Soap Stars
From LoveToKnow Soap-Operas
Say the words soap stars and the first thing that probably comes to mind is an actor or actress you associate with your favorite soap opera. For example, older fans of General Hospital may think of Genie Francis or John Bernadino while more recent fans may think of Steve Burton and Vanessa Marcil. Talk to someone who only watches CBS soaps and they are more likely to think of Susan Flannery (Stephanie, Bold and the Beautiful) or Eric Braedon (Victor, The Young and the Restless). But just being identified as a star on a soap opera, is that enough to be added to a list of soap stars?
From Actors to Soap Stars
Actors and actresses are just men and women looking for work in their chosen field of acting. So how does an actor become a soap star? And are soap stars still equated with actors? The answer to that is trickier than some people may believe.
Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan, for example, was a genuine soap star who made the leap from daytime to movies. From 1982 to 1984, she played the role of Betsy Stewart on the daytime drama As the World Turns. After leaving the soap opera, she went on to star in a few primetime roles before making a splash on the big screen in the feature film Top Gun in the role of Carole Bradshaw, the wife of navy aviator Goose.
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei started out on As the World Turns in 1983 and took the leap to prime time in 1987 on The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World. Tomei followed that up with her splashy on screen prescience in the film My Cousin Vinny.
Ryan Phillippe
From 1992 to 1993, Ryan Phillippe portrayed troubled gay teen Billy on One Life to Live, a daytime first for portraying a gay teenager. Phillippe quickly followed up his daytime tenure with several popular movies in a row including I Know What You Did Last Summer and Cruel Intentions.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar acted in her first commercial when she was just 4 years old, but it was her 1992 addition to All My Children that launched her to the realm of soap stars. Gellar originated the role of Kendall Hart, the illegitimate child of Erica Kane. Gellar delivered a nuanced performance as the troubled child of a troubled woman and their conflicts were so powerfully felt on screen that Gellar earned a Daytime Emmy award. When Gellar left the soap in 1995, it would be 7 years before they recast it. Gellar went on to star in Buffy the Vampire Slayer for 7 years and followed that up with movie roles in I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions and Scooby Doo.
David Hasselhoff
From 1975 to 1982, Hasselhoff portrayed Dr. William “Snapper” Foster on The Young and the Restless. Hasselhoff went on to star on the prime time show Knight Rider and later Baywatch. Although his career never really took him to the big screen, Hasselhoff is a household name and well known in Europe for his signature roles.
I Wanna Be a Soap Star
SOAPnet capitalized on "wanna be" soap stars by borrowing from the British reality show Soapstars with its own reality television show I Wanna Be a Soap Star. Each season, beginning in 2004, the winner was granted a role on soaps General Hospital, One Life to Live, All My Children and Days of Our Lives. The 2005 winner, Alec Musser, went on to play the role of Del Henry on All My Children for several months.
How to Meet Your Favorite Soap Stars
Fans interested in meeting their favorite soap stars have many opportunities through fan events, Super Soap Weekend (hosted at Disney World) as well as local or charity events and more around the country. Soap stars, like other actors, often enjoy meeting their fans, although fans must be careful to be respectful in any encounter with the stars they admire.
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