Marilyn Chris (born Marilyn Miller,^[1] 1938 or 1939^[2][a]) is an American actress. She is known for playing the role of Wanda Webb Wolek on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live (1972–1976, 1980–1994). She starred Off-Broadway in Allen Ginsberg's Kaddish (1972), winning an Obie Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Variety Critics Poll, and a Drama Desk Award for her performance. In the 1980s, she appeared on Broadway in Brighton Beach Memoirs.

Chris was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Jack Miller, an English-Scottish Mennonite and Sylvia Slavin, a Russian Jew.^[5] When she was growing up, her father walked out on the family and her grandfather, who she was close with, died.^[6]

She attended Junior High School 109 in Brooklyn. One of her classmates was Steve Lawrence (when he was still known as Sidney Liebowitz).^[6] Chris was then accepted at the High School of Performing Arts. After high school, she enrolled at City College of New York.^[7]

On February 23, 1958, the New York Daily News chose Chris as that week's "Typical American Girl." Her photo appeared in the Sunday magazine section and she won a $25 prize.^[6] She began her acting career in the 1950s at The Living Theatre.^[8] She appeared in productions for the theatre, including Many Loves, Women of Trachis, In the Jungle of Cities, The Apple, and Man is Man.^[9] Prompted by the discovery that her birth name was already registered with Actors Equity, Miller devised a stage name simply by shortening her then-married name, Christopoulos.^[1]

In 1963, she appeared in The Good Soldier Schweik for the Chelsea Theater Center.^[10] She made her film debut in Love with the Proper Stranger (1963), co-starring with Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen.^[11] In 1965, Chris was an under study for the roles of Agnes Graham and Sylvia Goldman in the original Broadway production of The Family Way. In 1967, she was a stand by for the roles of Lulu and Meg in The Birthday Party on Broadway. In 1968, she was a stand by for the title role in a Broadway production of The Seven Descents of Myrtle.^[12]

Chris appeared in the romantic drama film John and Mary (1969), co-starring with Dustin Hoffman.^[13] In 1970, she guest starred on Hawaii Five-O.^[14] The same year, she played Myrtle Young in the crime film The Honeymoon Killers.^[15] She also had a role in the drama film The People Next Door.^[16] Chris appeared on Broadway in Lenny.^[7]

In 1972, Chris briefly played the role of Edie Hoffman on the ABC soap opera All My Children.^[10] She was cast as Naomi, the paranoid mother of Allen Ginsberg in Kaddish. The play opened at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in February 1972.^[17] Chris won an Obie Award for her performance.^[18] She also won a Drama Desk Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Variety Critics Poll.^[19][20]

In May 1972, she was cast in the contract role of Wanda Webb on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.^[6][21] The character opened a restaurant called Heavenly Hash in the fictional city of Llanview.^[7] Her true love was Vince Wolek (Antony Ponzini).^[22]

Chris played Mrs. Bingham in the comedy film Rhinoceros (1974), co-starring with Gene Wilder.^[23] In July 1974, she co-starred with Lee Wallace in the musical Laugh a Little, Cry a Little at the Westbury Music Fair.^[24] She played Faye Stone in the television film Strike Force (1975), co-starring with Richard Gere.^[25] In 1976, Chris left her role on One Life to Live.^[21]

She starred as Rose Lander in the film Looking Up (1977).^[26] Chris guest starred on Rafferty and Barney Miller.^[14][27] She played Harriet in the television film Some Kind of Miracle (1979).^[28] The same year, she appeared in the television miniseries Backstairs at the White House.^[29] She made guest appearances on Family and Kaz.^[14][27]

Chris played Mavis Skinner in the comedy film The Black Marble (1980).^[30] The same year, she also appeared in the romantic comedy film Loving Couples.^[31] She had a role in the television film The Secret War of Jackie's Girls.^[32] In 1980, Chris returned to the role of Wanda on One Life to Live.^[21] She appeared in the television film Kent State (1981).^[7]

In the early 1980s, Chris returned to Broadway, playing Kate Jerome in Brighton Beach Memoirs.^[33][20][34] She co-starred with her husband, Lee Wallace, in the television film A Doctor's Story (1984).^[35] She guest starred on Fame in 1986.^[14] Chris appeared in the film American Stories: Food, Family and Philosophy (also titled Histoires d'Amerique) (1989).^[36] In 1990, she co-starred with Lee Wallace in Taking Stock for the Jewish Repertory Theatre.^[10]

In March and April 1992, Chris appeared in Barefoot in the Park at the Valley Forge Music Fair. She co-starred with Bernard Barrow, Cady McClain, and Walt Willey.^[37] In October 1992, she co-starred with Lee Wallace in God of Vengeance for the Jewish Repertory Theatre.^[38] Soap Opera Digest reported in January 1994 that Chris would be leaving her role on One Life to Live. Her final air date was February 7, 1994.^[39]

In the 1990s, she made guest appearances on Law & Order.^[14][27] She also guest starred on New York News.^[27] Chris played Josie Basilio in Trees Lounge (1996). She co-starred with Steve Buscemi, who also wrote and directed the film.^[40] In 1997, she appeared in the television film Joe Torre: Curveballs Along the Way.^[41] The same year, she also had a role in the film The Deli.^[42] In May 1997, Chris played Faye in The Young Girl and the Monsoon at Playwrights Horizons.^[43]

Chris guest starred on Third Watch in 1999.^[14] She guest starred on Deadline and Oz in the early 2000s.^[27] She played Phyllis in The Great New Wonderful (2005), a comedy film about New Yorkers living in the city after the September 11 attacks.^[44] She appeared as Mrs. Chadwick in the comedy film Waltzing Anna (2006).^[45] Chris guest starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.^[14]

In March 2010, she appeared in Sin at the Baruch Performing Arts Center's Rose Nagelberg Theatre. The play closed abruptly due to lack of funds.^[46][47] She played Elizabeth Robbins in the suspense film Altered Minds (2013).^[48] In July 2024, Chris played serial killer Nannie Doss in a solo reading of The Giggling Granny at the Southampton Cultural Center.^[49]

Chris has married three times, the first two ending in divorce: first, in 1957, to aspiring playwright George Christopoulos, with whom she had a son, Paul;^{[2][1][50][5]} next, on New Year's Eve 1967, to actor Ric Mancini;^[51][52] and finally—from December 14, 1975 until his death on December 20, 2020—to actor Lee Wallace.^[3][53]

• Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater, Davi Napoleon. Includes discussion of Robert Kalfin's off-Broadway multi-media production of Kaddish.Iowa State University Press. ISBN 0-8138-1713-7, 1991.

• Marilyn Chris at IMDb
• Marilyn Chris at the Internet Broadway Database
• Marilyn Chris at the Internet Off-Broadway Database