Late in 2009, We Love Soaps pulled together a panel of 14 soap opera journalists and critics to come up with a list of the 50 Greatest Soap Actresses of All Time list. Below is the complete list from 1 to 50 which includes actresses from a 70 year span dating back to radio soap operas. On Wednesday, look for the equally impressive honorable mention list of actresses that appeared on multiple panelist's list.
NAME: Susan FlanneryRANK: 1
SOAP ROLES: Stephanie Forrester, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (1987-present); Leslie Stewart, DALLAS (1981); Laura Horton, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1966-1975)
NAME: Kim Zimmer RANK: 2
SOAP ROLES: Reva Shayne, GUIDING LIGHT (1983-1990, 1995-2009); Joan, MODELS INC (1994-1995); Jodie DeWitt Walker, SANTA BARBARA (1992-1993); Echo DiSavoy, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1983); Nola Dancy Aldrich, THE DOCTORS (1979-1982); Bonnie Harmon, ONE LIVE TO LIVE (1978)
NAME: Erika SlezakRANK: 3
SOAP ROLES: Victoria Lord, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1971-present)
NAME: Beverlee McKinseyRANK: 4
SOAP ROLES: Myrna Slaughter, GENERAL HOSPITAL (1994) Alexandra Spaulding (1984-1992); Iris Cory, TEXAS (1980-1981) Iris Cory, ANOTHER WORLD (1972-1980); Emma Frame Ordway, ANOTHER WORLD (1972); Julie Richards, LOVE IS A SMANY SPLENDORED THING (1970-1971)
NAME: Robin StrasserRANK: 5
SOAP ROLES: Dorian Lord, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1979-1987, 1993-2000, 2003-present); PASSIONS (Hecuba, 2000-01; 2002), Dianne Kirkwood, KNOTS LANDING (1990); Christina Karras Martin (1976-1979); Rachel Davis, SOMERSET (1970); Rachel Davis, ANOTHER WORLD (1967-1971, 1972)
NAME: Judith LightRANK: 6
SOAP ROLES: Claire Meade, UGLY BETTY (2006-present); Karen Wolek, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1977-1983)
NAME: Jeanne CooperRANK: 7
SOAP ROLES: Katherine Chancellor, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1973-present); Wedding Guest, GUIDING LIGHT (2009); Katherine Chancellor, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (2005)
NAME: Crystal ChappellRANK: 8
SOAP ROLES: Carly Manning, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1990-1993, 2009-present); Gina Brogno, VENICE (2009-present); Olivia Spencer, GUIDING LIGHT (1999-2009); Maggie Carpenter, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1995-1997); Jane, SANTA BARBARA (1990); Janie, ALL MY CHILDREN (1989)
NAME: Sarah BrownRANK: 9
SOAP ROLES: Sandy Sommers, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (2009-present); Claudia Zacchara, GENERAL HOSPITAL (2008-2009); Julisa Larrabee, AS THE WORLD TURNS (2004-2005); Carly Benson Corinthos, GENERAL HOSPITAL (1996-2001)
NAME: Helen GallagherRANK: 10
SOAP ROLES: Maude Boylan, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1997-1998); Nurse Harris, ALL MY CHILDREN (1994); Hannah Tuttle, ANOTHER WORLD (1989); Maeve Ryan, RYAN'S HOPE (1975-1989)
NAME: Debbi MorganRANK: 11
SOAP ROLES: Angie Baxter Hubbard, ALL MY CHILDREN (1982-1990, 2008-present); Jennifer Tartaro, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (2006-2007); Ellen Burgess, PORT CHARLES (1997-1998); Angie Hubbard, THE CITY (1995-1997); Angie Hubbard, LOVING (1993-1995); Chantal Marshall, GENERATIONS (1990-1991)
NAME: Jane ElliotRANK: 12
