Martha Byrne
Byrne, a 2002 Daytime Emmy nominee, won the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2001 for her portrayal of both sisters. In addition, her work earned her a Soap Opera Digest Award nomination. As Lily, the actress won an Emmy for Outstanding Ingenue in a Drama Series in 1987 and has four other Emmy nominations for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series. She has also been nominated for a Soap Opera Digest Award, along with co-star Hensley, for Favorite Couple.
Byrne began her acting career on Broadway in the hit musical Annie, in which she played the role of July and also understudied the title role.
On television, Byrne guest-starred in When the Cradle Falls, a CBS movie-of-the-week. She appeared in numerous primetime series including Murder, She Wrote, Kate and Allie, Jake and the Fatman, In the Heat of the Night, Doogie Howser, M.D., The Young Riders, Parker Lewis, Over My Dead Body, Pros and Cons with James Earl Jones and Hearts are Wild, as Lainie Kazan's daughter. She starred in the 1983 summer series The Hamptons and appeared in the television films Pink Lightning; Drop-Out Father with Dick Van Dyke and Mariette Hartley; She's Hired, He's Fired with Wayne Rogers and Karen Valentine; The Harvest on PBS; HBO's Anna to the Infinite Power, in which she played the title role; and the Disney Channel's The Eyes of the Amaryllis. She also lists working with Bob Hope on one of his specials as a highlight in her career.
Byrne has also released two CDs, Martha Byrne, which includes songs that she has performed on AS THE WORLD TURNS, and most recently, Woman Thing Music. In addition, she just produced the soundtrack to the Calista Flockhart film Jane Doe, and appears in the upcoming film Mergers & Acquisitions.
Each year, Byrne hosts the annual Daytime Television Salutes St. Jude Children's Research Hospital benefit, where daytime stars from ABC, NBC and CBS meet and greet fans and treat them to live musical performances. Daytime devotees have the opportunity to mingle with the stars, as well as bid on over 100 auction items, with all profits going toward the hospital. This will be the seventh year that Byrne coordinates and hosts the benefit.
Martha, who was born in Ridgewood, N.J., lives in New York state with her husband, New York City Police Officer Michael McMahon, and their children, Michael (b. 5/29/98) and Maxwell Vincent (b. 9/3/02).
Rose D'Angelo
Soap City
Soap Central
Rose D'Angelo's life was changed forever the day she was contacted by Lily Snyder on the Internet. Lily was looking for information on a old photo that she had; Rose then contacted her and revealed that although she knew nothing about the woman in the photo, she had the same one in her family's belongings. Realizing that there had to be a connection, the two women agreed to meet in Atlantic City. Then came another shock: Rose and Lily looked almost exactly alike! Believing that they were somehow related, the two women started talking but unfortunately, Rose knew nothing of her family history; only that her mother was dead and left her a small box of belongings. Then Lily told Rose that she believed they were both descendants of a woman called Beloved who had been given a diamond by her lover before disappearing. Lily then went on to say that she believed Rose had the diamond. Though Rose balked at the idea (if her family had anything valuable they would have sold it a long time ago), she was later shocked to discover that the diamond her mother had told her was paste was real!
There was just one obstacle to Rose becoming a rich woman and that was Simon Frasier, who claimed that since his great-grandfather gave Beloved the diamond, it belonged to him! Though attracted to Simon's good looks and charm, Rose decided to trust Lily instead and they both decided to throw Simon off track by switching places. So with some hair dye to color her red hair, and some scissors, Rose D'Angelo, a flashy showgirl with a New Jersey accent became genteel Lily Snyder from the Midwest. The plan worked until Simon confronted both women and shots rang out. Scared, Lily told Rose to escape to Oakdale and she would meet her there with the diamond.
Luckily, Rose did make it to Oakdale. Knowing that Lily would be home soon, she bided her time and enjoyed the good life letting everyone believe that she was Lily. Unfortunately, as the days went on it was harder to keep up the charade especially since Lily's husband, Holden, was in an amorous mood. Soon, Rose began to suspect that Lily took the diamond and ran off with Simon. Angry, Rose decided to run off with some of Lily's money only to learn that she had to wait 3 weeks for the money to be liquidated. So biding her time again Rose continued to fool everyone except for one Katie Peretti. Desperate not to be discovered, Rose made Katie a deal: if she kept her mouth shut, Rose would make sure she got Holden. However soon after the deal was made, Katie embarrassed "Lily" by displaying a nude painting of her at Holden's birthday party. Furious at Katie for making a fool of her and callously hurting Holden in front of everyone, Rose vowed to enact revenge.
