Patricia Bruder (born April 14, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actress. She attended James Madison H.S., where she graduated in June 1954. Her most enduring television role has been her portrayal of Ellen Lowell Stewart on the soap opera As the World Turns, a role she played from 1960-1995, taking the role over from Wendy Drew. Bruder grew in time with the character, as Ellen moved from a young woman into a mature matriarch, marrying respected doctor David Stewart on the serial (played by Henderson Forsythe). Bruder's major storylines centered on the murder of David's housekeeper, Franny Brennan, when Franny threatened to tell her son Jimmy (also known as Dr. Dan Stewart) the truth about his parentage. She went to prison where she met her best friend Sandy Wilson (then played b