SOAP ROLES: Tracy Quartermaine, GENERAL HOSPITAL (1978-1980, 1989-1993, 1996, 2003-present); Tracy Quartermaine, THE CITY (1996-1997); Anjelica Deveraux, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1987-1989), Cynthia Preston, ALL MY CHILDREN (1984-1986), Carrie Marler, GUIDING LIGHT (1981-1982); Judy, KNOTS LANDING, (1980-1981); Madge Sinclair, A NEW DAY IN EDEN (1982); Linda Skerba, A FLAME IN THE WIND (1965)
NAME: Mary StuartRANK: 13
SOAP ROLES: Meta Bauer, GUIDING LIGHT (1996-2002); Claire Webber, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1998); Joanne Gardner, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW (1951-1986); THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS (1950-1951)
NAME: Linda DanoRANK: 14
SOAP ROLES: Lena Kendall, GUIDING LIGHT (2005); Gretel Rae Cummings (1978-1980, 1999-2004); Rae Cummings, GENERAL HOSPITAL (2000); Rae Cummings, PORT CHARLES (2000); Rae Cummings, ALL MY CHILDREN (1999-2000); Felicia Gallant, ANOTHER WORLD (1983-1999); Cynthia Haines, AS THE WORLD TURNS (1981-1982); Airline Clerk, ANOTHER WORLD (1976)
NAME: Elizabeth HubbardRANK: 15
SOAP ROLES: Lucinda Walsh, AS THE WORLD TURNS (1984-1999, 1999-present); Sair Poindexter, GOEDE TIJDEN SLECHTE TIJDEN (2009-PRESSENT); Estelle Chadwick, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1983-1984); Althea Davis, THE DOCTORS (1964-1969, 1970-1977, 1981-1982); Carol Kramer, THE EDGE OF NIGHT (1963); Anne Benedict Fletcher, THE GUIDING LIGHT (1962)
NAME: Genie FrancisRANK: 16
SOAP ROLES: Laura Webber Spencer, GENERAL HOSPITAL (1976-1982, 1983-1985, 1993-2002, 2006); Ceara Connor, ALL MY CHILDREN (1990-1992); Ceara Connor, LOVING (1991); Diana Colville, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1987-1989)
NAME: Michelle StaffordRANK: 17
SOAP ROLES: Phyllis Summers, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1994-1997, 2000-present); Joanna Hadley, PACIFIC PALISADES (1997); Frankie, TRIBES (1990)
NAME: Maureen GarrettRANK: 18
SOAP ROLES: Holly Norris, GUIDING LIGHT (1976-1981, 1988-2006, 2009); Elizabeth Jane "E.J." Ryan, RYAN'S HOPE (1981-1982)
NAME: Nancy Lee GrahnRANK: 19
SOAP ROLES: Alexis Davis, GENERAL HOSPITAL (1996-present); Denise Fielding, MELROSE PLACE (1997); Julia Wainwright Capwell, SANTA BARBARA (1985-1993); Beverly Wilkes, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1980-1982)
NAME: Susan LucciRANK: 20
SOAP ROLES: Erica Kane, ALL MY CHILDREN (1970-present); Hillary Taylor, DALLAS (1990-1991); LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING (1967)
NAME: Ilene KristenRANK: 21
SOAP ROLES: Roxanne "Roxy" Balsom, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (2001-present); Madeline Thompson, ANOTHER WORLD (1995); Norma Gilpin, LOVING (1990-1991); Georgina Whitman, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1982); Delia Reid, RYAN'S HOPE (1975-1978, 1982-1983, 1986-1989)
NAME: Charita BauerRANK: 22
SOAP ROLES: Bert Bauer, GUIDING LIGHT (1950-1985); TO HAVE AND TO HOLD (1975-1976); Sarah, ROSE OF MY DREAMS; Fran Cummings, SECOND HUSBAND (1945); YOUNG WIDDER BROWN (1945); Judy, DAVID HARUM (1942); FRONT PAGE FARRELL; Gail Carver Macdonald, LORA LAWTON; ORPHANS OF DIVORCE; Lanette, OUR GAL SUNDAY; Susan Wakefield, THE RIGHT TO HAPPINESS; STELLA DALLAS
NAME: Constance FordRANK: 23
SOAP ROLES: Ada Hobson, ANOTHER WORLD (1967-1992); Eve Morris, THE EDGE OF NIGHT (1964-1965); Rose Peabody, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW (1955-1956); THE WAY OF THE WORLD (1955); Lynn Sherwood, WOMAN WITH A PAST (1954)