As a part of her revenge, Rose started getting close to Holden (to make Katie jealous). However, soon she found herself falling in love with him. Not wanting to hurt Holden, she carried on the masquerade and the two made love.
But just when it seemed that Rose would get everything she ever wanted, her ruse was discovered by Lucinda. Exposed, Rose was forced to confess and is was sent to jail.
Luckily Rose's jail time was cut short when it was discovered that she was actually Lily's twin sister. Apparently, Lily's mother, Iva, had unknowingly given birth to two babies. Rose was the firstborn, but she was sickly and so the second child (Lily) was given to Lucinda Guest (later Walsh) for adoption and Rose was placed in an orphanage until she was adopted by the D'Angelo family.
Rose and Lily's first months as sisters were not easy. As Holden and Lily were estranged, Holden slowly began to appreciate Rose for her own qualities, and the two became lovers. Needless to say, Lily wasn't thrilled. Eventually, Holden and Lily drifted toward each other again. Rose tried a few minor schemes to keep them apart, but realized she couldn't. As much as it hurt her, she accepted that Holden's life was with Lily. Rose and Lily then became much closer.
Rose began working at Worldwide, and single-handedly saved the company from Craig Montgomery's takeover attempts several different times. Finally, after the pain of Bryant's death shook them all, Lucinda acknowledged her efforts with a promotion.
In spring 2001, Rose bumped into Paul Ryan in the airport, as he was returning to town after his mother nearly died in a boathouse explosion. Rose fell in lust at first sight. She helped him as he tried to keep Craig away from BRO (Barbara Ryan Originals), and as he tried to prove Craig's guilt in the explosion. Craig was ultimately exonerated, but Paul was grateful to Rose for her help. He constantly reassured her that her brassy ways were endearing, not disgraceful, and that they were a part of the reason why he cared so much about her. In him, Rose found a man who could love her for her self, not who she looked like.
Unfortunately, Barbara hated her from first sight, and tried everything she could to break them up. She even blackmailed Rose by uncovering her past a call girl, but Rose told Paul. When Paul told her it didn't matter, she turned the tables on Barbara, threatening to spill her dirty plans to Paul unless she left their relationship alone. Barbara complied, at least temporarily. Rose and Paul became lovers.
Rose's best friend is Mitzi Matters, a fellow Atlantic City dancer and brassy girl with a 40's way of speaking. She stayed in Oakdale for a few months while Rose was posing as Lily, and recently moved back.
Rose has grown closer to her biological mother, Iva. She and father Joe were estranged for years after her mother's death, but mended their differences after reuniting in 2000. Joe moved to Oakdale for about a year, but returned to Hoboken, New Jersey in fall 2001. Then one day, Rose's ex-boyfriend, Vince, dropped back into her life. A series of events convinced Paul that Rose still had feelings for Vince and the pair broke up. Knowing that someone was behind everything, Rose agreed to meet Vince to discuss the situation and unbeknownst to everyone, she promptly disappeared.
At Barbara’s behest, James spiked Rose’s coffee, and whisked her out of town unbeknownst to anyone. Rose wound up shipped overseas to a “spa” tended by Dr. Cyrus Weston, where Carly and Emily had already been sent. After several weeks of imprisonment there, Rose managed to escape by taking a corpse’s place in a casket being sent out of the spa. Scheduled for burial, Rose apparently rose from the dead as the coffin was being interred. Finally brought back home, she was shocked at her aged appearance, but slowly began to get back to a normal life, including accepting Paul Ryan’s marriage proposal. Fortunately, Dr. Weston was captured, and coerced to restore Carly to normal, though he refused to do so to Rose. Given the procedure was successful and Bob Hughes assisted, Bob was able to perform the same procedure on Rose, successfully.
Restored to normal, Rose and Paul had their engagement party. However, Joe never made it. He was essentially kidnapped by Cooley’s son (both of whom were in cahoots w/ Henry). Henry warned Rose about Joe’s precarious situation and convinced her the only way to get Joe back unharmed was to bail Henry out and hand over the diamond’s provenance (the letter from Caroline Carpenter that originally accompanied the diamond). She did so, and accompanied Henry (followed by Paul) to Avanya to recover Joe.
Through many trials and tribulations, Simon & Joe were rescued, Cooley was killed, Slade and Donovan are presumed dead, and the diamond was recovered, but thrown overboard by Rose to get rid of the accursed object. Given Joe’s health, Rose decided to postpone her wedding to Paul in order to nurse Joe back to health.
In the beginning of 2003, Rose returned to Oakdale from Italy, and after being out of touch for a long time, Rose and Paul had some serious issues to work out.