Famous actors who got their start on soap operas

In his very first episode of All My Children, Josh Duhamel charms a waitress into paying for his meal — and that waitress is none other than Elizabeth Banks. When the episode aired in 1999, Banks was just getting started as an actress. Her character only appeared in one scene. —Dylan Kickham

Before she earned 14 Emmy nominations (and two wins), eight Golden Globe nominations (and one win), and four Academy Award nods (and one win), Kathy Bates landed her first taste of fame with a four-episode arc on The Doctors. Bates played Phyllis Gillette, a role so small that two of her appearances were uncredited. Don't worry, Bates did OK after that. —Matt Sulem

He would eventually hit it big on primetime as one of This Is Us' Big Three, but Justin Hartley picked up his first credit with a main role on Passions, playing Nicholas Foxworth "Fox" Crane from 2002–06. —Mary Sollosi

The Joan of Arcadia star and one-time sister of the Traveling Pants Amber Tamblyn kicked off her career on General Hospital, where she originated the role of Emily Quartermaine, which she held from 1995–2001. —Mary Sollosi 

Criminal Minds and S.W.A.T. star Shemar Moore kicked off his TV career starring as Malcolm Winters on The Young and the Restless from 1994–2005 (with a hiatus from 2002–2004). He returned to the soap for a guest appearance in 2014. —Mary Sollosi 

Before going on to appear in such iconic films as Apocalypse Now, Boyz n the Hood, and The Matrix trilogy, a pre-teen Laurence Fishburne played Josh Hall on One Life to Live from 1973–76. —Mary Sollosi

Before she won Oscars and Golden Globes, Julianne Moore won a Daytime Emmy for portraying both Frannie and Sabrina Hughes on As the World Turns. From 1985 to 1988, Moore played Frannie, and then did double the work by also playing Frannie's identical half-sister and cousin Sabrina starting in 1986. In 2010, Moore reprised her role as Frannie by coming back to appear on the show for an episode. —Dylan Kickham

From 1999 to 2002, Josh Duhamel ruled the soap world as one half of the All My Children super-couple Leo and Greenlee. Duhamel earned a Daytime Emmy for the role, but left the show to pursue other opportunities, leaving his character of Leo to die in a shocking twist. —Dylan Kickham

Sarah Michelle Gellar may have become a household name from her role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but soap opera fans knew that she had a talent for acting even before she started dusting vampires. From 1993 to 1995, the actress played troubled teen Kendall Hart on All My Children. The performance was well received, and even won Gellar a Daytime Emmy Award, but she still decided to leave the show in 1995 to focus on different projects. —Dylan Kickham

Well before Uncle Jesse moved into Full House, John Stamos played the streetwise Blackie Parrish on General Hospital. Even back in his early '80s stint on the soap, Stamos was interested in music: his character formed the band Blackie and the Riff Raff, although they were definitely no Jesse and the Rippers. —Dylan Kickham

Many fans know of Leonardo DiCaprio's days as a child actor thanks to Roseanne and Growing Pains, but even before those early '90s roles, DiCaprio made an appearance on the '80s soap opera Santa Barbara. The future Titanic and Inception star appeared as the younger version of the character Mason in a flashback. —Dylan Kickham

Alec Baldwin's first television role was that of Billy Aldrich on The Doctors from 1980-1982. His character marked a more dramatic turn for the show, as he would die the longer an older female character continued using a serum to make herself appear younger. —Dylan Kickham

Freeman didn't start his acting career until he was well into his twenties. Before becoming the Morgan Freeman we all know today, he used his iconic voice in roles on soap operas like Ryan's Hope and Another World through the early '80s. —Dylan Kickham

It's hard to picture Mark Hamill as any character other than Luke Skywalker, but a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, he actually appeared on General Hospital. In his first regular role, Hamill played Kent Murray from 1972-1973, and later referred to the experience as "some of the happiest months of my career." —Matt Sulem

Jensen Ackles had been a model since the age of 4, and broke into acting at around 18 as Eric Brady on Days of Our Lives. He landed the role in 1997 and held it until 2000. Ackles' soap opera past was referenced in an episode of his show Supernatural, where his character enters a parallel universe and discovers himself to be former daytime soap star Jensen Ackles. —Dylan Kickham

Long before 1990's Ghost, 1992's A Few Good Men, and her tabloid-heavy marriages to Bruce Willis and Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore played Jackie Templeton on General Hospital. From 1982 to 1983, Moore portrayed the investigative journalist on the daytime soap. —Dylan Kickham

Fans may remember Hayden Panettiere's early acting days from her role in the classic 2000 film Remember the Titans, but she was acting on soap operas years before that. The young star played Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live from 1994 to 1997, and then went on to play Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light in the late 1990s. —Dylan Kickham

