Martha Byrne

Martha Byrne, born Mary Martha Byrne on December 23, 1969, in Ridgewood, New Jersey, is an American actress, singer, writer, and producer. The daughter of Terrence Joseph and Mary Adele (née TuMulty) Byrne, she grew up in Waldwick, New Jersey.

Byrne began her acting career at a young age, joining the Broadway cast of the musical Annie in 1977, where she played the role of July. Her early work extended to film as well, with her best-known movie role coming in 1983 when she played the title character in Anna to the Infinite Power. She returned to that project in 2010 to record commentary for the film's DVD release. Her television work beyond daytime drama included appearances on prime-time series such as Kate and Allie, Murder She Wrote, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Jake and the Fatman, In the Heat of the Night, and Hearts are Wild, as well as featured roles in the television movies When the Cradle Falls and Pink Lightning.

Byrne is best known for her portrayal of Lily Walsh Snyder on the CBS daytime soap opera As the World Turns. She joined the cast in May 1985 at age 15, taking over the role from another teenage actress. Head writer Douglas Marland paired Lily with farmhand Holden Snyder, played by Jon Hensley, creating a pairing that became central to the show. In 1987, a storyline in which Byrne and actor Brian Bloom, both underage at the time, portrayed characters losing their virginity to each other drew public controversy. Byrne won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress that same year. She departed the series in 1989 and returned in April 1993. From 2000 to 2003, she took on a second role within the show, playing Lily's long-lost twin sister, Rose D'Angelo. In 2001, she won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress. Byrne left As the World Turns a second time in April 2008, with her final airdate on April 22 of that year. Executive producer Christopher Goutman publicly stated that the show had made her a generous offer to remain, while Byrne stated that the show refused to guarantee her the same number of episodes she had previously been contracted for and that a casting call for her replacement had been made during negotiations. Noelle Beck subsequently took over the role of Lily from May 2008 until the series concluded in 2010.

Following her departure from As the World Turns, Byrne was hired as a script writer by Bradley Bell for The Bold and the Beautiful in early 2009. From June 17 through September 9, 2009, she portrayed Andrea Floyd on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Beginning in 2011, Byrne took on the role of Alexis Jordan on the digital drama series Anacostia. She expanded her involvement with the series over time, serving as co-executive producer, director, and writer from 2012 to 2016 before being promoted to executive producer in the show's fifth season in 2017. Her performance on Anacostia earned her a 2012 Indie Series Award for Best Guest Appearance in a Drama and a 2015 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a New Approaches Drama Series. The full cast also received a 2015 Indie Series Award for Best Ensemble in a Drama. As a producer, she received a 2015 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding New Approaches Drama Series. Across her career, Byrne has received ten Daytime Emmy Award nominations as both an actress and a producer, winning three times.

Byrne is also a recording artist. She contributed a Christmas medley to the 1994 RCA compilation A Soap Opera Christmas and released a self-titled album in 1996. A second album, Woman Thing Music, was sponsored by Philip Morris and could be purchased only alongside cigarettes or at Philip Morris-sponsored concerts; Byrne ultimately withdrew her endorsement from the label, citing her unwillingness to be associated with a product that could encourage underage smoking. In 2006 she released a third album, The Other Side.

On November 12, 1994, Byrne married Michael McMahon, a former undercover officer with the New York City Police Department. The couple's first son, Michael Terrence McMahon, was born on May 29, 1998. Their second son, Maxwell Vincent McMahon, was born on September 3, 2002, with the pregnancy and birth documented on an episode of the TLC series A Baby Story. Their third child and first daughter, Annmarie, was born on June 12, 2006.