Ray MacDonnell

Ray MacDonnell (March 5, 1928 – June 10, 2021) was an American actor born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, who built a career spanning stage, television, and film over several decades. He attended Amherst College before receiving a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.

MacDonnell is best known for portraying Dr. Joe Martin, the patriarch of the Martin family, on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children. He originated the role and held it for 40 years before retiring in 2009, when production of the series relocated from New York to California. His departure left Susan Lucci, who played Erica Kane, as the sole remaining original cast member. MacDonnell returned to the show in a limited capacity in 2011 alongside Lee Meriwether, who played his on-screen wife Ruth Martin, and appeared in the series finale on September 23, 2011. Prior to All My Children, he played Philip Capice on the soap opera The Edge of Night from 1961 to 1969.

On Broadway, MacDonnell appeared in Mame beginning in 1966, a credit that ran through 1970. His television work also included playing the title character in the 1967 TV pilot Dick Tracy. In 2004, he received a Daytime Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement.

MacDonnell married Patricia Anne Broderick in 1961, and the couple had three children: Sarah, Kyle, and Daniel. He died at his home in Chappaqua, New York, on June 10, 2021, at the age of 93.