Here’s a look at the life of Agnes Nixon, creator of “All My Children” and “One Life to Live.”
Personal:
Birth date: December 10, 1922
Death date: September 28, 2016
Birth place: Chicago, Illinois
Birth name: Agnes Eckhardt
Father: Harry Joseph Eckhardt, owner of Perfection Burial Garment Company
Mother: Agnes Patricia (Dalton) Eckhardt, bookkeeper
Marriages: Robert Nixon (April 6, 1951-November 22, 1996 his death)
Children: Catherine Agnes, Mary Frances, Robert Henry, Emily Anne
Education: Attended Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 1940-1944
Other Facts:
Agnes Nixon grew up in Nashville, Tennessee.
Known as the “Queen of Soap Opera writing,” she had five Daytime Emmy wins for writing, plus a lifetime achievement award.
Her storylines often included socially conscious topics of the time, such as uterine cancer and Pap smears, racial identity, interracial relationships, abuse and abortion.
She created roles specifically for these actors: Laurence Fishburne, Tommy Lee Jones, and Tom Berenger on “One Life to Live.”
She patterned her soap opera cities after an area in Philadelphia known as the “Main Line.”
Nixon was one of the early writers on “The Guiding Light” (1953-2009), the longest running soap opera in history.
The character Agnes Eckhardt appeared on both “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” played by Nixon. She also played the characters Agnes Dixon on “One Life to Live” and Aggie on “All My Children.”
The production company Prospect Park teamed up with Apple and Hulu, to save “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” by making both shows available online.
Timeline:
1944 - After college Nixon begins writing for the radio soap opera, “Woman in White.”
1950 - She relocates to New York and begins freelancing for live television prime-time broadcasts.
1951 - Writes for 13 weeks for daytime television as head writer for the soap opera “Search for Tomorrow.”
1952-1954 - Writes for prime-time drama “Robert Montgomery Presents.”
1957-1959 - Nixon writes for the soap “As the World Turns.”
1959-1965 - Head writer on “The Guiding Light.”
1965-1967 - Becomes head writer for “Another World.”
July 15, 1968 - Nixon’s creation “One Life to Live” debuts. She is the head writer.
January 5, 1970 - Another Nixon creation debuts, “All My Children,” also with Nixon as head writer.
June 26, 1983 - The soap opera “Loving” premieres. Nixon is co-creator with Douglas Marland.
1985 - Wins Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team for “All My Children.”
1988 - Wins Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team for “All My Children.”
June 25, 1994 - Nixon becomes the first female writer to be inducted into the Soap Opera Hall of Fame.
November 1995 - The storyline of “The City,” created by Nixon, James H. Brown and Barbara Esensten, picks up where “Loving” left off.
1996-1998 - Wins Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team for “All My Children.”
May 12, 2010 - The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announces Nixon as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
April 14, 2011 - ABC announces the cancellation of “One Life to Live” as of January 2012. “All My Children” is also being canceled.
June 30, 2011 - ABC announces “All My Children” will air its final episode on television on Friday, September 23, 2011.
January 13, 2012 - “One Life to Live” airs its final episode on television.
April 29, 2013 - “One Life to Live” and “All My Children” come back to life, airing twice weekly online at Hulu and Apple’s iTunes. Nixon is the creator of the new “All My Children.”
Fall 2013 - The first online seasons of “One Life to Live” and “All My Children” end. Further production is then put on indefinite hold, due to legal proceedings between ABC and Prospect Park, which produces the shows.
September 28, 2016 - Passes away at the age of 93.