Ann Flood

Ann Flood, born Maryanne Elizabeth Ott on November 12, 1932, in Jamaica, Queens, New York, was an American actress whose career spanned Broadway, television, and film. She died on October 7, 2022, in Stamford, Connecticut, five weeks before her 90th birthday. She is best known for portraying journalist and author Nancy Pollock Karr on the soap opera The Edge of Night, a role she held for 22 years beginning in 1962.

Flood was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ott and graduated from Bay Shore High School, where she earned a scholarship in merchandising and buying to a junior college in New England. A summer job as a receptionist at a beach club redirected her path; many of the club's members were actors who staged community productions, and one of them invited her to take a small part in a play. That experience prompted her to pursue acting, and she began studying with a dramatic coach. She adopted the stage name Ann Flood, explaining that the change was "purely psychological. Maryanne Ott is not as euphonious as Ann Flood."

Her television work preceded her Broadway debut. In 1952, she appeared in a live production of the W. S. Gilbert play The Fortune Hunter for WOR-TV, and she went on to become a regular presence on golden age live television programs including Sergeant Bilko, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Kraft Theatre, and The Philco Television Playhouse. She also appeared in commercials for Good Seasons salad dressing, Newport cigarettes, Ivory Snow detergent, and Sterling beer.

Flood appeared on Broadway between 1953 and 1957. Her Broadway debut came in the 1954 musical Kismet, where she initially performed as a showgirl before being promoted to a singing part after two cast members became ill. She subsequently appeared opposite Don Ameche in the comedy Holiday for Lovers in 1957.

Before joining The Edge of Night, Flood played Elizabeth "Liz" Fraser Allen, the leading role of a journalist, in the soap opera From These Roots from 1958 to 1961. She joined The Edge of Night in 1962, playing Nancy Pollock Karr alongside the character Mike Karr, whose marriage to Nancy became one of the longest in soap opera history. Nancy and Mike had no biological children, though Mike's daughter Laurie, from his first marriage to Sara, came to regard Nancy as her mother. Flood remained with the series through its finale in 1984, by which time she was its longest-serving cast member. She witnessed the show's transition from live to taped broadcasts and its move from CBS to ABC. For her performance, she received two Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, in 1982 and 1984.

Following The Edge of Night, Flood continued working in daytime television in a series of recurring and shorter-term roles. She played Ella Hobbs, a villain who attempted to kill the leading character Joanne, on Search for Tomorrow. Her subsequent daytime roles included Rose Livingston on Another World from 1986 to 1987, Bitsy Davidson on All My Children beginning in 1987 with her last appearance airing in January 1990, Mrs. Guthrie on One Life to Live in 1991, and business executive Ruth Mansfield on As the World Turns in recurring appearances from 1992 to 1993. She also guest-starred on the prime-time series The Cosby Show and appeared in the 1988 feature film Mystic Pizza.

Flood married sportscaster and media network executive Herb Granath in 1952. They remained married until his death in 2019. She had three sons and one daughter.