Whatever Happened to Beth Ehlers?

Beth Ehlers is an actress who became famous for her role as Harley Cooper on the long-running daytime drama “Guiding Light.” She appeared as a regular member of the cast from 1987 through 2008. It’s been eight years since she left the show and some fans are wondering whatever happened to her? In fact, it’s been a while since she’s been interviewed or heard from. We did some sleuthing to see what she’s been up to lately and in the process we learned some interesting facts about her past life and career. Here is what we discovered about Beth Ehlers.

Her age now

Beth was born in 1968. She will turn 52 in 2020. She was raised in New York City in the Queens district which put her in the heart of a city where it was fairly easy to land a gig in advertisements and commercials. She began her career as a child of nine years old and she appeared in various television commercials. This gave her a taste of what it would be like to be an actor and it ultimately became a career path that she settled on in her early years.

She was active in the acting profession from 1981 through 2009. She took a break then resumed her career in 2012. She was married to Dr. William Parsons for a brief period of time. The couple married in 1991 but divorced in 1992. She then married Matthew Christian, her second husband in 1996, but they divorced in 2005. She has two children and we know that she has spent a good deal of her time caring for and raising them. Little has been said publicly about her family though and we don’t know their names. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_Ehlers).

She had a brilliant career prior to “Guiding Light

Beth Ehlers launched her screen career with a debut in the TV movie “Family Reunion” in 1981. She portrayed the character, Janice Lyman. The same year she appeared in the series “CBS Children’s Mystery Theatre” as Dash Littlewood. Two years later she played Marie in “In Defense of Kids<‘ followed by roles in “The Hunger,” and “The Wilder Summer.” In 1984 she snagged a minor role in “Things Are Looking Up, ” followed by her first recurring role in the television series “The Best Times” as Mia Braithwaite in 1985. She also made guest appearances in quite a few television series and small roles in film including “Hiding Out” in 1987, “Supertalk” in 2001, an uncredited guest appearance as Harley Cooper in “A Wedding Story: Josh and Reva” and in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” in 2004.

A recap of her acting career

Beth has a total of 14 credits in her acting portfolio. She was cast in the role of Coryn Foster in the 2012 television series “River Ridge,” in a recurring role. This was her last professional acting job on screen. Prior to this, she appeared as Taylor Thompson in “All My Children” from 2008 through 2009. Ehlers’ left “Guiding Light” in 1993 to move to California with her then-boyfriend, former co-star on the soap, Mark Derwin. The relationship didn’t work out and Beth started work on music videos and commercials as a production assistant. She has been brought back to “Guiding Light” for brief stints and contract work.

She was nominated for multiple awards

Although Beth Ehlers has had a lot of gaps in her professional acting resume, she is an actress who was well-received and in high-demand. She received nominations in three categories for Daytime Emmy Awards and five nominations including Outstanding Younger Actress, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She was named in other awards and recognitions for her outstanding performances while working on the set of “Guiding Light.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_Ehlers).

Beth Ehlers has a lot of fans

There is a Facebook page that is dedicated to Beth Ehlers. Although she didn’t set the account up, some of her well-meaning fans certainly did. There are a little over 2,500 people following this page that contains tons of links to clips from her television and movie scenes and some really great photos of her.

Where has Beth Ehlers gone?

It’s hard to believe that an actress who rose to the heights of fame would simply vanish from the acting scene altogether. There are fans who have set up pages to honor her and to gather all the information that they can, but most of these efforts are not acknowledged publicly about Ms. Ehlers. It is as though Beth has walked away from this part of her life and she doesn’t appear to be looking back. Beth no longer appears in the news since she voiced her displeasure with the negotiation process with the powers that be at “Guiding Light.” Her last appearance was in 2012 and 8 years later, she has faded into obscurity although there are still a lot of fans who are trying to entice her to come forward.

An absence of presence

Beth Ehlers doesn’t have a public profile on social media that we or others have been able to find. We searched on all the major social media sites and there is nothing. This tells us that at this time, she values her privacy and is not interested in or willing to share any personal information about herself with others. It’s no small wonder that fans are all asking the question whatever happened to Beth Ehlers?

Final Thoughts

Beth Ehlers had a good run during her acting career that spanned from 1981 through 2012. This was the last time that we saw her appear on television. She hasn’t appeared in any other shows or specials since that time that we were able to find. It truly is as though Beth has dropped off the face of the earth. She is keeping herself out of the public eye and there are no social media sites in her name that are available to the public. It’s obvious that she has moved on with her life and no longer seeks the attention that the limelight brings. Loyal fans are still hoping that they’ll get an update from her to learn about what she’s one with herself for the past 8 years. We give her a respectful nod and wish her the best in whatever new things she has going on in her personal and professional life.