Mary Mae Ward (maiden name Courtnee; previously Powers) is a fictional character from the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' from 1994–1995. Introduced as a grandmother character running an orphanage, it was revealed through backstory that she had formerly been the mistress of

Edward Quartermaine Edward Quartermaine is a fictional character from ''General Hospital'', an American soap opera on the ABC network. The character was created in 1978, originally played by David Lewis. John Ingle stepped into the role in 1993, and besides a brief ...

, with whom she had the son Bradley Ward. She is also the grandmother of the late

Justus Ward Justus Ward is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''. He is the son of Bradley and Isobel Ward, and the grandson of Edward Quartermaine. The role was originated by former ''Cosby Show'' actor Joseph C. Phillips, who appe ...

(

M'fundo Morrison Mfundo Morrison (born September 5, 1974, in Rome, Georgia) is an American actor, voice over artist and filmmaker. He portrayed Quartermaine family member Justus Ward on the multi Emmy award-winning hit show '' General Hospital''. He had a reoccu ...

), Keesha Ward and the great-grandmother of

Maya Ward ''General Hospital'' is the longest running American television serial drama, airing on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a District General Hospital, general hosp ...

Casting

The role of Mary Mae Ward was originated by

Rosalind Cash Rosalind Theresa Cash (December 31, 1938October 31, 1995) was an American actress. Her best-known film role is in the 1971 science-fiction film ''The Omega Man''. Cash also had another notable role as Mary Mae Ward in ABC's ''General Hospital'' ...

(1938–1995) in 1994, who played her as a proud matriarch character who had triumphed over racism and tragedy. When Cash died of cancer in 1995, the Mary Mae Ward character was written out of the series, with an explanation of having died of natural causes. In 1996, Cash was posthumously nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

, for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Brief Character History

Mary Mae Ward showed up in

Port Charles ''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes pl ...

after Laura Spencer bought the Ward House. Mary Mae and Laura became instant friends and ran an orphanage out of the Ward House. After her son Bradley Ward was found dead in Luke and Laura Spencer's yard, Mary Mae's grandson Justus and granddaughter Keesha came to Port Charles to attend Bradley's funeral. Bradley had been murdered, but who killed him? Keesha began dating the young, rich

Jason Quartermaine Jason Morgan is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, '' General Hospital''. Created by Thom Racina and Leah Laiman, he is most notably played by Daytime Emmy Award-winning actor Steve Burton, who joined the cast in 1991 and vacated the ...

. Mary Mae and

, both grandparents of the teens, weren't happy about the two dating each other. Soon all evidence of Bradley's death was pointing to Edward as the murderer. Edward was arrested and charged. He swore on his life to Mary Mae that he was not her son's killer. Mary Mae knew it and revealed during her testimony that Bradley was Edward's son. Edward had wartime romance with Mary Mae when she was a blue singer years ago which resulted in the conception of Bradley. Edward was later acquitted. Mary Mae found herself singing the blues again when

Lois Cerullo ''General Hospital'' is the longest-running American television serial drama, airing on ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, it originally was set it in a general hospital (hence the title), in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the c ...

offered her a job at her record label, L&B. Mary Mae was a hit at Luke's club where everyone would go to listen to her beautiful voice. Mary Mae was adored by many in

. When she died in her sleep in January 1996, the whole town turned out to pay their respects to their beloved Mary Mae.

References

External links

Mary Mae Ward profile
Soapcentral.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Mary Mae General Hospital characters Fictional singers