Lois Kibbee, 71; Writer, Actress on Soap Operas

Lois Kibbee, a veteran actress best known for her work in the soap operas “The Edge of Night” and “One Life to Live,” has died of a brain tumor. She was 71.

The actress and writer, who also worked in Hollywood films, Broadway theater and radio shows, died Monday at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Miss Kibbee joined “The Edge of Night” in 1970 and played matriarch Geraldine Whitney Saxon intermittently until the show went off the air in 1984. In 1986 she joined “One Life to Live” in the role of Elizabeth Sanders.

Her television work brought five Emmy nominations, four for acting and another she shared for writing.

Born in Wheeling, W.Va., she appeared in more than 250 stage productions around the country, including “A Man for All Seasons” and “Venus Is” on Broadway.

She also worked as a radio actress in Hollywood and appeared in films, including “Caddyshack” in 1980. Miss Kibbee was the author of two books: a 1967 biography of Christine Jorgensen and a 1970 biography of Joan Bennett.

She is survived by her mother, the actress Lois Wilson Kibbee; two brothers, and a sister.