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In an industry where jobs are few and far between, Fulton has remained at the top of her league and considers herself to be one of the lucky ones. "Playing Lisa has given me such joy," she said. "I love the character and am so proud to have been given the opportunity for so long". Fulton, 65, has been playing the colorful character since 1960, and has been through every trial and tribulation imaginable. "Lisa had eight husbands and God only knows how many lovers," she said. She believes the character has lasted so long because people can relate to her, and the character always lands on her feet and is never duped. "I see the soaps changing in terms of the depth of a character study," Fulton said. "You saw a character with a problem and two solutions and you psychologically understood what the person is doing and why." "I also believe when the character chose the wrong solution, it made for an interesting dramatic story, and today you don't have that". Soaps have changed since the 1960's. Back in the early days, the stars did their own hair and makeup. Today, it's done by professionals, Fulton said. As The World Turns has a wardrope designer, but Fulton shops for her own clothes with the designer, and chooses to do her own makeup. "I was the first to bring glamour to daytime. I'd receive so many letters from viewers telling me they love what I wear, "Fulton said. "I believe not only is story important, but the daydream is important, which is created with glamour." In the early 1970's, Fulton was the first in her field to launch a fashion line, "The Eileen Fulton At-Home Collection" for JC Penny. In 1970, Fulton was named "Best Actress" by Daytime TV's Magazine's reader's poll, where she remained in the catagory for 58 of the first 80 issues printed between 1970 and 1977. In 1991, Fulton's work was recognized with Soap Opera Digest's Editor's Award. Last September, she was given the prestigious honor of being inducted into the Soap Opera Hall of Fame at a star-studded gala presented by Soap Opera Weekly magazine. Born and raised in Asheville, N.C., Fulton is the daughter of a Methodist minister and a descendent of a long line of clergyman. She majored in music and minored in drama at Greensboro College, and made her professional debut in The Lost Colony. In 1956, she moved to New York City and studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. Fulton's talent brought her to Broadway, where she appeared in Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? Her list of off Broadway plays is extensive. In 1960, Fulton starred in the movie Girl of the Night with Anne Francis, Lloyd Nolan and Kay Medford. Despite the long hours on As The World Turns, Fulton tours the country with her cabaret act, performing at dinner theaters. "I love to sing and meet my fans," she said. In addition, Fulton has co-authored two autobiographies called How My World Turns and As My World Still Turns, that has been in top 10 in Holland for three years. She has also written six murder mysteries. This June, she will have her first romance novel called Soap Opera. When Fulton is away from the limelight, she shares a beautiful Manhatten apartment overlooking Central Park with her three dogs and enjoys the good life. "I enjoy pampering myself. I take care of my skin, drink a lot of water, eat vegetables and use moisturizers, and-Oh, yes!-a little shot of Jack Daniels. It keeps my world turning", Fulton joked. Mark Edward Wilows has written articles for Soap Opera Magazine and currently does features on soap stars and celebrities for the Indiana Post-Tribune. In the past, Mark has covered soap opera news for Chicago Daytime and the Danny Bonaduce show. This article was originally published in the Indiana Post-Tribune on May 20, 1999 and is used with permission of the author.
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For 39 years, Eileen Fulton has been playing the scheming Lisa on the
CBS soap opera As The World Turns.
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