One of the best jobs in the entertainment industry is a soap actor. Not only are soap opera fans loyal, but a long-term contract role brings job security to a Hollywood career.
There’s an impressive list of actors who have stayed in their soap roles for 25 years or more. For example, Maurice Benard is celebrating his silver anniversary this September as Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital.
One of the most significant things Benard has brought to his role as Sonny is his real-life battle with bipolar disorder. The GH writers incorporated Benard’s mental illness into Sonny’s storyline.
“It’s definitely made me a better person, being bipolar, because I’ve had to deal with a lot of pain, a lot of angst about it, and that always brings strength,” he told Soaps In Depth in its special collector’s edition issue on him. “If I wasn’t bipolar, I don’t think I would have been an actor. Everything I’ve been through because of my mental illness has made me a better actor.”
Find out who else is a part of the 25 years and up club in daytime television. Some of the names might surprise you!
Maurice Benard
Benard started at General Hospital in 1993 as Sonny Corinthos. The role has given him juicy storylines from supercouple status with Brenda Barrett, played by Vanesa Marcil, and Carly Benson, played by Laura Wright, to his bipolar storyline.
Susan Lucci
Even though All My Children is no longer on the air, Susan Lucci will forever be remembered for her role as Erica Kane. She started in the role at age 16 in 1970 and finished when the show left broadcast television in 2011.
John Aniston
John Aniston probably gave his daughter, Jennifer Aniston, the acting bug because he's starred as Victor Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives since 1985. There's nothing better for a daytime actor than to play a juicy role like the villainous mobster Victor.
Melody Thomas Scott
Melody Thomas Scott has played Nikki Newman for 39 years on The Young and the Restless. She took over the role one year after the character was introduced as a stripper. For much of that time, Nikki has been part of a supercouple with Victor Newman, played by Eric Braeden.
Eric Braeden
Braeden has played the villainous Victor Newman for 38 years on The Young and the Restless. It's kind of hard to believe he's only won one Daytime Emmy for this role, lead actor in a drama series in 1998, since he's been a fan favorite for so long.
Suzanne Rogers
Suzanne Rogers, who plays Maggie Horton on Days of Our Lives, is the longest-running actress to work on the soap. She's held that title since her costar Frances Reid died in 2010.
Kimberly McCullough
Kimberly McCullough began in the role of Robin Scorpio on General Hospital at age 7 in 1985. She focuses on her directing career now, but she continues to return to the role for guest appearances.
Jeanne Cooper
Jeanne Cooper died in 2013, but her absence is still felt by Y&R viewers and her castmates. She played matriarch Katherine Chancellor for 40 years.
Bill & Susan Hayes
Real-life husband and wife Bill and Susan Hayes are also married on-screen as Doug and Julie Williams on Days of Our Lives. Susan has played the role for 35 years and is the only actor on the show who has made appearances over six decades, beginning in 1968. Bill began on the show two years later. Both were honored with lifetime achievement awards at the 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 2018.
Erika Slezak
Even though One Life to Live is no longer on the air, Erika Slezak gave life to Victoria Lord for 41 years on the show. To this day, Slezak is considered one of the most respected actresses in daytime television by fans and former costars.
Kristoff St. Jean
Kristoff St. Jean has played Neil Winters on The Young and the Restless since 1991. His role has brought him two Daytime Emmy wins over the last 27 years.
Kristian Alfonso
Even though Kristian Alfonso is the fifth actress to play Hope Williams Brady on Days of Our Lives, she's been in the role for 28 years. Her supercouple storyline with Bo Brady, played by Peter Reckell, was beloved by fans until the character's death in 2015.
Kristina Wagner
Kristina Wagner plays Felicia Jones on General Hospital and has been in that role for 27 years. She was a part of a supercouple with her former real-life husband, Jack Wagner. Fans loved the Frisco and Felicia storylines, which came after Luke and Laura's departure from the series.
Peter Bergman
Peter Bergman has been on The Young and the Restless as Jack Abbott since 1989. He's earned three Daytime Emmys in the role over the last 29 years.
Deidre Hall
There's no Days of Our Lives without Deidre Hall playing Marlena Evans over the last 36 years. She is also part of a supercouple that has endured over the decades with John, played by Drake Hogestyn.
Drake Hogestyn
For 28 years, Hogestyn has played John Black on Days of Our Lives. In 2008, he and costar Deidre Hall were laid off from the soap due to budget cuts. They returned to much fanfare in 2011.
Anthony Geary
There was never a bigger supercouple than Luke and Laura, and Anthony Geary had a big part in that as Luke Spencer on General Hospital. He has a record eight Daytime Emmy wins for outstanding leading actor in a drama series. Geary is now retired from the show, but he made a brief cameo in 2017.
Lauralee Bell
Lauralee Bell is soap royalty. She's the daughter of William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, who created both The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful. Her character, Christine Blair Williams, has crossed over both soaps over the last 28 years.
James Reynolds
James Reynolds has played Abe Carver on Days of Our Lives for 35 years. He won his first Daytime Emmy for the role in 2018, and he's the only actor to have played this role on the soap.
John McCook
John McCook has played fashion house co-founder Eric Forrester on The Bold and the Beautifulsince the show began in 1987. He and costar Katherine Kelly Lang are the only two actors who have been on the show from the beginning.
Katherine Kelly Lang
Lang has played Brooke Logan since the first episode of The Bold and the Beautiful. Her character has had an off-and-on love affair with Ridge Forrester, played by Ronn Moss, for over two decades.
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