Ellen Lowell
| Ellen Lowell | |||||||||
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Patricia Bruder as Ellen Lowell in 1995
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| As the World Turns character | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Wendy Drew (1956–60) Patricia Bruder (1960–95, 1998) |
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| Duration | 1956–95, 1998 | ||||||||
| First appearance | April 2, 1956 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | November 30, 1998 | ||||||||
| Created by | Irna Phillips | ||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||
| Occupation | Retired | ||||||||
| Residence | Atlanta, Georgia | ||||||||
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| Parents | James "Jim" Lowell Jr. Claire English |
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| Spouse | Timothy "Tim" Cole David Stewart (1966) |
| Children |
Dan Stewart Annie Stewart Ward Dawn Stewart |
| Grandchildren |
Elizabeth "Betsy" Stewart Emily Stewart Gregory Ward Lowell Ward Maria Ward Nancy Ward |
Ellen Lowell (previously Cole and Stewart) is a fictional character from the American daytime soap opera As the World Turns. She was portrayed by Wendy Drew from the series first episode on April 2, 1956 until September 1960 and by Patricia Bruder from December 1960 until November 1998.
Wendy Drew initially played Ellen from 1956 until 1960, when Patricia Bruder took over the role. When Drew requested to be released from her contract as she was getting married, the fictional Ellen was sent away on a cruise, and returned played by Bruder. Bruder appeared in As the World Turns for 35 years. Alongside Eileen Fulton and Don Hastings, who played Lisa Grimaldi and Bob Hughes respectively, Bruder was one of the serial's longest serving cast members. In 1990, a party was organised to honor the longevity of these and other cast members, and viewers were invited to attend to the event. In 1995, Bruder was "let go" from the serial. In 1998, Bruder returned to the serial to play Ellen once again.
As The World Turns initially focused on two families: the Hugheses and the Lowells. Ellen's father, Jim Lowell (Les Damon), was one of the soap's original protagonists. An early plot featured an affair between Jim and Edith Hughes (Ruth Warrick). Creator Irna Phillips had intended to contravene the typical format of soap opera storylines by allowing the affair to lead to a happy marriage, however ultimately killed Jim off instead. This resulted in younger members of the Lowell and Hughes families, including Ellen, being brought to the forefront of storylines. Ellen had been horrified by her father's affair, and as Marilyn J. Matelski writes in The Soap Opera Evolution, this, alongside her doubt as to whether her parents truly loved her, set Ellen on a "somewhat reckless [path ... seeking] love and security from any source". In 1958, Ellen became pregnant by Dr. Tim Cole (William Redfield) and subsequently gave their son up for adoption. According to The Daytime Serials of Television, 1946–1960, she was the first major character in any serial to have an illegitimate child. Lynda Hirsch of the Youngstown Vindicator summarised Ellen's following storylines:
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