness for alcohol once led to a drunk driving arrest, as well as a drunken tumble down her staircase.
Phoebe and Charles eventually divorce, and she finds a new love in the form of Langley Wallingford. Langley claims to be a professor, but he has a checkered past as a con artist. He initially pursues Phoebe for her fortune, but eventually falls in love with her. Langley and Phoebe marry in June 1980. Their marriage is briefly strained in 1984 when Phoebe learns of her husband's past, but the two reconcile. They are blissfully happy until the arrival of another poser named Wade Matthews in 1986. Wade stages a series of events to break up Langley and Phoebe. Phoebe marries the much younger Wade in a drunken stupor. Wade unsuccessfully tries to murder Phoebe to inherit a sizable portion of her estate. He is later found out and imprisoned, and the marriage is annulled. Phoebe and Langley remarry and remain together until the latter's death in the early 2000s. Phoebe dies from natural causes in May 2005, with her niece, Brooke English, at her side. Her last words were "Langley is waiting for me."
Ruth Martin
Ruth Martin (also Parker and Brent) was portrayed by Mary Fickett and Lee Meriwether. Ruth is a registered nurse and volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. In the 1970s, she is raped by Ray Gardner, the biological father of her adopted son, Tad Martin. Ruth is the matriarch of the Martin family and, in a sense, the matriarchial character of All My Children itself. Along with her husband Joe Martin and her former stepdaughter-in-law Erica Kane, she is one of three original characters remaining since the series' premiere episode. The character was originated by Fickett in the show's first episode on January 5, 1970. After 26 years, Fickett left the role, only briefly returning for the year of 2000, and Ruth has been portrayed by Meriwether since July 10, 1996, for various stints until 2011 series finale.
Ruth is married to Ted Brent in 1970 when All My Children begins. She is a registered nurse at Pine Valley Hospital. Ruth and Ted have an adopted son named Philip Brent. Philip is actually Ruth's nephew, the son of Amy Tyler (Ruth's sister) and Nick Davis. Ruth is adamant about keeping Phillip's true paternity from him, but Nick Davis threatens to reveal the truth. After her first husband Ted Brent dies in a car accident, she begins dating her colleague Dr. Joe Martin, a widower. The two married in 1972, blending their families. The Martins take in a young boy Thaddeus Gardner in 1973. Thaddeus (known as Tad) was abandoned by his abusive father, Ray Gardner, in a park. Ray shows up sometime later and demands money for his son. After the Martins adamantly refuse, Ray stalks Ruth and violently rapes her one night, leaving her in a coma.
In 1975, Joe begins to have feelings for a patient he is treating named Leora Sanders. During their separation, Ruth has an affair with David Thorton and the two become engaged at one point. Eventually, she and Joe reconcile. They conceive a son, Joseph Martin Jr. (now referred to as Jake), on Christmas Day 1979. Ruth and the entire Martin family grieve the loss of Kate Martin, Joe's mother, in 1985. In 1994, the Martin House is destroyed by a tornado. Tad is severely injured and almost dies. The whole town comes together and helps the Martins rebuild their house. In 1997, Joe suffers a heart attack and almost dies. Ruth is there to nurture Joe back to health. Throughout most of the 1990s and 2000s, Ruth becomes more of a supporting character and is only seen on holidays and special occasions. She often appears to support her sons Tad and Jake, and her grandson Charlie Brent. She maintains friendships with characters such as Mona Kane Tyler, Opal Cortlandt, and Marian Colby Chandler over the years. In the 1990s, she trains Julia Santos in Pine Valley Hospital's nursing program. In April 2008, she is confronted with a reminder of her rape, when Ray Gardner's brother, Robert, comes to her granddaughter Jenny's birthday party. In May 2008, Ruth and Joe attend Jesse and Angie Hubbard's wedding; Robert Gardner shows up and shoots Julia, Greg, and Tad. Ruth and Joe attempt to save Julia, but she dies as a result of her injuries. The Martins are devastated over Julia's death, but are thrilled to find out that Julia's foster child, Kathy Mershon, is actually their long lost granddaughter, Tad's daughter Kathy Martin.
