The soap world lost a number of legends this year dating back to the radio days. As we wind down the 2011 calendar year, we want to take a moment to remember those who passed away this year. Please share your thoughts in our Comments section and if we have omitted anyone accidentally please let us know so we can update this list. Each name links to our original story.
Tom Aldredge (1928-2011)
His television credits included recurring roles on THE SOPRANOS (as Carmela’s father), RYAN'S HOPE (as Matt Pearse) and DAMAGES (as Uncle Pete). He appeared last year in BOARDWALK EMPIRE as the father of the kingpin Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi.
Padma Atluri (1971-2011)
Writer for the new 90210.
Pedro Armendáriz Jr. (1971-2011)
In his career Armendáriz acted in at least 22 telenovelas most recently "LA FUERZA DEL DESTINO", ATREVETA A SONAR and DESTILANDO AMOR AS.
Phyllis Avery (1922-2011)
During her 50-year career, the petite blonde had roles in numerous television shows including the CBS soap opera THE CLEAR HORIZON as Anne Shelby (1960-1962) where she starred opposite Ed Kemmer (and Denise Alexander).
Reza Badiyi (1930-2011)
In the primetime soap world, he directed FALCON CREST, KNOTS LANDING and MODELS INC.
Frances Bay (1919-2011)
She made soap opera appearances including FLAMINGO ROAD, GREY'S ANATOMY, PASSIONS (Evil Old Lady) and SANTA BARBARA (Mrs. McRae, a neighbor of the Perkins family).
Doris Belack (1926-2011)
She played Anna Wolek Craig (1968-1977), her most famous daytime character. She was also seen as Madge Murray (1966-1968) and Nora Simpson (1978) on ANOTHER WORLD, Claudia Howard on THE DOCTORS (1980), and Beth Bryson on THE EDGE OF NIGHT (1981). She had appeared on EDGE more than once before 1981 the Mrs. Bryson character, opposite Chris Goutman's Sharkey, was her most memorable on that show.
Roberts Blossom (1924-2011)
He had a recurring role on the soap opera ANOTHER WORLD, as Burt Ordway. He later played Sven Petersen, for which he won a Soapy Award as favorite villain in 1978.
Eve Brent (1929-2011)
Brent, who acted in films and television for more than 60 years, had guest appearance in several primetime soaps including PAPER DOLLS, KNOTS LANDING and TWIN PEAKS. She also appeared on the daytime soap opera SANTA BARBARA as Mrs. Carmody.
Graham Brown (1924-2011)
In 1970 Brown appeared on DAYS OF OUR LIVES as Jeffrey Jones.
Huw Ceredig (1942-2011)
Welsh actor Ceredig was best known in his native country for playing Reg Harries in longstanding soap opera POBOL Y CYM for 29 years.
Lynn Deerfield (1950-2011)
Deerfield played Holly Norris on GUIDING LIGHT from 1970 to 1976.
Tom Donovan (1922-2011)
Donovan's soap opera directing credits included GENERAL HOSPITAL, ANOTHER WORLD, RYAN'S HOPE, A WORLD APART, HIDDEN FACES, LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING and OUR PRIVATE WORLD.
Margaret Draper (1916-2011)
Draper starred on radio soap operas such as THE BRIGHTER DAY, MA PERKINS and PEPPER YOUNG'S FAMILY.
Betty Driver (1920-2011)
Driver played Betty on CORONATION STREET for 42 years.
Irving Elman (1915-2011)
With his wife Mildren ("Tex"), Elman was head writer of the daytime soaps SEARCH FOR TOMORROW (1976-1977) and GENERAL HOSPITAL (1977).
Mary Fickett (1928-2011)
For nearly 30 years, Fickett was loved and admired by millions of people as the good, compassionate nurse Ruth Parker Brent Martin on ALL MY CHILDREN.
Anne Francis (1930-2011)
Soap fans will remember Francis for her role as Arliss Cooper on DALLAS in 1981.
Dan Frazer (1921-2011)
Frazer played the role of Lt. Dan McCloskey on AS THE WORLD TURNS for 12 years.
Betty Ford (1918-2011)
Ford appeared in a 1983 episode of DYNASTY with her husband in a scene with Blake and Krystle Carrington.
Farley Granger (1925-2011)
Granger played one of Lisa's many husband's on AS THE WORLD TURNS, Earl Mitchell. His longtime partner was former ATWT executive producer Robert Calhoun, who passed away in 2008.
