Mary Mae Ward

Mary Mae Ward (née Courtnee; previously Powers) was a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital from 1994–1995. Introduced as a grandmother character running an orphanage, it was revealed through backstory that she had formerly been the mistress of Edward Quartermaine, with whom she had the son Bradley Ward II, and other descendant characters such as granddaughter Keesha Ward and great-granddaughter Maya Ward. The role of Mary Mae Ward was originated by Rosalind Cash (1938–1995) in 1994, who played her as a proud matriarch character who had triumphed over racism and tragedy. When Cash died of cancer in 1995, the Mary Mae Ward character was written out of the series, with an explanation of having died of natural causes. In 1996, Cash was posthumously nominated for an Emmy Award, for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.