After Stuart Chandler's murder in May 2009, Ruth, Tad, Jake, and Amanda attend his funeral. On December 3, 2009, Joe announces to Jake that he and Ruth are making plans to retire and are thinking of moving. This comes as a complete surprise to Jake, but Joe assures him that he and Ruth will always miss Pine Valley, but it is time for a change. In January 2010, Ruth and Joe retired and moved to Florida where Tara and Kelsey live. In April 2010, Ruth and Joe are devastated to hear that their dear friend Palmer Cortlandt died. At midnight, they along with other Pine Valley residents of past and present, light candles to honor him. Ruth briefly returns in June 2010 for her son Jake's vow renewal ceremony to Amanda Dillon.
All My Children broke new ground and made history in 1971 when they had Ruth publicly protest the Vietnam War. This is a television first, and in 1973, Mary Fickett became the first daytime television performer in television history to receive an Emmy Award for this storyline.
In 1996, Mary Fickett decided to retire from acting. She allowed her contract with All My Children to expire, expecting to be offered a recurring status (meaning she could appear occasionally, without a minimum number of required appearances). Fans and soap opera publications were shocked when ABC announced that they recast the role with former Miss America winner Lee Meriwether that same year. This came as a shock, as Fickett was an original cast member who had played Ruth for 26 years. However, in 1999, negotiations between Meriwether's agents and the producers of All My Children broke down, and Meriwether was let go. In 2000, ABC asked Mary Fickett back to portray Ruth for the show's 30th-anniversary episode. Fickett continued to play Ruth throughout most of 2000, but decided to permanently retire at the end of that year. Ruth did not appear on the show again for an entire year.
In 2002, the show's writers wanted to bring the character back to the canvas. ABC asked Lee Meriwether back to the show, as Mary Fickett declined an offer to stay with the show on a recurring basis. Meriwether portrayed Ruth from that point on. On September 8, 2011, Fickett died at age 83. All My Children was planned a special tribute to her in an episode that aired two days before the series finale.
Mona Kane
Mona Kane Tyler, also called Mona Kane, was an original fictional character on the long-running American daytime drama All My Children. Mona was portrayed by Frances Heflin from the first episode in 1970 to the actress' death in 1994.
Mona was the hard-working mother of Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) and secretary to Dr. Charles Tyler (Hugh Franklin), whom she later married. Her relationship with Charles caused a big rift between her and the intrusive Phoebe Tyler (Ruth Warrick), Charles' wife before her. Mona always defended Erica, who always made questionable choices where her life was concerned. Mona's role on the program was primarily to offer level-headed advice to many characters, but most often to her daughter Erica. She was also best friends with Myrtle Fargate and doted upon her granddaughters, Kendall and Bianca. In fact, Bianca had gained her sweetness from her grandmother.
In 1992, Mona was diagnosed with lung cancer, as actress Frances Heflin was diagnosed with the same ailment in real life. While Mona successfully beat lung cancer, portrayer Heflin did not. Heflin died in 1994 and afterward Mona was written out of the show. Mona died in her sleep, and, in a scene forever remembered in Pine Valley, Erica broke down and threw herself on her mother's coffin before it was to be laid into the ground.
Franklin "Frank" Grant
Franklin "Frank" Grant is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children; he is noted for being the first Black primary character on the soap opera. Don Blakely originated the role in 1972, being replaced later that year by the actor most identified with the role, John Danelle, who would portray the character until November 1982.
Frank comes from a place called Center City,Like Pine Valley, Center City is a fictional Pennsylvania municipality on All My Children. It is not to be confused with the downtown section of Philadelphia, which is also referred to as Center City. within driving distance of Pine Valley, and he grew up with limited opportunities. He became a doctor after serving in the United States Army, who paid for his medical schooling. He arrives as a new doctor in residence in 1972 and is paired on rounds with Dr. Jeff Martin. Frank and Jeff become best friends and their friendship endures throughout the time Frank is on the canvas in Pine Valley. Frank's wife Nancy, a successful social worker, often travels to Chicago for work for months at a time. Frank is always hopeful that Nancy will settle in Pine Valley just as he chose to do, but career-minded Nancy chooses work almost every time.