Simple choose the top 5 actors/actresses from each show and say why you chose them.

Y&R

Actresses

Victoria Rowell: Watching Dru mature to the woman she is today has been a blast!

Jeanne Cooper: I've seen the duchess from day one and she has made me laugh, cry, and cheer. A real pro.

Jess Walton: The last and best Jill. The way that Bill Bell (RIP) wanted this character to be played, multilayer

Michelle Stafford: I've always been a fan of her natural acting style.

Melody Thomas Scott: Loved Nikki with Terry's Jack! Nikki has one of the most tortured pasts but I love her.

Actors

Peter Bergman: Who doesn't love Peter? The character can be a real Jackass but Peter Rocks in the role.

Eric Braeden: I think Braeden has more than proving himself this year.

Doug Davidson: Watching Paul now you would never know what an awesome character this used to be.

Christian Leblanc: When I think of what Michael used to be and what he is today I have to give major props to CJLB.

Kristoff St. John: When he's ON...he's amazing...unfortunately Neil has never really been that interesting.

ATWT

Actresses

Maura West: She has defined the role of Carly and always gives 100%.

Colleen Zink Pinter: Flove CZP. She is so spectacular, and although the writing for her can be uneven, CZP always brings it!

Elizabeth Hubbard: The Queen of Oakdale.

Tamara Tunie: Rarely seen, but sorely missed.

Eileen Fulton: Back in the day Lisa used to be THE one to watch. Love her/hate her...EF rocked!

Actors

Don Hastings: 46 year veteran still growing strong.

Trent Dawson: Henry Coleman isn't basically universally loved for nothing.

Michael Park: His best work has been with MW..and although I'm not a huge fan, he's a good actor.

Scott Holmes: Tom always gets the short hand of the writing stick, but SH is good in the role.

Jon Hensley: So much more enjoyable without Lily.

Cool I love stuff like this.

All My Children

Actors- Michael E Knight

David Canary

Vincent Irizarry

James Mitchell

Jacob Young

Actresses- Julia Barr

Susan Lucci

Alicia Minshew

Eileen Herlie

Eden Riegel

Analysis: Sadly, this list is mostly comprised of little-seen vets. Of the entire cast, I think David Canary has the most range, while Eileen Herlie & Julia Barr are brilliant with subtext. Lucci is the diva incarnate, and Minshew is a likable (and capable) actress. Eden Riegel has become the heart of the show, a role that fits her well. Irizarry will be sorely missed.

As The World Turns

Actors- Trent Dawson

Paul Leyden

Jon Hensley

Michael Park

Van Hansis

Actresses- Maura West

Jennifer Landon

Marie Masters

Elizabeth Hubbard

Colleen Zenk Pinter

Analysis: This show is awfully tough to judge, since there are many worthy actors not even mentioned here (Marie Wilson & Don Hastings come to mind). Easily the most competitive soap acting-wise IMO. These 10, however, are the ones that do it for me most. I think Trent Dawson & Jennifer Landon are every bit as brilliant as Jon Hensley & Michael Park are subtle. Maura West has a style (and sneer ) that's all her own. Marie Masters, CZP, Hubbard- all consummate pros.

Days of our Lives

Actors- Peter Reckell

Stephen Nichols

James Reynolds

John Aniston

Bryan Datillo

Actresses- Deidre Hall

Frances Reid

Alison Sweeney

Julie Pinson

Suzanne Rogers

Analysis: I know I left off such faves as Kristian Alfonso, Martha Madison & Mary Beth Evans, but I think my five ladies trump them. Datillo is such a success story- he has improved 10-fold over the years as an actor & earns every bit of screen time he gets. Though Patch has never been a fave of mine, one can't deny Stephen Nichols is an uber-talented guy. Julie Pinson has been a big surprise for me- though I loved her on PC, sometimes actors get lazy when they switch over to DAYS. Not the case at all there. Sweeney is probably the most entertaining actress on the show.