NAME: Jess WaltonRANK: 24
SOAP ROLES: Jill Abbott, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1987-present); Kelly Harper, CAPITOL (1984-1987)
NAME: Deidre HallRANK: 25
SOAP ROLES: Marlena Evans, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1976-1987, 1991-2009); Barbara Anderson, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1973)
NAME: Marcy WalkerRANK: 26
SOAP ROLES: Liza Colby, ALL MY CHILDREN (1981-1984, 1995-2005); Eden Capwell, SANTA BARBARA (1984-1991); Tangie Hill, GUIDING LIGHT (1993-1995)
NAME: Eileen DavidsonRANK: 27
SOAP ROLES: Ashley Abbott, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1982-1989, 1999-2007, 2008-present ); Ashley Abbott, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (2007-2008); Kristen Blake, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1993-1998); Susan Banks, DAYS OF OUR LVIES (1996-1998); Sister Mary Moira Banks, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1997-1998); Thomas Banks, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1997); Penelope Kent, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1998); Kelly Capwell, SANTA BARBARA (1991-1993)
NAME: Mary Kay AdamsRANK: 28
SOAP ROLES: India von Halkein, GUIDING LIGHT (1984-1987, 1990-1991, 1998-1999, 2002, 2005); Diane Lacey, ALL MY CHILDREN (2003); Neal Alcott, AS THE WORLD TURNS (1992-1993); Death, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1992)
NAME: Maura WestRANK: 29
SOAP ROLES: Carly Tenney, AS THE WORLD TURNS (1995-1996, 1997-present)
NAME: Victoria WyndhamRANK: 30
SOAP ROLES: Rachel Cory, ANOTHER WORLD (1972-1999); Charlotte Waring (1967-1970)
NAME: Lisa BrownRANK: 31
SOAP ROLES: Nola Reardon Chamberlain, GUIDING LIGHT (1980-1985, 1995-1998, 2009); Iva Snyder, AS THE WORLD TURNS (1985-1994, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003); Carolyn, LOVING (1995)
NAME: Julia BarrRANK: 32
SOAP ROLES: Brooke English, ALL MY CHILDREN (1976-1981, 1982-2006, 2010-present); Brooke English, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (2005); Serena 'Reenie' Szabo, RYAN'S HOPE (1976)
NAME: Cynthia WatrosRANK: 33
SOAP ROLES: Annie Dutton, GUIDING LIGHT (1994-1998); Vicky Hudson, ANOTHER WORLD (1998)
NAME: Anne HecheRANK: 34
SOAP ROLES: Vicky/Marley Hudson, ANOTHER WORLD (1987-1991)
NAME: Victoria RowellRANK: 35
SOAP ROLES: Drucilla Barber Winters, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1990-1998, 2000, 2002-2007); Nella Franklin, AS THE WORLD TURNS (1988)
NAME: Sarah FelderRANK: 36
SOAP ROLES: Siobhan Ryan, RYAN'S HOPE (1978-1980)
NAME: Susan Seaforth HayesRANK: 37
SOAP ROLES: Julie Willams, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1968-1984, 1990-1993, 1994, 1996, 1999-present); Joanna Manning, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1986-1989, 2005, 2006); Joanna Manning, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (2003); Patricia Steele, SUNSET BEACH (1999); Carol West, THE YOUNG MARRIEDS (1965-1966); Dorothy Bradley, GENERAL HOSPITAL (1963)
NAME: Kate MulgrewRANK: 38
SOAP ROLES: Mary Ryan Fenelli, RYAN'S HOPE (1975-1977, 1983, 1986, 1989); Garnet McGee, DALLAS (1978)
NAME: Patrica PeaseRANK: 39
SOAP ROLES: Kimberly Brady, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1984-1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2008); Patricia Fennell, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1996); Cissie Mitchell, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW (1979-1982)