Kevin Bacon moved to New York City at 17 to try to make it big. National Lampoon's Animal House was eyed as his big break in 1978 but it didn't quite launch him to fame, so he went back to waiting tables and taking small roles on soap operas like Guiding Light. —Dylan Kickham

Taye Diggs had already shown off his acting chops on the stage with performances in Rent and Chicago, before making his television debut in Guiding Light in 1997. Diggs played Adrian "Sugar" Hill, one of the men Dahlia Crede dated. —Dylan Kickham

Ryan Phillippe's first television role was a pretty groundbreaking one. As Billy Douglas on One Life to Live, he portrayed the first openly gay teenager on daytime TV. Phillippe was 18 at the time, and would go on to fill his resume with film roles. —Dylan Kickham

Brad Pitt may be one of the biggest stars in the world now, but before he made a name for himself in films like 1999's Fight Club and 2009's Inglourious Basterds, Pitt got his first television speaking role on the soap opera Another World in 1987. The actor played a young basketball player named Chris. —Dylan Kickham

Nathan Fillion booked one of his first roles with a gig on One Life to Live in the mid-'90s as the teenaged Joey Buchanan. A large part of Fillion's time as Joey involved a romance with his mother's nemesis, Dorian Lord. Fillion briefly returned to the show as Joey in 2007 for the funeral of his character's adopted grandfather. —Dylan Kickham

David Hasselhoff is famous for his roles in Knight Rider and Baywatch, but to soap opera fans he is known as Dr. William "Snapper" Foster from The Young and the Restless. Hasselhoff played Snapper throughout the late '70s and early '80s. —Dylan Kickham 

Related: David Hasselhoff share highlights from his time on The Young and the Restless

Long before he became the face of the Rocky spinoff franchise Creed, Michael B. Jordan had a regular role on the first season of The Wire in 2002. The following year, Jordan was added to the cast of All My Children, where he stayed until 2006. Jordan played troubled teen Reggie Montgomery, a role originally landed by Chadwick Boseman, who objected to the stereotypical character and was fired as a result. —Matt Sulem

Related: Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan discuss playing the same role on All My Children

Leven Rambin first started on All My Children in 2003 when she was just 13 years old. Rambin ended up compiling 161 episodes as Lily Montgomery (and occasionally her own older sister, Ava Benton), and accepted roles on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Grey's Anatomy while still appearing on the soap. More recently, Rambin could be seen on the second season of HBO's True Detective in 2015, Hulu's The Path from 2017-2018, and NBC's Gone during the same time. —Matt Sulem

Lauryn Hill is most famous for her music, but before she joined the Fugees and embarked on her critically acclaimed solo career, she gave acting a try. In the early '90s, Hill appeared as Kira Johnson on As the World Turns. —Dylan Kickham

Just a few months after making her TV debut on a 1995 episode of All My Children, Jordana Brewster landed a role as Nikki Munson on As the World Turns. Brewster played the police chief's daughter for more than 100 episodes between 1995 and 2001, before trying her hand at film, including a recurring role in the Fast & Furious franchise. Brewster ended up finding more success back on the small screen on Dallas (2012-2014) and Lethal Weapon (2016-2018). —Matt Sulem

Seven years prior to When Harry Met Sally, Meg Ryan started her acting career with a role on As the World Turns. Although Meg initially accepted the role just to fund a degree in journalism, the gig turned into a 21-episode run from 1982-1984 that saw her Betsy Stewart character wed Steve Andropoulos (Frank Runyeon) in an episode that attracted 20 million viewers. —Matt Sulem

You might know Paul Wesley from his current job on the CBS anthology thriller Tell Me a Story, or from his breakthrough role on the CW teen drama The Vampire Diaries, but he actually cut his teeth with a one-off appearance on Another World in 1999. Wesley, who was 19 and still using his birth surname of Wasilewski, quickly parlayed this into a six-episode part on Guiding Light, in which he played an always-on-the-run orphan named Max Nickerson. —Matt Sulem

Soap fans know that Eric Braeden, who has been playing Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless for the last 40 years, looks a bit like actor Tom Selleck — but few remember that Selleck actually had a role on the same soap from 1974 to 1975. On Y&R, Selleck played Jed Andrews, a book editor with a short character arc and no mustache. He briefly reprised the role in 2005. —Matt Sulem

Related: Tom Selleck share highlights from his time on The Young and the Restless

Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon's early-career role on A World Apart wasn't just a bit part, she was one of the show's stars! A World Apart ran for 325 episodes on ABC from 1970 to 1971 — brief, by soap standards — but Sarandon appeared in every one as the character Patrice Kahlman. —Matt Sulem