B. Donald Grant (1932-2011)
Among the shows at NBC that Grant (known as "Bud") played a role in developing was DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Grant joined CBS in 1972 as vice president of daytime programming, replacing Paul Rauch. The network successfully launched THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS a year later.
Anthony Herrera (1944–2011)
Herrera was beloved for his run as evil James Stenbeck on AS THE WORLD TURNS, as well as his roles on LOVING, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS and THE SECRET STORM.
Peter Hobbs (1918-2011)
Hobbs played Peter Ames in THE SECRET STORM from 1954 to 1962.
Tresa Hughes (1929-2011)
Hughes played Emma Frame Ordway (Frankie, Molly, Wade, Sterling and Henry's mother) on ANOTHER WORLD on and off from June 1975 to June 1976. She was the second Emma (Beverlee McKinsey was the first).
Warren Leslie (1927-2011)
He wrote scripts for the soap opera THE SECRET STORM, whose head writer for a time was his sister, the actress and writer Bethel Leslie.
Judy Lewis (1935-2011)
Her longest running soap opera role was Susan Ames on THE SECRET STORM from 1964-1971. She also played Barbara Vining on GENERAL HOSPITAL in the 1970s. Her first soap role was Molly Scharf on KITTY FOYLE.
Sue Lloyd (1939-2011)
The actress was best known for her role as Barbara Hunter in hit ITV soap, CROSSROADS.
Olga Madsen (1947-2011)
When producer Joop van den Ende bought the rights of the Australian soap opera THE RESTLESS YEARS it was up to Olga Madsen to turn it into a Dutch version. That resulted in the Netherlands' number one soap opera GOEDE TIJDEN SLECHTE TIJDEN.
Christopher "Chip" Mayer (1954-2011)
Mayer played T.J. Daniels on SANTA BARBARA on the 1980s. He was previously married to THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS star Eileen Davidson.
Marian Mercer (1935-2011)
She had roles on ST. ELSEWHERE, MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN and PROVIDENCE.
Patricia Modell (1931-2011)
Her last television role was as Nurse Meg Bentley Baldwin in GENERAL HOSPITAL in the late 1960s. She was known as Patricia Modell before marrying NFL owner Art Modell.
A.C. Nielsen Jr. (1919-2011)
Nielsen Jr. transformed the company his father founded in 1923 into an international leader in market research, helping to make its name synonymous with television ratings.
Patrice O’Neal (1969-2011)
O'Neal was a former writer for WWE/WWF.
Paul Picerni (1922-2011)
Among his many credits were the roles of Dr. Dan Garrett on THE YOUNG MARRIEDS from 1964-1966 and Colonel Amir on CAPITOL in 1983.
David Pressman (1913-2011)
He worked as a director on the daytime soap operas ANOTHER WORLD (1967-1970) and ONE LIFE TO LIVE, winning three Emmy Awards for his work on OLTL where he stayed for 25 years.
James Pritchett (1922-2011)
James Pritchett was best known to daytime soap opera fans as Dr. Matt Powers on THE DOCTORS. His other soap roles included ALL MY CHILDREN, AS THE WORLD TURNS and THE SECRET STORM. His Bruce Elliott on ATWT had an affair with Lisa Hughes while she was still married to Bob in 1962. He also made an appearance on GUIDING LIGHT.
Francesco Quinn (1963-2011)
Quinn's soap roles included Tomas del Cerro on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (a novelist involved with Nina) and Syed Ali on 24.
Cliff Robertson (1923-2011)
Among his television work was a season on FALCON CREST in 1983-84 as Dr. Michael Ranson.
Jane Russell (1921-2011)
In 1983 she appeared in the primetime soap, THE YELLOW ROSE.
Hubert Schlafly (1919-2011)
He invented the teleprompter which debuted in 1950 on the soap opera THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS.
Sherwood Schwartz (1916-2011)
Schwartz created GILLIGAN'S ISLAND and THE BRADY BUNCH, which eventually turned into a primetime soap called THE BRADYS.
Helen Stenborg (1955-2011)
Stenborg is known to soap opera fans for her role as Helga Lindeman on ANOTHER WORLD from January 1977 to February 1978. Helga was the Cory housekeeper and a reluctant participant in several of Sven Peterson's schemes over the years. She also appeared on RYAN'S HOPE and ONE LIFE TO LIVE.
