Bubble About to Burst for Soap Operas
In April 2011, ABC announced they will be cancelling the network’s soap operas All My Children in September 2011 and One Life to Live in January 2012. Both shows begin with a half hour format and later expanded to a full hour. During their run, numerous actors have got a start or a boost to their careers by playing characters on the soaps.
Before playing a ghost buster in The Grudge and The Grudge 2 or voicing the character of Ella in Happily N’Ever After, Sarah Michelle Gellar starred as Kendall Hart Lang in All My Children.
Beginning his soap opera career at age seven on The Edge of Night, Christian Slater went on to star in Hollywood movies like Bobby and Igor.
After getting into the modeling business, Josh Duhamel snagged a spot on All My Children and received three Daytime Emmy nominations for his role as Leo Du Pres. His first major movie role is as a celebrity in Win A Date With Tad Hamilton. From there his career has taken off with parts in Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, When In Rome, Ramona and Beezus, Life as We Know It and the upcoming release Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
Before his role as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, (when audiences didn’t know they were seeing the end of the story first) Mark Hamill had a continuing spot as Kent Murray on the soap opera General Hospital.
In addition to playing a regular role on One Life to Live, Nathan Fillion has starred in Blast from the Past and Serenity. And though he doesn’t play Hal Jordan in the new Green Lantern movie (that role went to Ryan Reynolds), he does voice the character in the Green Lantern: Emerald Knights video game.
Actor James Earl Jones had roles on both The Guiding Light and As the World Turns before voicing one of Hollywood’s greatest villains, Darth Vader, in Star Wars. (See Mark Hamill above.) He also did voice work in The Lion King, Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Click and Robots.
Before playing the Man of Steel in Superman, Christopher Reeve starred as a man who had not one but two wives in Love of Life. He takes on a very different character in The Remains of the Day.
Actress Kathy Bates played prinson inmate Belle Bodelle in All My Children before starring in Titanic, The Waterboy, A Civil Action, American Outlaws, Dragonfly, Around the World in 80 Days, Failure to Launch, Fred Claus, The Blind Side, P.S. I Love You and The Golden Compass.
Leonard Nimoy played a drug dealer in General Hospital before taking roles in movies like Star Trek, The Pagemaster and Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
Viggo Mortensen’s role in Search for Tomorrow involved plenty of time recovering from gunshot wounds. He later took action roles as Frank T. Hopkins in Hidalgo and Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. He stars alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days.
