Longest Serving Soap Opera Actors
(As of 2013, 30+ years)

William Roache l Ken Barlow l Coronation Street l 1960 - present l 53 years
Eileen Derbyshire l Emily Nugent Bishop l Coronation Street l 1961 - present l 52 years
Helen Wagner l Nancy Hughes McClosky l As the World Turns l 1956 - 1981, 1983, 1985 - 2010 l 51 years
Don Hastings l Dr. Bob Hughes l As the World Turns l 1960 - 2010 l 50 years
Eileen Fulton l Lisa Miller Grimaldi l As the World Turns / Our Private World l 1960 - 2010 l 50 years
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Barbara Knox l Rita Littlewood Tanner l Coronation Street l 1964, 1972 - present l 42 years
Betty Driver l Betty Preston Williams l Coronation Street l 1969 - 2011 l 42 years
Frances Reid l Alice Grayson Horton l Days of our Lives l 1965 - 2007 l 42 years
Anne Kirkbride l Dierdre Hunt Barlow l Coronation Street l 1972 - present l 41 years
Erika Slezak l Viki Lord l One Life to Live l 1971 - 2012 l 41 years
Susan Lucci l Erica Kane l All My Children l 1970 - 2011 l 41 years
Ray MacDonnell l Dr. Joe Martin l All My Children l 1970 - 2011 l 41 years
Suzanne Rogers l Maggie Simmons Kiriakis l Days of our Lives l 1973 - present l 40 years
Jeanne Cooper l Katherine Shepherd Murphy l The Young and the Restless l 1973 - present l 40 years
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Helen Worth l Gail Potter McIntyre l Coronation Street l 1974 - present l 39 years
Rachel Ames l Audrey March Hardy, R. N. l General Hospital l 1964 - 1965, 1969 - 2007, 2009 l 39 years
John Clarke l Mickey Horton l Days of our Lives l 1965 - 2004 l 39 years
Kathryn Hays l Kim Sullivan Hughes l As the World Turns l 1972 - 2010 l 38 years
Leslie Charleson l Dr. Monica Bard Quartermaine l General Hospital l 1977 - present l 36 years
Larry Bryggman l Dr. John Dixon l As the World Turns l 1969 - 2004, 2010 l 36 years
Patricia Bruder l Ellen Lowell Stewart l As the World Turns l 1960 - 1995, 1998 l 36 years
Susan Seaforth Hayes l Julie Olson Williams l 1968 - 1984, 1990 - 1994, 1996, 1999 - present l 35 years
Doug Davidson l Paul Williams l The Young and the Restless l 1978 - present l 35 years
Marie Masters l Dr. Susan Burke Stewart l As the World Turns l 1968 - 1979, 1986 - 2010 l 35 years
Ruth Warrick l Phoebe English Wallingford l All My Children l 1970 - 2005 l 35 years
Michael Storm l Dr. Larry Wolek l One Life to Live l 1969 - 2004 l 35 years
Mary Stuart l Jo Gardner Tourneur l Search for Tomorrow l 1951 - 1986 l 35 years
Larry Haines l Stu Bergman l Search for Tomorrow l 1951 - 1986 l 35 years
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Melody Thomas Scott l Nikki Reed l The Young and the Restless l 1979 - present l 34 years
Elizabeth Dawn l Vera Burton Duckworth l Coronation Street l 1974, 1976 - 2008, 2010 l 34 years
Eric Braeden l Victor Newman l The Young and the Restless l 1980 - present l 33 years
Jacklyn Zeman l Bobbie Spencer, R. N. l General Hospital l 1977 - 2010 l 33 years
Peter Hansen l Lee Baldwin l General Hospital l 1965 - 1986, 1992 - 2004 l 33 years
John Beradino l Dr. Steve Hardy l General Hospital l 1963 - 1996 l 33 years
Sue Nicholls l Audrey Potter Roberts l Coronation Street l 1979 - 1982, 1984 - present l 32 years
James Reynolds l Abe Carver l Days of our Lives l 1981 - present l 32 years
Stuart Damon l Dr. Alan Quartermaine l General Hospital l 1977 - 2008, 2011 - 2012 l 32 years
Colleen Zenk l Barbara Ryan Coleman l As the World Turns l 1978 - 2010 l 32 years
Eileen Herlie l Myrtle Lum Fargate l All My Children l 1976 - 2008 l 32 years
Charita Bauer l Bert Miller Bauer l The Guiding Light l 1952 - 1984 l 32 years
Bill Hayes l Doug Williams l Days of our Lives l 1970 - 1984, 1986 - 1987, 1993 - 1994, 1996, 1999 - present l 31 years
Deidre Hall l Dr. Marlena Evans Black l Days of our Lives l 1976 - 1987, 1991 - 2009, 2011 - present l 31 years
Jerry Douglas l John Abbott l The Young and the Restless l 1982 - 2013 l 31 years
Richard Thorp l Alan Turner l Emmerdale Farm l 1982 - present l 31 years
Kate Linder l Esther Valentine l The Young and the Restless l 1982 - present l 31 years
Robert S. Woods l Bo Buchanan l One Life to Live l 1979 - 1986, 1988 - 2012 l 31 years
Julia Barr l Brooke English l All My Children l 1976 - 2006, 2010 - 2011 l 31 years
Tracey Bregman l Lauren Fenmore Baldwin l The Young and the Restless / The Bold and the Beautiful l 1983 - present l 30 years
Michael Le Vell l Kevin Webster l Coronation Street l 1983 - present l 30 years
Johnny Briggs l Mike Baldwin l Coronation Street l 1976 - 2006 l 30 years
Henderson Forsythe l Dr. David Stewart l As the World Turns l 1960 - 1990 l 30 years
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Next Year: Peggy McCay l Caroline Brady l Days of our Lives l 1983, 1985 - present l 29 years