One Life To Live

Actors- Dan Gauthier

Tuc Watkins

Phil Carey

Timothy Stickney

Jerry verDorn

Actresses- Robin Strasser

Kassie DePaiva

Heather Tom

Patricia Elliot

Hilary B. Smith

Analysis: Yeah, yeah, I know, no ES, but I much prefer the ladies I chose to her flair for dramatics. Robin Strasser is brilliant. To be honest with you, OLTL has the best actress in all of daytime & is letting her get away- I'm speaking of Heather Tom. The more I watch her over the years, the more I am in awe of what she can do. KDP is such a pro, even though they're writing her like crap now. Love Phil Carey & Pat Elliot- two of my all-time OLTL faves.

The Young and the Restless

Actors- Eric Braeden

Peter Bergman

Christian LeBlanc

Joshua Morrow

Jerry Douglass

Actresses- Jess Walton

Michelle Stafford

Eileen Davidson

Victoria Rowell

Melody Thomas Scott

Analysis: Another show where it was extremely hard to nail down 5. But these 10 represent Y&R's best & brightest IMO. Jess Walton is such a strong actress- I would think she could intimidate any actor she shares a scene with. Eileen is just so good as Ashley that, while I don't always like her, I always watch her. Stafford & Rowell are just brilliant, Melody & Eric have lead the show forever beautifully, and is there anything Peter Bergman can't act out? Jerry Douglas also has always been an undervalued, subtle actor, and while I'm not always a fan of Michael, Christian LeBlanc brings it every chance he gets.

I love this..

AMC Actors

Michael E Knight

Thorsten Kaye

Vincent Izzarry

Jacob Young

Walt Willey

Actresses

Susan Lucci

Julia Barr

Alicia Minshew

Leven Ramblin

Eden Reigel

ATWT Actors

Michael Park

Jon Hensley

Trent Dawson

Jesse Soffer

Van Hansis

Actresses

Elizabeth Hubbard

Maura West

Martha Byrne

Jennifer Landon

Alexandra Chandro

DAYS Actors

Billy Warlock

Stephen Nichols

Peter Reckell

Bryan Datillo

James Scott

Actresses

Mary Beth Evans

Alison Sweeney

Julie Pinson

Deidre Hall

Francis Reid

GH Actors

Anthony Geary

Steve Burton

Rick Hearst

Greg Vaughn

Tristian Rogers

Actresses

Jane Elliot

Robin Christopher

Laura Wright

Rebecca Herbst

Kimberly McCullough

Thats it for now

ATWT

Actresses

Maura West - I was never quite a Carly fan but MW can act her butt off! She also has chemistry with just about everyone she shares a scene with.

Colleen Zenk-Pinter - It's a shame they don't give her better material because she can play total [!@#$%^&*] as well as a sympathetic character perfectly.

Elizabeth Hubbard - she's charming, lively, and just fun to watch whenever I don't want Lucinda to shut up

Kelley Menighan Hensley - she can go all over the place. She can play Emily as psychotic one minute and as a victim the next and actually have you believing it.

Ellen Dolan - Not a Margo fan but I can admit ED can act when given the material. I especially like her during scenes where Margo lets her guard down and has moments of weakness.

Actors

Paul Leyden - He's charming and no matter what, I always root for Simon

Scott Holmes - Like ED, when given the material, this guy can act like nobody's business. Tom's outburst of rage is always must-see TV for me.

Jesse Soffer - He's shown how great he can be. He has this great ability to play the "is he or isn't he psychotic?" card. Unfortunately, they've watered down Will's character to the point where JS looks bored playing him.

Van Hansis - He has this pretty boy look going on making it hard to believe he's not in some snobby rich kid role and instead is playing the outcast who wants to be understood. And he does it so well.

Trent Dawson - Aside from the Katie mess, I have always loved Henry Coleman and Trent Dawson. There are few actors who manage to have chemistry with just about everyone and TD is one of these actors.

GL

Actresses

Stephanie Gatschet - I've said it again and again. This girl is truly one of the most underrated performers on daytime. There aren't very many actors like her who can express so much without being overly dramatic and using only their eyes and facial expression. And she gets the unfortunate task of mostly having to fill in the lines when it comes to her character and have it make sense. I can't tell you the number of times where I've had to read an interview with an actor to find out what they're senseless motivations are. This isn't the case with SG.

Gina Tognoni - Sometimes I wanna smack Dinah and tell her to grow up but GT portrays a character who everyone sees as a walking time bomb to perfection. It's too bad the writing for her is crap right now. Otherwise, she's a ton of fun to watch.

