Y&R/Days - Actors in Common

[KateW]

For two shows that air head-to-head, Y&R and Days have had alot of actors in common over the years. Maybe it's the Bell connection, or the Columbia/Sony connection. A little internet research uncovered nearly 50 actors that have appeared on both shows, ranging from brief roles to daytime superstars. I broke the list down by the year each actor first appeared on Y&R (temporary substitute recasts are not counted).

1973

Jaime Lyn Bauer - Lorie Brooks/Laura Horton

Robert Clary - Pierre Roulland/Robert LeClair

Deidre Hall - Barbara Anderson/Marlena Evans

Tom Hallick - Brad Eliot/Maxwell Hathaway

1976

K.T. Stevens - Vanessa Prentiss/Helen Martin

1978

Roberta Leighton - Casey Reed/Ginger Dawson

1979

Darlene Conley - Rose DeVille/Edith Baker

Quinn Redeker - Nick Reed, Rex Sterling/Alex Marshall

1980

Deborah Adair - Jill Foster Abbott/Kate Roberts

Nick Benedict - Michael Scott/Curtis Reed

1982

Peter Brown - Robert Laurence/Greg Peters

Eileen Davidson - Ashley Abbott/Kristen Blake

Elizabeth Keifer - Angela Laurence/Amy Cooper

Patty Weaver - Gina Roma/Trish Clayton

1983

Marla Adams - Dina Abbott Mergeron/Claire McIntyre

Tracey Bregman - Lauren Fenmore/Donna Craig

Joy Garrett - Boobsie Caswell/Joy Johnson

Margaret Mason - Eve Howard/Linda Anderson

Scott Palmer - Tim Sullivan/Joshua Fallon

1984

Susan Seaforth Hayes - JoAnna Manning/Julie Williams

Lauren Koslow - Lindsay Wells/Kate Roberts

1985

Colby Chester - Michael Crawford/Kurt Randall

Don Diamont - Brad Carlton/Carlo Forenza

Robert Parucha - Matt Miller/Eddie Reed

1987

Rod Arrants - Dr. Steven Lassiter/Richard Cates

Cindy Fisher - Dana/Diane Parker

1988

Barbara Crampton - Leanna Randolph/Trista Evans

1989

Mark Derwin - Adrian Hunter/Jeremiah Brown

1991

Scott Reeves - Ryan McNeil/Jake Hogansen

1993

J. Eddie Peck - Cole Howard/Hawk Hawkins

Josh Taylor - Jed Sanders/Chris Kositchek, Roman Brady

1994

Vivica Fox - Dr. Stephanie Simmons/Carmen Silva

Julianne Morris - Amy Wilson/Greta Von Amberg

1996

Patsy Pease - Patricia Fennell/Kimberly Brady

1997

Sarah Aldrich - Victoria Newman/Jill Stevens

1999

Vasili Bogazianos - Al Fenton/Ozzie

Tamara Clatterbuck - Alice Johnson/Barb Reiber

2000

Rick Hearst - Matt Clark/Scotty Banning

Alexis Thorpe - Rianna Miner/Cassie DiMera

2004

Judith Chapman - Gloria Fisher/Anjelica Deveraux

Julie Pinson - Shiloh/Billie Reed

Robert Torti - Salvatore Staley/Charlie Van Dieter

Joan Van Ark - Gloria Fisher/Janine Whitney

2007

Billy Warlock - Ben Hollander/Frankie Brady

[Paul Raven]

May I add

Linden Ashby Cameron Kirsten/Paul Hollingsworth

Roscoe Born Tom Fisher/Trent Becker

John Martin Frederick Hodges/Robert Brennan

Jay Bontatibus Tony Viscardi/Rob McCullogh

Helen Funai Sumiko/Kim Douglas

Jeanne Bates Edith Mills/Ann Peters

William Bassett Pete Walker/Walter Griffin

Mark Tapscott Earl Bancroft/Bob Anderson

Rod Arrants Steven Lassiter/Richard Cates

Ryan McDonald Robert Haskell/Scott Banning

I'm sure there are more

[YRBB]

God, that's amazing, I had no idea except for Eilleen Davidson, Deirdre Hall and I think that's it

[SteveFrame]

Also Suzanne Zenor.

She was on Days as Margo Horton and then went to Y&R as Claire Laurence - the wife of the character Peter Brown played.

Bell kept a fond affection for many of the Days actors he worked with. He created the role of Stephanie Forrester with Susan Seaforth Hayes in mind and wanted her for the role, but she was too busy at the time and couldn't take the role. It went to another of his former Days leading ladies Susan Flannery.

Some of these actors though Bell would have never worked with at Days, so not sure how far that would have went. I know that H. Wesley Kenney hired many of these too from when he worked with them. He is the one who hired Edward Mallory as a director after he was fired from his role of Bill on Days.

He also hired Suzanne Zenor, Peter Brown, and Margaret Mason. All of them had been fired either before he left Days or right after he left Days.

[jcar03]

It probably has more to do, now at least, with the fact the shows both shoot in California. DAYS and GH share numerous actors in common as well.

[jcar03]

Do DAYS and Y&R really air head-to-head in most markets anymore? It seems Y&R is on at the 11am/noon slot and DAYS is at the 1pm/2pm slot.

[SteveFrame]

Well the Days & GH thing has gone on for years. Days has had a grudge against GH since 1973 when they stole their biggest female star away from them. Denise Alexander was Days most popular star - even more popular than Susan Flannery and Susan Seaforth. ABC wanted her. She was fresh off 2 wins as Daytimes Favorite Actress in the DAytime TV reader's polls.

After that it was common for DAys to try to lure GH talent or NBC to lure ABC talent esp. after ABC swooped in and hired up the most popular couple in daytime at the time George Reinholt & Jackie Courtney after Rauch & Lemay stupidly fired them.

Both GH and OLTL gained a lot of momentum with the hirings of Alexander, Reinholt & Courtney and then of course ABC ontinued the onslaught by going after the talent behind The Doctors by stealing the Pollocks to write for GH. When that didn't work like they wanted they did the next best thing and stole Douglas Marland who was making his mark as a new writer at The Doctors. Along with him they stole two of The Doctors brightest stars Gerald Gordon and Anna Stuart casting them on GH.

NBC tried to strike back first by hiring Lee Patterson who was very popular at OLTL and had just been fired by OLTL. Plus they struck back by hiring other popular OLTL actors like Katherine Glass who had just left OLTL and put her on The Doctors. They also hired noted OLTL producer Doris Quinlan as The Doctors new producer.

They then tried to strike another blow and steal Susan Lucci. They offered her an unprecedented contract. She could look at any show on their daytime lineup and pick out any role and it was hers. Paul Denis reported that in Daytime TV. I nearly choked when I read it. I couldn't believe they offered her anything of that nature. Susan turned them down and stayed at AMC.

Of course then the fight continued for years. Days snapped up Pat Falken Smith almost the minute she became free after walking off of GH (or was she fired - can't remember right now). then they really went after Genie Francis. I remember even Daytime TV hinted that one of the execs behind Days felt they had finally gotten even with GH for stealing Denise when they hired Genie.