In 1991, Kevin Kline starred in — and earned a Best Actor Golden Globe nomination for — the all-star comedy Soapdish, which centered on a fictional soap opera. Kline had some useful experience that prepared him for the role, as the actor's very first credit was playing Woody Reed on the CBS daytime drama Search for Tomorrow. —Matt Sulem

Robin Wright is now famous for playing the icy Claire Underwood on House of Cards and for her roles in 1994's Forrest Gump and 1987's The Princess Bride, but her first acting job was playing Kelly Capwell, one of the protagonists on the soap opera Santa Barbara. In the late '80s, Wright portrayed Kelly as she struggled to choose between two men, and found out one turned out to be a serial killer. She was nominated for three Daytime Emmys for the role. —Dylan Kickham

When Kelly Ripa replaced Kathie Lee Gifford in 2001 as the new co-host of what would become Live with Regis and Kelly (currently Live with Kelly and Ryan), she was still acting on All My Children — a role she originated all the way back in 1990. Ripa played hard-partying teen Hayley Vaughan, which she continued to do consistently until her 2002 departure, although Hayley briefly returned to Pine Valley for a pair of episodes in 2010. —Matt Sulem

Mark Consuelos is a regular on Riverdale, but he's best known for his very first role: playing Mateo Santos Sr. on All My Children. Consuelos was only 24 years old when he started on the soap in 1995, and the role not only launched his career, but also introduced him to his future wife (who also played his eventual wife on the show), Kelly Ripa. —Matt Sulem

Way before James Earl Jones took on the iconic voice roles of Darth Vader and Mufasa, he appeared on two soaps in the 1960s, Guiding Light and As the World Turns. Coincidentally, Jones portrayed a doctor on both of the shows: Dr. Jim Frazier on the former and Dr. Jerry Turner on the latter. —Matt Sulem

Several people on this list have credits from The Doctors, but none like Kathleen Turner, who recorded an impressive 243 episodes between 1978 and 1979 as Nola Dancy Aldrich. Turner went on to earn two Tony nominations (for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), one Oscar nod (for 1986's Peggy Sue Got Married), and two Golden Globe wins (for 1984's Romancing the Stone and 1985's Prizzi's Honor), and is still active on both stage and screen. —Matt Sulem

Ricky Martin wasn't always just known for his singing. Back in the mid-'90s, Martin was living la vida drama on General Hospital. He played Miguel Morez, a singer with a troubled past. —Dylan Kickham

Before scoring roles in teen movies like John Tucker Must Die, Hairspray, and then starring in the beloved Pitch Perfect trilogy, Brittany Snow picked up her first live-action credit as Daisy Lemay on The Guiding Light from 1998–2002. —Mary Sollosi

Before fans fell in love with LiLo in The Parent Trap, she was playing Alli Fowler on Another World from 1996 to 1997. Lindsay Lohan had already been a fashion model with Ford Models since the age of 3, and at the time of her television debut, was considered a young show-business veteran. —Dylan Kickham

Aside from a pair of TV movies, Ray Liotta's first Hollywood credit was a 21-episode arc as Joey Perrini on Another World from 1978-1981. Liotta later became a household name as the star of films like Something Wild (1986), Goodfellas (1990), and Identity (2003), but recently returned to TV as Lieutenant Matt Wozniak on NBC's Shades of Blue from 2016-2018. —Matt Sulem

Technically, Judith Light's career started on stage — including a 1975 Broadway debut — but her first notable on-camera credit was playing Karen Wolek on One Life to Live from 1977-1983. After nabbing Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in back-to-back years for the soap, Light became a household name as Angela on the household sitcom Who's the Boss? and more recently on Amazon's Transparent. Light has continued to work on Broadway and earned Tony awards in 2012, 2013, and 2019. —Matt Sulem

Anne Heche amassed an impressive 47 episodes as Vicky Hudson (and occasionally her twin sister, Marley Love) on Another World from 1988-1992 prior to launching a successful film career. More recently, Heche has been working in indie films and has continued compiling consistent work on TV, including most recently on the NBC drama Chicago P.D. —Matt Sulem

Even though it was just her first role, most soap fans will remember Melissa Leo's stint on All My Children. After all, the respected actress spent some five years as Linda Warner from 1984-1988, and even earned a Daytime Emmy for the part. Of course, she also found further fame as Sergeant Kay Howard on Homicide: Life on the Street from 1993-1997 and her highly praised roles in the films 21 Grams (2003), Frozen River (2008), and The Fighter (2010) — with the latter earning Leo a Best Supporting Actress award at both the Golden Globes and Oscars. —Matt Sulem

