A pioneering radio writer, Irna Phillips created arguably the first soap opera (Painted Dreams, 1930), then spent the next 40 years as the creative force behind everything from Woman In White, Today's Children, and Road of Life on radio to As...

Irna Phillips (July 1, 1901 – December 22, 1973) was an American actress and most notably writer who created and scripted many of the first American soap operas. She is considered by many to be the "mother" of the genre. Phillips is best known for...