Soap actors who never had a defining role

[Khan]

Maureen's another character I think has had the good fortune to be cast more than once successfully. I could accept Ellen Parker (who should've been snapped up by another soap when GL let her go, gosh darn it!) as Maureen just as easily as I could Ellen Dolan -- and believe me, I don't just accept ANYONE as a Reardon. ;-)

I think many of the first- or second-generation (TV) soap actors were those who never had defining soap roles - actors such as Val Dufour and Ann Williams come to mind.

[IMissAremid]

How about Deborah Adair? I don't think she was bad in either role but she was certainly not the defining Jill Abbott and Lauren Koslow took Kate Roberts away and made her her own years ago.

[DRW50]

I know. I think she didn't get more work because she was over a certain age, and not stick thin. Even when she was on GL, they didn't use her very often. It was yet another reminder of how out of touch with their audiences soaps can often be. Someone like Maureen is someone who is easily dismissed by the elites as "boring," when that's actually a touchstone for many fans.

I do think Margo and Tom were very lucky in their recasts. Probably Margo moreso than Tom, but the only Tom I ever saw until Youtube and the occasional holiday classic rerun was Scott Holmes, so he was fine with me. I did like seeing Justin Deas as Tom, he had great passion. Gregg Marx is more of the classic leading man type, and had strong sex appeal.

Speaking of ATWT, I was just thinking about Sharon Case, who went around for years on GH and ATWT in roles which didn't go anywhere, and then she was cast as Sharon on Y&R. She's a good actress but she was also lucky to have gotten that part when she did because the first 3-4 years Sharon was a superbly written character.

Liz Keifer is another who went around for years until she found gold with Blake on GL.

[DRW50]

That's true. She does seem to be remembered fondly as Jill.

She was on Melrose too wasn't she?

[Khan]

Yet another great example of a character (Blake Marler) w/ more than one successful actor attached. Each GL fan has his or her particular favorite (mine was/is Sherry Stringfield), but I'd be hard-pressed to argue that LK or even Elizabeth Dennehy, the original Blake (after the writers came back from the '88 WGA strike and turned her into Roger and Holly's daughter) didn't do a good job w/ the role.

Conversely, although Mart Hulswit played Ed Bauer the longest, and is probably the most iconic in that role to GL fans of a certain age, I personally think Peter Simon did a much better job conveying Ed's personal sense of angst.

[TC]

Was Dennehy really let go because of her close resemblance to Glenn Close in Fatal AttractionÉ

[DRW50]

I thought she was let go because she was hired while Pam Long was on strike, and Long wasn't happy.

[IMissAremid]

Yes, briefly. Dynasty also.

[DRW50]

I think some fans may almost prefer Hulswit because he didn't play the angst as much. Ed's sorrow and sadness under Simon is something which some people seemed bothered by, although I thought it fit the character.

Most of the time now when soaps recast they seem to put everything on the actor, but really, it's the writing. The best recasts are often those who have the strongest writing, like LK's Blake, the various Vickys on AW (minus the one after Ellen Wheeler), Jack and Jill on Y&R.

[TC]

So often these mentions of past soap actors compel me to refresh my memory at IMDB. I only asked because it dominates her imdb entry.

[Cheap21]

Who would you guys consider to be Laura Wright's defining role? She's had 3 strong runs as Allie (Loving/City), Cassie (GL) and Carly (GH)

[DRW50]

For me it would be Cassie, but I guess many others would say Carly. I really liked her work as Allie, it had a purity I haven't seen in most of her later performances.

[TC]

I'd say Cassie as well. Never saw enough of her as Allie to form an opinion.

[R Sinclair]

Cassie. Laura Wrong's not playing Carly.

[Cheap21]

I got another one. Amelia Heinlee. She's been on City/Loving, AMC and Y&R and I dont think either of these soaps had a defining role for her. She's been on Y&R the most as Victoria, but to this day she is still compared negatively against Heather Tom. Mia from AMC was a mess and I dont think Steffi was all that memorable from the City/Loving