NAME: Melody Thomas ScottRANK: 40
SOAP ROLES: Nikki Newman, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1979-present)
NAME: Louise SorelRANK: 41
SOAP ROLES: Vivian Alamain, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1992-2000; 2009-present); Dort, PASSIONS (2004); Judge Kay Campobello, ALL MY CHILDREN 2001); Donatella Stewart, PORT CHARLES (2000); Judith Sanders, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1986-1987); Augusta Lockridge, SANTA BARBARA (1984-1986; 1988-1991)
NAME: Sharon GabetRANK: 42
SOAP ROLES: Melinda Cramer, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1987-1989); Brittany Peterson, ANOTHER WORLD (1985-1987); Raven Alexander, THE EDGE OF NIGHT (1977-1984)
NAME: Denise AlexanderRANK: 43
SOAP ROLES: Lesley Webber, GENERAL HOSPITAL (1973-1984, 1996-present off and on); Sister Beatrice, SUNSET BEACH (1997-1998); Mary McKinnon, ANOTHER WORLD (1986-1989); Susan Hunter, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1966-1973); Emily Sanders, BEN JERROD (1963-1964); Lois Adams, THE CLEAR HORIZON (1960-1962)
NAME: Vanessa MarcilRANK: 44
SOAP ROLES: Brenda Barrett,GENERAL HOSPITAL (1992-1998, 2002-2003); Josie Scotto, LIPSTICK JUNGLE (2008); Gina Kincaid, BEVERLY HILLS, 90210 (1998-2000)
NAME: Nancy AddisonRANK: 45
SOAP ROLES: Deborah Brewster Alden, THE CITY (1995); Deborah Brewster Alden, LOVING (1993-1995); Marissa Rampal, ALL MY CHILDREN (1989); Jillian Coleridge, RYAN'S HOPE (1975-1989); Kit Vested, THE GUIDING LIGHT (1970-1974)
NAME: Helen WagnerRANK: 46
SOAP ROLES: Nancy Hughes, AS THE WORLD TURNS (1956-present); Trudy, VALIANT LADY (1953-1952); Trudy Bauer, THE GUIDING LIGHT (1952)
NAME: Heather TomRANK: 47
SOAP ROLES: Katie Logan, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (2007-present); Kelly Cramer, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (2003-2006); Kelly Cramer, ALL MY CHILDREN (2004); Victoria Newman, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1991-2003)
NAME: Mary Beth EvansRANK: 48
SOAP ROLES: Kayla Brady, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1986-1992, 2006-2009); Katherine Bell, GENERAL HOSPITAL (1993-1999); Sierra Esteban, AS THE WORLD TURNS (2000-2005); Dakota "Koty" Lane, RITUALS (1984-1985); CAPITOL
NAME: Suzanne RogersRANK: 49
SOAP ROLES: Maggie Horton, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1973-present)
NAME: Jacklyn ZemanRANK: 50
SOAP ROLES: Bobbie Spencer, GENERAL HOSPITAL (1977-present); Lana McClain, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1976-1977); Bobbi, THE EDGE OF NIGHT (1976)
13 comments:
Interesting list. I think maybe take a couple of them off and replace with Martha Byrne and Beth Ehlers.
You're missing the name/link for Kim Zimmer! :-)
Thank you Dan, all fixed!!
Terrific idea...have really enjoyed checking in everyday to see which actress was being honored. Have loved seeing the old clips from my early soap watching days.
An enormous THANK YOU for the gargantuan labor of love you guys undertook to compile and so beautifully present this list. Whether or not readers agree with the choices and/or rankings, Id like to believe that they all appreciate your dedication to the genre and your generosity in sharing your expertise. I'm proud to have been on the panel and continue to spread the good word about welovesoaps.com.
