Ellen Weston, 1939 – 2026

Actress, writer and songwriter Ellen Weston, 87, died on May 28. Weston had continuing roles in the soaps Another World and The Young and the Restless, also appearing in Get Smart, Run for Your Life, Bonanza, Night Gallery, Mannix, Bewitched, SWAT, The Bob Newhart Show, and Wonder Woman; she appeared on Broadway in Toys in the Attic, Mary, Mary, and A Far Country. Weston varied her acting with writing, on such projects as Capitol, Guiding Light, and several 1990s TV-movies. She also worked as a songwriter (notably for Lesley Gore). Weston said of soaps, “I like to think of every day as a mini movie. It starts in one place and ends, and we take the story further each day. That is a satisfying way of telling stories. But I think — and I believe all the writers on the show feel the same way — that we want to tell a mini movie each day. And I thought, ‘This is a good place to be, because if you are surrounded by people who love their work and do it correctly, there is nothing more joyful.’”  Her family writes that “She took excellent care of herself, always tastefully put together with gorgeous outfits, the perfect makeup and more. Up until the very end, she was still dancing and taking new classes; the latest was a pottery class taught by a dear friend that ended a month before her passing.”