Crystal Chappell - Also has suffered from poor writing but when given the right script, she's dynamite. She plays the [!@#$%^&*] so well yet you can't help but feel bad for her. She also makes mediocre actors like Michelle Ray Smith more watchable.

Beth Chamberlin - I feel the same way about her as CC. She's also in the same "extremely underrated" category as SG. BC plays the campy villain so well but she can play a more normal and flawed character as well. As one-note as Beth seems sometimes, BC makes her so rootable. I hate what Beth does but as a character and an actress, I just love watching her.

Kim Zimmer - I'm rather hesitant about this one. There is no doubt that KZ is good but then again, she is given the biggest slice of the cake when it comes to story focus and Emmy-worthy material.

Actor

Tom Pelphrey - Yes, this guy is worth all the hype and more. He isn't afraid to emote the ugliest form of human emotion (same goes for KMH) and he has this great ability to go from a somewhat weak character who is totally in the dumps to an angry person who is ready to make the entire world suffer. Even with crap, he still manages to make it more interesting than it should be.

Robert Newman - Very underrated in the soap world. I cannot believe he hasn't won an Emmy yet. He's probably the only actor old enough to be my dad who I find attractive.

Michael Dempsey - The TPTB over at GL need to get off their asses and put this guy in a story where he's front-and-center. He's so charming and nonchalant and he has chemistry with every actor he shares a scene with.

Ricky Paull Goldin - Another victim of bad writing which is a shame because he's gold when he has character-driven scenes not playing the mere extra.

Jordan Clarke - He makes Reva tolerable and that's a huge feat.

I have to add more actors here...

Ron Raines - Plays the evil bastard so well. He plays a character that you love to hate so well.

Justin Deas - Plays the only Cooper I do like. I wish they'd show us Buzz's flaws more because JD does a great job playing the good guy who has had to overcome major mistakes in the past.

I'll just choose my favourites, it's easier.

Deidre Hall

Nancy Lee Grahn

Martha Madison

Jane Elliott

Julie M. Berman

Kimberly McCullough

Rick Hearst

Anthony Geary

Tristan Rogers

James Reynolds

Jason Thompson

GH

Actresses

Nancy Lee Grahn: Her work on GH has been nothing but stellar. I watch GH for NLG these days.

Jane Elliot: The Ice Queen of Port Charles. I love JE portrayal of Traci!

Lesli Charleson: I remember her breast cancer work. Give this lady a story.

Jacklyn Zeman: I LOVE Bobbie! Kill off carly and give her a big story!

Robin Christopher: Skye is fun, sexy, and smart. What's not to like?

Actors

Ric Hearst: No other actor on GH comes close. He excels shitty writing.

Anthony Geary: Although his damn vacations are annoying, he alwyas makes a fantastic splash with his work.

Stuart Damon: I love the Quatermaines. And Alan rocks. No matter how much they try to destroy his character.

Greg Vaughn: The last couple of weeks has more thanyj justified him a spot.

Ted King: Everything Maurice Benard tries to be...but 10x better

I'll just choose my favourites, it's easier.

Deidre Hall

Nancy Lee Grahn

Martha Madison

Jane Elliott

Julie M. Berman

Kimberly McCullough

Rick Hearst

Anthony Geary

Tristan Rogers

James Reynolds

Jason Thompson

Leave it to the Pest to defeat the purpose.

J/k.

EASTENDERS

Actors

Perry Fenwick

He has been brilliant throughout this whole Down Syndrom storyline especially in that tube episode.But he's always been one of EEs best actors he's good at everything from comedy to drama and I'm so glad they got him away from Little Mo and hooked him up with Honey.

Steve McFadden

Phil has soften up a little since Ben arrived but that change gave the character more depth.His scenes with Petal at the hospital were so sweet but I also loved his feud with Ian.

Phil Daniels

Kevin Wicks is the best addition to EE in years he's funny and yes he can overdo it sometimes but that´s exactly what makes him so brilliant he's Den Watts and Frank Butcher all at the same time!

David Spinx

You gotta love dear old Keef I just hope they come up with a good storyline for him we hardly saw him since Rosie left.