Where is Finola Hughes on this list? That some have made the list while someone the caliber and talent of Finola hasn't is mind-boggling and has me questioning just what kind of list this really is. IMO she belongs amongst the top 10 on this list.
Eileen Fulton and Kathryn Hays are definitely missing.
As I've said before, I really, really love this list and appreciate all of the work and love that went into it. And I swear that these will be the last names that I will mention that are not on this list. But now that it is official, at the risk of opening up a can of worms, I have to say that I think it's noteworthy that Ellen Holly and Lillian Hayman (who played mother and daughter Carla and Sadie Grey in the original cast of OLTL and for nearly two decades afterward) are not on this list.
Given their resumes (both performed on Broadway, and Hayman actually won a Tony), I would venture a guess that both actresses had the acting chops to be serious contenders for this list. I would also weigh the social impact of the roles that they played (as the first major black characters on soaps, not to mention the most in-depth and longterm mother-daughter relationship penned by Agnes Nixon between two women of color) as a factor, and I make no bones about that. Acting is, after all, about finding the truth in characters, and some of the truths of Carla and Sadie's experience were not and could not have been captured by most of the other actresses on the list.
Before I go any further, I have to acknowledge that if this were my list of top 50 soap actresses, I wouldn't have actually been able to list either of them, myself, because I never saw them in action. (Well, I did see Holly in her recurring role on GL as a judge, and she was certainly very good and created a memorable character, but I don't think a minor role like that could have been enough of a vehicle for any actress to make a list like this, with so much competition.) And it would feel wrong to me to recommend anyone for something like this, sight unseen. It seems entirely possible that enough of the panel itself has never been directly exposed to these actresses' performances, either. I know that at least one panelist has written (with great fondness) about watching Carla and Sadie on OLTL, but I know statistically that probably wouldn't have been enough in and of itself, even if that individual had voted for them. I am curious to see if Hayman and/or Holly make the honorable mention list, and what if any explanation is given for how close they came to making the top 50.
Understandably, with a list like this, it's a given that some actresses, particularly from the earlier years, were bound to slip through the cracks. I raise this issue not to criticize WLS or the panel, but because the fact that EH and LH's contributions to the genre have been largely lost to us was not at all a coincidence. The main reason that their work is not known to much of today's audience is that they have been off of the show for over 25 years, fired by a certain executive producer with a decades-long pattern, on three networks, of failing to showcasing diversity of any kind (or by a parking attendant, on orders from said executive producer, according to soap lore), at a time when Erika Slezak herself called the show on the fact that it had lost touch with its progressive roots an interview, saying "we don't have any more black people..." in Llanview.
So, I do celebrate the talents and the much earned recognition of so many of these actresses and the entertaining performances that they have brought us over the years. At the same time, though, I can't help but be saddened and outraged (again, *not* at WLS) that the contributions of two actresses who very likely also deserve such accolades have been so completely erased from history.
Fabulous list gentlemen!...thanks so much for compiling it... I look forward to the men's list!
xo
I loved reading this list - but no Eileen Fulton (Lisa) or Ruth Warrick (Phoebe)??? I'm going to have to make my own list now.
Hmmm...for greats not on the 50 best list I'd like to add Rosemary Prinz, Dorothy Lyman, Susan Haskell, Julianne Moore and Judi Evans, Irene Dailey and Maureen Parker and Maeve Kinkead.... Ahh the talent we used/still get on the afternoon.
Drop Finola Hughes, Martha Byrne, and Kristian Alfonso a bone!
This is a great list of esteemed and accomplished actresses. But I'm still incredulous that Ruth Warrick is not on it. Phoebe Tyler Wallingford should be in the Top 10!
I was very glad to see the gals from Ryan's Hope well represented. They really brought life to their characters.
I agree with others-- that Erika Slezak should be Number 1. And I've only been watching One Life to Live for the past few years.
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