Ginger Gerlach

Remembered for her coquettish voice and flame colored tresses, Virginia "Ginger" Gerlach left her quiet suburban life in Bala Cynwyd, PA and moved to New York upon turning eighteen. Becoming a professional actress had been a lifelong ambition for the fiercely determined and independent young woman, who ignored her parents' advice to pursue something "safe and stable." Refusing financial help from her wealthy father Clifford, a brick manufacturer, and mother Betty, herself a former actress, Ginger enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and like most struggling actresses, took any odd jobs she could find to make ends meet while also perfecting her acting and singing talent. By the mid-60s, Ginger's career was on the upswing with TV commercials and summer stock. In the fall of 1965, she made her Off-Broadway debut playing Agnes McGurk and Lady Cynthia in the musical Great Scot! More television work soon followed with day player and under-5 roles on soap operas Guiding Light, Edge of Night, and Love Is a Many Splendored Thing. In 1969, Ginger's career seemed poised to skyrocket when she won the pivotal role of Julie Forrest on NBC-TV's hit daytime serial The Doctors. Her energetic performances as the seemingly sweet but coolly manipulative Julie dominated the soap's narrative for a year, culminating in one of the most memorable story-lines in its history. Her character's sudden death, from a fall down the stairs, was sadly mirrored in real life. A year after being written off The Doctors, Ginger Gerlach died in her Manhattan apartment from an overdose of sleeping pills.