Actors/Actresses who started out in Soaps
By emeraldisle
@emeraldisle (13138)
United States
February 26, 2007 9:47pm CST
I know there are some who got their start on General Hospital and it made me wonder what other actors have gotten their starts on other soap operas. From GH we had Richard Dean Anderson, Demi Moore and John Stamos. I'm sure there were others but those three I know right off.
Of course there was the show Soap, the spoof on soap operas and several got their start there. Those included Robert Urich, Billy Crystal and Robert Guillaume.
So do you know of any who started out in a soap opera and then went on to make it big?
3 people like this
7 responses
@patgalca (18481)
• Orangeville, Ontario
27 Feb 07
Julian McMahon from Nip/Tuck and Charmed started on the now defunct Another World.
The female firefighter on Third Watch (I think her name was Alex) also started on Another World. She also moved onto another Law & Order series that didn't make it. Bebe Neuwirth was in that one with her.
Last year's A.D.A. on Law & Order started on As The World Turns. Another actress who kind of played the same character (Julia) on ATWT also made a couple of episodes of Cold Case but then disappeared from the show for some reason.
Many, many soap stars make guest appearances on such shows as Law & Order and CSI. Just tonight Scott Holyrod from As The World Turns was on CSI:Miami.
Jennifer Finnigan, a fellow Canadian, went from the Bold and the Beautiful to Close to Home. She did have a sitcom in between that didn't last very long.
I love seeing my favourite soap stars moving from the soaps and making it big in the prime time world. I often wonder what has happened to some of the actors after they left the soap and didn't go anywhere else.
2 people like this
@emeraldisle (13138)
• United States
27 Feb 07
I didn't know Julian McMahon got his start there. The earliest I saw him was on Profiler but it doesn't surprise me at all on that one. I've wondered that as well with some. They leave the soaps and with some of them you never hear from again and you have to wonder why.
1 person likes this
@emeraldisle (13138)
• United States
6 Apr 07
Heheh he is goog on Nip/Tuck though. I also loved him on Charmed. He was great as Cole Turner. Just wish they had done a better job on the character.
1 person likes this
@chaygylmommy (2469)
• United States
27 Feb 07
Rick Springfield, however I wouldn't consider him "BIG", but still he was rather HOT in the 80s!!! LOL Kelly Ripa started out on soaps. Leonardo DiCaprio in the 80s on Santa Barbara. Tom Selleck was on Y&R in the 70s. Tommy Lee Jones on One Life to Live in the 70s. Martin Sheen on As the World Turns and The Edge of Night in the 60s. Morgan Freeman in Another World in the 60s. Kevin Bacon in the early 80s on Guiding Light. Kyra Sedgewick on Another World in the 80s. Juliann Moore on As the World Turns. Brad Pitt on Another World in the 80s.
2 people like this
@badkat83 (1620)
• United States
28 Feb 07
yes rick springfield. he goes way back to when i used to watch general hospital. i did not know all the other ones above started in soaps. i love leonardo and used to watch santa barbara, didn't know he was on their. i think they used to play reruns of that on the soap opera channel. or was it another world. i used to love another world too.
2 people like this
@emeraldisle (13138)
• United States
28 Feb 07
He was big at one time but I agree Rick Springfield isn't now. A lot of people got their start on the Soaps. I guess it's a good training ground for them.
1 person likes this
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
27 Feb 07
I know that Jessie Metcalfe started out in Passions. I don't know if I'd say that he's superstar statues but he's certainly on a very successful TV show and has made at least one good movie - John Tucker Must Die.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (120752)
• United States
6 Apr 07
Lauren Holly and Wesley Snipes started out on All My Children, and Anne Heche was on Another World for a while. So was Kyra Sedwick and Lindsay Lohan (I actually remember that). Alec Baldwin starred on the soap, The Doctors, and Robert de Niro starred in Search for Tomorrow. My favorite is Robin Wright Penn who was on Santa Barbara.
1 person likes this
@emeraldisle (13138)
• United States
6 Apr 07
I didn't know that about Snipes. That was interesting. Same with Lindsey Lohan. I thought she got her start with the Disney films. Nice to know she was on before that.
1 person likes this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
6 Apr 07
From As the World Turns Marisa Tomei and Meg Ryan. From Another World Anne Heche.And back in the day, David Hasselhoff played Snapper on Young And the Restless.Brian Bloom played Dusty on As the World Turns.Ray Liotta was once on Another World.Here are some others I found on tv.com.Lindsay Lohan was on Another World in 1996-1997.Eric Roberts,Marcia Cross, Kyra Sedgwick,and Morgan Freeman were on Another World. Michelle Forbes, Melina Kanakaredes,from CSI New York, and Kevin bacon were on Guilding Light.James Lipton, the Host of Inside The Actor's studio, was on the Guilding Light in 1952-1962.Julianne Moore, Parker Posey,Ming Na, from ER, and Tamara Tunie, from Law And Order,all were on As The World Turns.
1 person likes this
@emeraldisle (13138)
• United States
6 Apr 07
Wow you found quite a few there that were on the soaps. That's amazing. I didn't know about Kevin Bacon having been on a soap. That was interesting.
1 person likes this
@awonderfullife (2893)
• United States
27 Feb 07
I know Meg Ryan started out on a soap, I think it was "As The World Turns". Josh Duhamel from the show "Las Vegas" started out on All My Children.
Beides actors who start out on soaps, what about big stars who make guest appearances on soaps. Elizabeth Taylor playing Helena Cassadine on GH comes to mind, as does Carol Burnett when she portaryed Verla Grubbs on AMC.
1 person likes this
@clownfish (3269)
• United States
27 Feb 07
Hi! I couldn't tell you what soap, but I think that Meg Ryan started on soaps. :-)