Adam Woodyatt

One of EEs vets and he gets better each year.Last friday´s scenes where he proposed to Jane were brilliant infact they were scarier then Phil or Den have ever been

Actresses

Emma Barton

Honey is my favourite character on the show right now.She´s sweet ,funny and I´ve been really feeling for her in the Down Syndrom storyline.Noone can look into Emma Baron´s Bambi eyes and not love Honey!

June Brown

The Queen of Albert Square!Dot´s just brilliant!

Pam St Clement

I love Pat she´s tough,honest and does have a big heart I hope they get her together with Jack!

Diane Parish

Best new female character.She´s just great with Phil Daniels and she was brilliant in the Owen storyline to bad Chelsea is played by such a bad actress

Lacey Turner

Best Teen actress in the world.

Interesting choices/responses!

GL

Actresses

Crystal Chappell: She's such a treasure in the role. GL are fools to write the way they do for her. She's still great with the material, but if TPTB gave her more material to show off her versatility, she's be dynamite!

Beth Ehlers: I know many can't stand Harley (myself included) but I can't deny BE talents. The un-wedding?

Maureen Garrett: Is she still on the show? It's a damn shame GL won't write for such a legacy and intriuging character.

Gina Tognoni: She stepped into a role that was last played by a brilliant actress and that didn't stop her from winning over fans and just rocking.

Beth Chamberlin: Co-sign Spiritual!

**If MG is off the show substitute her with Marj Dusay, my second favortie actress to play Alexandra Spaulding.**

Actors

Robert Newman: Very underrated but his subtle acting is very effective. Not my favorite character but RN does good.

Justin Deas: This guy is great. I find his role boring though.

Ron Raines: Man is a powerhouse. It sucks that they had him kill Phillip though.

John Driscoll: The best younger actor on GL

Jordan Clarke: I run hot and cold with this actor/character but for the most part he's decent.

Coming out of lurking ...

I only really watch Days on a consistent basis lately, though I can say I have really enjoyed Rick Hearst, Anthony Geary, and Peter Bergman also at some point, but I can't say much more than that for other shows.

Days Actors

Stephen Nichols - He can do anything basically, nasty, funny, romantic, heartbroken, angry. Chemistry off the scale, even with a cardboard box. Best actor currently on the show, bar none.

Peter Reckell - Character can be one-note when in romantic hero mode, but he's great at casual humor in his family scenes

John Aniston - The epitome of the badass cool-as-a-cucumber villain

James Reynolds - Solid work for 25 years and has never seemed insincere, phony, or hammy

Billy Warlock - brings sympathy and sincerity to a character that on paper is fairly static and flat

I think the men are pretty straightforward, James Scott is charming but we haven't seen much that requires a whole lot of emotional depth from him (on this show) so I can't say more for him at the moment. Bryan Datillo is surely improved but I don't think he has as much insight into the psychological state of his character as the above do. It's more his choices than his execution, which is often entertaining. (Edited to add that in fairness, Datillo's character is more complex and thus requires more insight than, say, Warlock's character, but perhaps it's a different kind of trick to make a flat character like Frankie pop).

Days Actresses

Judi Evans - Over-acting or not, girlfriend can bring the emotions

Mary Beth Evans - Straight-up delivery, but also isn't afraid to show heart. Can be damn funny too

Renee Jones - Very natural and that is not easy to do given the joke her character has sort of become

Suzanne Rogers - Vivacious and natural and knows what to add to a scene. Not surprising (as in not undeserving) that she's the last Emmy-winner here among the gals

Allison Sweeney - See Judi Evans. The number one entertaining thing about the show original to the 90's was Sami, and it was by and large due to Sweeney

Diedre Hall's shuddering and gasping is too much for me, so her appeal is limited to when she generally doesn't have to be so effusive. Martha Madison is fine, I just need her to earn her stripes more before I say anything. Kristian Alfonso is good for being a steady soap presence but doesn't hit many balls out of the park, her biggest achievement is staying on the show as long as she has and never being stinky-poo awful, but I don't think because she plays one of the more known characters that she is the better actress for it. Julie Pinson is enjoyable and has a great balance of vulnerable/spunky but overacts some, and not in the thorougly delicious Ali Sweeney/Judi Evans kinda way (though she can lay it all out there sometimes, which is way cool). Did not mention Frances Reid or Susan Seaforth Hayes as they have limited air time, but I look forward to every time they're on (I want to be Julie Williams when I grow up). The three youngsters (Benson, Melvin, Rose) I think are all worth keeping an eye on.