Kaye Stevens (1933-2011)
From 1974 to 1979, she played Jeri Clayton on DAYS OF OUR LIVES.
Doug Stevenson (1955-2011)
Stevenson played Lee Sentell on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW from 1979 to 1982.
Haila Stoddard (1913-2011)
On TV Stoddard appeared as the wicked Aunt Pauline on CBS' THE SECRET STORM from 1953-71.
Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)
Taylor famously guest-starred on GENERAL HOSPITAL during Luke and Laura's wedding, and later on ALL MY CHILDREN.
Sada Thompson (1927-2011)
From 1976 to 1980 she starred as Kate Lawrence, the matriarch of an upper-middle-class family in ABC drama FAMILY.
Margaret Tyzack (1931-2011)
Tyzack appeared in BBC One soap opera EASTENDERS, as Lydia Simmonds, the maternal grandmother of Albert Square regular Janine Butcher.
Jane White (1922-2011)
She played Lydia Holliday on THE EDGE OF NIGHT in the late 1960s. On A WORLD APART she played Olivia Hampton in 1971. In 1979 she appeared as Tante Helene LeVeaux on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW.
Robert White (1924-2011)
White earned a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1978 for GUIDING LIGHT and won WGA Awards in 1980 and 1985 for GUIDING LIGHT and SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, respectively.
This is more like it! SOAPnet is ringing in the New Year with a 14-hour ONE LIFE TO LIVE marathon. Spend the day looking back at some of OLTL's most iconic characters and memorable moments from throughout the years! The ONE LIFE TO LIVE celebration airs Sunday, January 1, from 10 a.m.-12 a.m.
On this date in...
What was ONE LIFE TO LIVE like 32 years ago? We kick off our retro-fabulous celebration of ONE LIFE TO LIVE FLASHBACKs with an article published in 1979 in "Daytime TV Soap Opera Special." It gives a great sense of what it was like to be a part of OLTL in the '70s, with photos and quotes from Jacquie Courtney, John Mansfield, Linda Dano, Tom Fuccello, Robin Strasser, Judith Light, Anthony George, Michael Storm, Erika Slezak, Lee Patterson, Brynn Thayer, Steve Fletcher, Julie Montgomery, Phillip MacHale, Jeff Pomerantz, Ellen Holly, Al Freeman Jr., Lee Lawson, Michael Ingram, Margaret Klenck, Tony Call, Gerald Anthony, Sally Gracie, Nat Polen, Tommy Lee Jones, Trish Van Devere and more.
Here's a look at the preliminary daytime Nielsen ratings for the week ending December 23, 2011.
Alicia Minshew has good fitness in her genes
On this date in...
Soap Classics is now airing another free classic episode of AS THE WORLD TURNS, this time the New Year's fashion show Barbara and Carly put on back in December 1999. 
Singer/actress Kaye Stevens, a longtime resident and commercial champion of Margate, Florida, died Wednesday at the Villages Hospital, north of Orlando. She was 79.
THE BAY has released its mid-season finale and 2011 goes out with a bang. We finally get a definitive answer on whether the "Broey" (Brian and Zoey) wedding happens. And what an answer it is!
On this date in...
REVENGE, the best television soap opera of 2011, returns on January 4 and, if the first nine minutes are any indicator, is off to an excellent start to 2012 as well.
Actor Douglas Stevenson, who played Lee Sentell on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, from 1979 to 1982 has died at age 56. 
In our interview with Soap Classics President Mark Yates back in October, he revealed that a GUIDING LIGHT DVD would be release in the first quarter of 2012. We can now confirm that release is happening, and in mid-January!
Darren Criss in "How to Succeed With Business Without Really Trying" starting January 3
Sick of repeats on TV? THE BAY airs its mid-season finale tomorrow (Thursday, December 29) at 3:15 p.m. ET and it promises to be the biggest episode of the series to date. Here's what to look for:
As we count down to the 3rd Annual Indie Soap Awards on Feb. 21, we will feature the shows nominated for Best Web Series, Comedy and Drama. 
Monday night’s two-hour conclusion of LA FUERZA DEL DESTINO (“The Power of Destiny”) reached nearly 8 million viewers who tuned in to all or part of the broadcast. The finale, followed by a special episode of DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA, which delivered an average audience of over 3.6 million viewers, led the Univision Network to a first place finish among all broadcast networks, regardless of language on Monday night across all key demographics. The hit novela’s finale delivered an average audience of 6.2 million Total Viewers 2+, 3.4 million Adults 18-49, 1.9 million Women 18-49, 1.6 million Men 18-49, 2.0 million Adults 18-34, 1.0 million Women 18-34 and 963,000 Men 18-34.
