Mary K. Wells; Writer for ‘All My Children,’ Actress

Mary K. Wells, 79, who won two Emmys for writing episodes of the soap opera “All My Children.” Born in Omaha and reared in Los Angeles, Wells grew up wanting to become an actress. She began in Hollywood with bit parts in such 1940s motion pictures as “Here Come the Waves” and “The Searching Wind.” In 1948, she relocated to New York and found work in such early television series as “Big Town,” “Philco TV Playhouse,” “Playhouse 90,” “Robert Montgomery Presents” and “The Milton Berle Show.” She also appeared frequently on the New York stage, in such plays as Edward Albee’s “Everything in the Garden” and with Gene Hackman in “Any Wednesday.” She moved into soap opera, for which she became best known, in 1961 as suburban matron Louise Capice on “The Edge of Night.” After nine years in that role, she portrayed Hannah Cord in the early 1970s series “Return to Peyton Place.” In 1974, the actress joined the writing staff of “All My Children.” With other members of the show’s writing team, she won Emmys for outstanding daytime drama series for both the 1984-85 and 1987-88 seasons. On Monday in New York City of a colon infection.