OPEN LETTER: Ellen Holly Reveals The True Story Of Her Time At ONE LIFE TO LIVE

Legendary actress Ellen Holly has published "An Open Letter to the Fans and Historians of ONE LIFE TO LIVE". Holly was an original cast member of ONE LIFE in 1968 and was a fan favorite immediately and throughout her run which ended in 1985. She was not the first black actor on contract with a daytime soap but was certainly the first black star of daytime and paved the way for future stars like Debbi Morgan, Darnell Williams, Kristoff St. John, Victoria Rowell, Tamara Tunie and others.

For any longtime fan of daytime television, the lack of minority characters onscreen has been obvious. As the minority population of the United States has grown in the past 20 years, the volume of minority characters on soaps has actually decreased. Why is this?

Stars like Rowell have spoken out in interviews (and on Twitter) about the lack of diversity not only in front of the camera but behind the scenes as well. What has been missing was tangible evidence, numbers, that paint a clearer picture that can not be dismissed as sour grapes.

Hall paints a vivid picture of how she was hired, what her salary was compared to the other "stars" of ONE LIFE, what really happened when she was fired from the soap, and the timeline of when she found out damning information which lead to her writing this new open letter.

Below are a few of the more interesting quotes:

World AIDS Day Tribute: Robert Christian (1939–1983) -- 'Another World,' 'All My Children,' 'Search for Tomorrow'

On World AIDS Day we pay tribute to some of the actors from the soap opera community who lost their lives to the disease.

Robert Christian (also known as Bob and Bobby) was born in Los Angeles on December 27, 1939. He died of AIDS-related complications on January 27, 1983 in New York City at age 43.

Christian had roles on All My Children and Search for Tomorrow, but his biggest soap role was as Bob Morgan on Another World. He played Bob from January to December in 1982. Bob was married to Henrietta but fell in love with Quinn. He died of a gunshot wound at the video arcade.

Christian last aired a month before he passed away.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Petronia Paley Talks ANOTHER WORLD, GUIDING LIGHT, "Munched" & More

Daytime soap opera fans fondly remember Petronia Paley from her runs on THE DOCTORS (Jessie Rawlings), ANOTHER WORLD (Quinn Harding) and GUIDING LIGHT (Vivian Grant). The talented actress continues to take on new acting challenges but has also moved in the world of directly and teaching. She is currently the director for "Munched," a play by Kim Porter currently running at Manhattan Theater Source until November 22. WE LOVE SOAPS TV recently spoke with Paley about her career and latest projects.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Are you originally from New York, or did you move here to act?
Petronia Paley: I came after graduating from Howard University with a degree in acting, and I was immediately drawn to the Negro Ensemble Company, where I took classes and was in one of their productions, and The Public Theater. I was lucky enough to get some work down there, and that was the beginning of my career. At some point, I got an agent, and she was the one to get me into daytime television, getting me under-fives at that time.

"MUNCHED" by Kim Porter, directed by Petronia Paley (Opens November 7)

"MUNCHED," a Kim Porter play directed by former soap star Petronia Paley (ex-Quinn, ANOTHER WORLD; ex-Vivian, GUIDING LIGHT; et al) premieres Monday, November 7 at Manhattan Theatre Source.

Look for our interview with Paley on Tuesday. Meanwhile, check out the play details below and buy your tickets today!