Pedro Armendáriz Jr., a Mexican character actor best known for playing sly, sometimes cynical types, died on Monday in New York City. He was 71.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Former BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL star Ethan Wayne (ex-Storm)
The BBC has premiered an 'explosive' EASTENDERS Christmas trailer online which promises fire, explosions and fights between life and death for Albert Square residents. Nina Wadia, who plays Zainab, has said that the Christmas script "shocked the life out of her". 
On Thursday, THE BAY released the final two ‘HoliBAY’ special holiday webisodes. 
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS was the second most-searched television show in 2011 with DAYS OF OUR LIVES coming in fifth.
GENERAL HOSPITAL's Jonathan Jackson on telling love stories and maintaining character integrity
Just when we thought - maybe - we were about to figure it all out, THE LYING GAME has upped the ante! We'll soon meet Char's aunt, Rebecca Anne Sewell, who has returned to town after years of being estranged from her family. Now she's a woman of means, full of secrets, played by Charisma Carpenter.
Daytime and primetime soap stars are everywhere this winter! Below are some of the upcoming guest appearances by soap stars on primetime shows. We update this list every few days. If you see a name missing, add it in our Comments section.
The "Queen of the Soap Opera" Irna Phillips died 38 years ago today. In honor of the legendary creator of so many beloved radio and television serials, below is an excerpt from an essay she wrote on the genre a year before her death.
On this date in...
EASTENDERS: First look at Pat Butcher's dramatic exit
Graham Brown, a stage, film and television actor, died December 13 to at the Lillian Booth Actors' Fund Nursing Home in Englewood, New Jersey. He was 87.
A local investment group is acquiring the media company that includes the Chicago Sun-Times, taking over from owners who purchased it out of bankruptcy under the direction of the late James Tyree.
AS THE WORLD TURNS Emmy winner Julianne Moore plays Sarah Palin, the former Alaska Governor and Vice Presidential nominee, in the upcoming HBO film Game Change, which chronicles the 2008 election with a special focus on the campaign of Republican John McCain. 
With corporate intrigue, double lives, and forbidden romances, ABC Family's new serial drama JANE BY DESIGN sounds soapy-licious. It's a light-hearted drama about Jane, a teenager who lands a job at Donovan Decker, a hip fashion house, when they mistake her for an adult. Jane soon finds herself juggling life both as a regular high school student and as an assistant to a high powered executive in the cutthroat world of fashion... all while trying to keep her true identity a secret.
FX's AMERICAN HORROR STORY, co-created by former NIP/TUCK executive producers and current GLEE co-creators and executive producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk continues with "Afterbirth" on Wednesday, December 21 at 10 p.m. on FX. 
New behind the scenes pictures from Johnny Depp's Dark Shadows
We Love Soaps is proud to announce the nominations for the 3rd Annual Indie Soap Awards. The Indie Soap Awards, or ISAs, strive to honor the very best in scripted, serialized programming for the web. This year, the nominees in several categories have been divided into comedy and drama.
Dan Frazer, the actor known for playing the role of Lt. Dan McCloskey on AS THE WORLD TURNS, has passed away at age 90. The actor suffered from a cardiac arrest at his home in Manhattan on Friday, December 16th, 2011.
HELL ON WHEELS all new on Sunday, December 18 at 10 p.m. ET on AMC. The show tells the story of Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) in post-Civil War America.
Legendary actress Ellen Holly has published "An Open Letter to the Fans and Historians of ONE LIFE TO LIVE". Holly was an original cast member of ONE LIFE in 1968 and was a fan favorite immediately and throughout her run which ended in 1985. She was not the first black actor on contract with a daytime soap but was certainly the first black star of daytime and paved the way for future stars like Debbi Morgan, Darnell Williams, Kristoff St. John, Victoria Rowell, Tamara Tunie and others.
ALL MY CHILDREN's Michael E. Knight and DEVANITY's Robin Riker are among the cast of "The Cost of the Erection"
SoapClassics is now streaming a classic AS THE WORLD TURNS Christmas episode from 1982 in which David and Ellen Stewart get remarried. Longtime fans will recall what a rough year the couple had before their reunion.
For the Week of Dec. 5, 2011:
