Soap Opera Stars: A-List Celebrities Who Started on Soaps

You know them from their hit roles in projects like Full House and Footloose, but before they were taking the lead on their own series and movies, these actors were just getting their foot in the door. And that door, for dozens of your favorite stars, led them into the world of soap operas, whether it was a two-episode arc or they were there for the long haul.

But even while they were making their way towards stardom, actors like John Stamos and Meg Ryan were still living normal lives. 

Find out which of your favorite actors and actresses got their start on soap operas and see everything they had to say about the experience.

1. John Stamos

Soap Opera: General Hospital

Character Played: Blackie Parrish

What he said about it: “I was on General Hospital for three months and still working at one of my dad’s restaurants. He wouldn’t let me quit… people were coming in and going, ‘Aren’t you the kid on [General Hospital]?’”

2. Demi Moore

Soap Opera: General Hospital

Character Played: Jackie Templeton

What she said about it: “I started on a soap called General Hospital way back in the day. I was fully faking it till I made it. I had no clue what I was doing.”

3. Julianne Moore 

Soap Opera: As the World Turns

Character Played: Frannie/Sabrina Hughes

What she said about it: “When I was on As the World Turns, I was so excited when they wrote two parts for me. You know, the classic twin sister role, the good and the evil one, and I couldn’t wait to do it and I was so excited.”

4. Meg Ryan

Soap Opera: As the World Turns

Character Played: Betsy Stewart

What she said about life as a soap star: “Everyone was talking to me like they knew me… I couldn’t believe the number of women giving advice for my character. I had always taken the train, but then suddenly I was in people’s houses and famous. It was weird, like a smash cut to that moment.”

5. Josh Duhamel

Soap Opera: All My Children

Character Played: Leo du Pres

What she said about it: “Being on All My Children, it was the first time I ever really felt accepted and that people felt I was good… It was just tremendous, the amount of education that I got from that show and the amount of experience that I got.”

6. Kevin Bacon

Soap Opera: Guiding Light

Character Played: Tim Werner

What he said about it: “I was on Guiding Light for a year, I was Tim the teenage alcoholic… he was a troubled lad.”

7. Ryan Phillippe

Soap Opera: One Life to Live

Character Played: Billy Douglas

What he said about it: “When I auditioned, I had no idea Billy was gay… I thought, ‘What is my family going to think? What about my friends?’ But I realized that for Billy, the torment is a hundred times that… I realized that maybe this role is where I’m supposed to be. Maybe some kids will see that there are ways to deal with this positively.”

8. Anne Heche

Soap Opera: Another World

Character Played: Vicky Hudson/Marley Love Hudson

What she said about it: “I played twins, and nobody believes that I was the same person playing the twins. So, some people just hated me and some people really loved me, which was so funny that I fooled them. And then some of them wouldn’t believe me when I actually said it was the same person and they wanted to figure out which twin I was,” Heche explained. “I would do 60 pages of dialogue a day between the two of them. That really trained me. That has benefited me more than anything I could possibly say. I wear it with a badge of honor.”

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