Obviously just my opinion.

Coming out of lurking ...

I am still trying to catch up on everything so will just give my choices now and add commentary later.

All My Children:

Cady McClain

Julia Barr

Alicia Minshew

Eileen Herlie

Jill Larson

David Canary

Michael E. Knight

Jacob Young

James Mitchell

Vincent Irizarry

As The World Turns

Maura West

Elizabeth Hubbard

Martha Byrne

Eileen Fulton

Jennifer Landon

Jon Hensley

Michael Park

Roger Howarth

Trent Dawson

Jesse Soffer

Bold & the Beautiful

Susan Flannery

Lesli Kay

Katherine Kelly Lang

Darlene Conley

Winsor Harmon

John McCook

William DeVry (since he is joining the show)

Jack Wagner

Days of Our Lives

Susan Seaforth Hayes

Kristian Alfonso

Suzanne Rogers

Allison Sweeney

Judi Evans

Peggy McCay

Peter Reckell

Stephen Nichols

Billy Warlock

John Aniston

James Reynolds

General Hospital

Nancy Lee Grahn

Jane Elliot

Robin Christopher

Leslie Charleson

Jackie Zeman

Anthony Geary

Rick Hearst

Steve Burton

Stuart Damon

Ted King

Guiding Light

Kim Zimmer

Crystal Chappell

Elizabeth Keifer

Beth Chamberlain

Maureen Garrett

Robert Newman

Tom Pelphrey

Jordan Clarke

Justin Deas

Ron Raines

One Live To Live

Erika Slezak

Heather Tom

Kassie DePaiva

Robin Strasser

Hillary Bailey Smith

Alexandra Neil

Dan Gauthier

Robert S. Woods

Philip S. Carey

Trevor St. John

Tuc Watkins

Jerry Ver Dorn

Passions

Lindsay Korman

Kim Ulrich Johnson

Juliet Mills

Kathleen Noone

Andrea Evans

Ben Masters

John Reilly

Young and the REstless

Jeanne Cooper

Judith Chapman

Michelle Stafford

Jess Walton

Victoria Rowell

Sharon Case

Peter Bergman

Joshua Morrow

Christian LeBlanc

Kristoff St. John

Eric Braedan

ATWT

Colleen Zenk Pinter

Martha Byrne

Kathryn Hays

Maura West

Marie Masters

Michael Park

Scott Holmes

Trent Dawson

Don Hastings

Jon Hensley

Days of Our Lives

Stephen Nichols

Bryan Datillo

John Aniston

Darrin Brooks

Billy Warlock

Julie Pinson

Alison Sweeney

Mary Beth Evans

Farrah Fath

Ashley Benson

General Hospital

Tony Geary

Jason Thompson

Rick Springfield

Tristan Rogers

Ted King

Kimberly McCullough

Robin Christopher

Jane Elliott

Nancy Lee Grahn

Julie Berman

OLTL

Actresses (in no particular order): ES, RS, HBS, HT, KDP

Actors (in no particular order): DG, TDS, TW, RSW, NM

All of the above are amazing in their ability to convey a character and their emotions. HBS has been amazing through her time in letting us see her struggle. RS conveys Dorian's pain and HT is simply remarkable at conveying Kelly in all her disfunction. DG is brilliant at conveying Kevin as multi-dimensional and many times doing so with only his body language. All routinely rise above horrible writing and stories. All are consistent at always giving a layered performance. All also do it all from comedy to drama.

ATWT:

Actors:

Van Hansis

John Hensley

Roger H.

Jesse S

Michael Park

Actress:

Martha Byrne

Jenn Landon

Kelley M. Hensley

Colleen Zenk Pinter

Elizabeth Hubbard

Y&R:

Actors:

Eric Braden

Peter Bergman

Christian L.

Josh Morrow

Thad L.

Actress:

Jess Walton

Victoria Rowell

Judith Chapman

Jeanne Cooper

Michelle Stafford