Mary Martha Byrne is an American actress. She played the role of Lily Walsh Snyder on the soap opera As the World Turns from 1985 to 1989, then again from 1993 to 2008; as well as, from 2000 to 2003, Lily's twin sister, Rose D'Angelo. Byrne has also appeared in other stage, television and movie roles, including the title role in the 1983 film Anna to the Infinite Power. She is currently executive producer of the digital drama series Anacostia, where she has played the role of Alexis Jordan since 2011. Byrne has won three Daytime Emmy Awards for acting.
Early life
Byrne was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey, the daughter of Terrence Joseph and Mary Adele (née TuMulty) Byrne. Byrne later asserted that the contract negotiations fell through because the show refused to guarantee her the same number of episodes of work she had previously been guaranteed. She added that a casting call was made for her successor during her contract negotiations, which fueled her drive to leave.<!-- These comments attributed to Byrne require sourcing. --> Byrne's last airdate on the show was April 22, 2008; her successor, Noelle Beck, appeared in the role of Lily from May 2008 until the series' end in 2010.
Byrne was hired as a script writer by Bradley Bell for The Bold and the Beautiful in early 2009. From June 17 though September 9, 2009, she portrayed Andrea Floyd on the ABC soap opera General Hospital.
Byrne began portraying Alexis Jordan (née Joanne Edwards) on the soap opera web series Anacostia in 2011, winning a 2012 Indie Series Award for Best Guest Appearance (Drama), and a 2015 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a New Approaches Drama Series. The entire cast won a 2015 Indie Series Award for Best Ensemble (Drama). Byrne served as a co-executive producer, director and writer for the series from 2012-2016, and was promoted to Executive Producer in the show's 2017 fifth season. As a producer, Byrne was also nominated for the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding New Approaches Drama Series in 2015.
Music
Byrne is also a singer. She contributed a Christmas medley to the 1994 RCA release, A Soap Opera Christmas. She released her self-titled album Martha Byrne in 1996.
She has also released a second album, Woman Thing Music. Byrne again was the subject of controversy, as the sponsor of the second album was Philip Morris. The CD could only be purchased in conjunction with the purchase of cigarettes, or at one of the "Woman Music Thing" concerts that Philip Morris sponsored. Byrne eventually withdrew endorsement from the music label, as she did not want to be associated with a product that could encourage underage smoking.
In 2006 Byrne released a third album, The Other Side.
Awards and recognition
Byrne is a ten-time Daytime Emmy Award-nominee as actress and producer, winning Outstanding Younger Actress in 1987, Outstanding Lead Actress in 2001, and Outstanding Performer in a New Approaches Drama Series in 2015.
Personal life
Byrne married Michael McMahon, a former undercover officer in the New York City Police Department, on November 12, 1994. She grew up in Waldwick, New Jersey and lives in nearby Ridgewood.
Their first child, Michael Terrence McMahon, was born on May 29, 1998. An episode of the TLC series A Baby Story chronicled her second pregnancy and the birth of her son, Maxwell Vincent McMahon, on September 3, 2002. Their third child and first daughter, Annmarie, was born June 12, 2006.
Filmography
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|rowspan="2"|1982||The Eyes of the Amaryllis ||Jenny Reade||
|-
|Drop-Out Father||Elizabeth McCall||
|-
|rowspan="2"|1983||Anna to the Infinite Power||Anna Hart||
|-
|The Hamptons||Miranda||1 episode
|-
|1984||He's Fired, She's Hired||Emily Grier||
|-
|rowspan="3"|1985||As the World Turns||Lily Walsh Snyder||1985–1989, 1993–2008
|-
|The Beniker Gang||Molly Stamwick ||aka Dear Lola, or How to Start Your Own Family
|-
|Kate & Allie|| Carter Lowe ||1 episode
|-
|1986||As the World Turns: 30th Anniversary||Lily||
|-
|1989||In the Heat of the Night|| Lizbeth Hagen ||
|-
|rowspan="4"|1990||Jake and the Fatman||Melanie Wilkerson||
|-
|The Young Riders||Vera Collins||2 episode
|-
|Doogie Howser, M.D.||Sasha Larkin ||1 episode
|-
|Over My Dead Body||Julie Talmadge ||1 episode
|-
|rowspan="4"|1991||Bob Hope & Friends: Making New Memories||Herself||
|-
|Murder, She Wrote||Sarah Lapp||1 episode
|-
|Silk Stalkings||Erica Dietz||1 episode
|-
|Pink Lightning||Jill||
|-
|1992||Parker Lewis Can't Lose||Erin||
|-
|rowspan="2"|1997||The Marksmen||Alison Wells||
|-
|When the Cradle Falls ||Donna McDermott||
|-
|rowspan="2"|2001||The 28th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards||Herself||
|-
|Mergers & Acquisitions||Iowa||
|-
|2004||Living It Up! With Ali and Jack||Herself||March 17, 2004
|-
|rowspan="2"|2006||SoapTalk||Herself||May 8, 2006, April 5, 2006
|-
|Life After Tomorrow||Herself||
|-
|2009||General Hospital|| Andrea Floyd || June 17–September 9, 2009
|-
|2011–present||Anacostia||Alexis Jordan||
|-
|2014||Crisis|| Marie Wirth || 1 episode
|}
Writer
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 2009 ||The Bold and the Beautiful||script writer||3 episodes
|}
Producer
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|2009 ||Bye Bye Sally||executive producer||
|}