Helen Wagner

(Wikipedia) Helen Wagner (September 3, 1918 – May 1, 2010) was an American actress. Born in Lubbock, Texas, she is best known for her long-running role as Nancy Hughes McClosky on the soap opera As the World Turns. She was the longest serving actor on an American soap opera. ... Wagner played the soap opera's matriarch, Nancy Hughes, from its debut on April 2, 1956, until her death. She was acknowledged by the Guinness Book of Records for having the longest run in a single role on television, a position she held until 2010. Continued