Aside from various single-episode appearances (including the soaps Search for Tomorrow and All My Children), Christian Slater's first significant acting role was playing D.J. LaSalle on some 20 episodes of the ABC soap opera Ryan's Hope in 1985—when he was just 16 years old. Slater of course went on to find fame in film, but he recently returned to TV as the eponymous character in USA's Mr. Robot, a role that earned him a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe in 2016. —Matt Sulem

Despite her role in a highly publicized college admissions scandal, Lori Loughlin is still best known as Rebecca Donaldson-Katsopolis of Full House (1988-1995) and Fuller House (2016-2019) fame. However, Loughlin's breakthrough role — and still her largest to-date in terms of episodes — was playing Jody Travis on The Edge of Night for 519 installments from 1980-1984. —Matt Sulem

Although she grew up in Colorado and South Carolina, Kristin Davis is best known for playing characters that live in New York. Davis' first major role was a couple dozen appearances as Nurse Betsy Chilson on General Hospital in 1991, but the actress made a name for herself as Charlotte on HBO's Sex and the City for six seasons and two movies from 1998-2010. —Matt Sulem

Marcia Cross is best known for the primetime soap operas Melrose Place (1992-1997) and Desperate Housewives (2004-2012), so it's no surprise she got her start on daytime soaps. Cross had a one-off on Another World in 1986, a short stint as Liz Corell on The Edge of Night in 1984, and occasional appearances as Kate Sanders on One Life to Live from 1986-1988. —Matt Sulem

Seven actresses played Bianca Montgomery at various points on All My Children, including Lacey Chabert, who landed the role for a pair of episodes from 1992-1993 when she was just 10 years old. Chabert got her breakthrough only a year later as a star of Party of Five and later made her mark in film as Gretchen Wieners of Mean Girls fame. —Matt Sulem

Playing Sergeant Amy Santiago on the NBC sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been Melissa Fumero's most famous role, but it hasn't been her largest. Her seven seasons as Santiago still haven't caught up to the 207 episodes Fumero compiled as Adriana Cramer on One Life to Live from 1998-2011. Not only did the actress get her start on One Life to Live back when she was known as Melissa Gallo, but the show introduced her to actor and model David Fumero, whom she married in 2007. —Matt Sulem

Before her Golden Globe and Emmy-winning role as Deputy Chief Johnson on TNT's The Closer from 2005-2012, and her breakout role in the 1989 war biopic Born on the Fourth of July, Kyra Sedgwick's very first credit was playing Julia Shearer in a handful of episodes of Another World from 1982-1983.

Way before James Earl Jones took on the iconic voice roles of Darth Vader and Mufasa, he appeared on two soaps in the 1960s, Guiding Light and As the World Turns. Coincidentally, Jones portrayed a doctor on both of the shows: Dr. Jim Frazier on the former and Dr. Jerry Turner on the latter. —Matt Sulem

Although born in England, Naomi Watts spent much of her youth in Australia, where she got her start as an actress. Known best for films like Mulholland Drive (2001), 21 Grams (2003), The Impossible (2012), and Birdman (2014), Watts actually began her career on TV, and her first break was a 19-episode stint as Julie Gibson on the Australian soap opera Home and Away. —Matt Sulem

Ellen Burstyn had a lot of one-off TV appearances early in her career, but her first substantial role was as Dr. Kate Bartok on The Doctors in 1965. Burstyn won an Oscar a decade later for her moving portrayal of the titular character in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, and is still actively acting in her 80s, recently appearing in 2019's Lucy in the Sky. —Matt Sulem

A pair of daytime dramas kicked off Ted Danson's career. From 1975 to 1976, Danson briefly played Tom Conway on Somerset, as well as a longer stint on The Doctors. In the latter soap, Danson initially played Dr. Chuck Weldon for seven episodes in 1975, but returned to the show as a completely different character, Mitch Pierson, in an even longer arc two years later. —Matt Sulem

Eva Longoria had a flair for the dramatic in her hit show Desperate Housewives, but it all started for her on daytime soaps. The actress landed a guest spot on General Hospital back in 2000 and went on to book a regular role on The Young and the Restless as Isabella Brana. —Dylan Kickham

Christopher Reeve only had a handful of acting credits before he was cast as the star of Superman (1978), and one of those was a three-episode arc on the long-running CBS soap Love of Life. Reeve was one of the actors who played Ben Harper, and was only 23 years old when cast. —Matt Sulem

Marisa Tomei's first acting job was on As the World Turns. She played Marcy Thompson on the show in the mid-1980s. —Dylan Kickham