Edited January 27, 201312 yr by Bright Eyes

Erica Kane has more last names than that!

Thanks for compiling this. Pretty interesting

Erica Kane has more last names than that!

Thanks for compiling this. Pretty interesting

I didn't count annulled or invalid marriages.

Edited May 3, 201015 yr by Amello

I didn't count annulled or invalid marriages.

to the best of my knowledge her marriages to Travis were never invalidated as it never publicaly came out that Stuart signed Aadm's divorce papers

to the best of my knowledge her marriages to Travis were never invalidated as it never publicaly came out that Stuart signed Aadm's divorce papers

I went by soapcentral.

Erica was also married to Tom Cudahy between Phil Brent and Adam.

Should Julia Barr be on the list? She played Brooke from 1976-2006. I know she took a short sabbatical in 81-82. The list didn't counting the short breaks that Helen Wagner, Jackie Zeman, and Eileen Fulton each took, so Julia's short break wouldn't need to be counted either, right?

Also, Jackie Zeman started in 1977, not 1978.

And Susan Seaforth Hayes has hardly been on DAYS 1990-present. She hasn't been on contract since 1993.

Also, Jackie Zeman started in 1977, not 1978.

And Susan Seaforth Hayes has hardly been on DAYS 1990-present. She hasn't been on contract since 1993.

Fixed Jackie and added Julia Barr.

I did not take into account if the actors were on contract or on recurring. Since Susan has guested on the show practically every year since she was last on contract, I counted it.

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Thanks for the added help. I went by soapcentral and the Wikipedia list. If anyone can think of another actor that's been on 30+ years please, feel free to speak up.

Edited May 3, 201015 yr by Amello

The longest one in Radio Soap Opera is Phil Archer who did as i recall 59 Years on The Archers since 1951.

Erica Kane has more last names than that!

As does Nikki Newman.

As does Nikki Newman.

Again, invalid and such.

Again, invalid and such.

Nope.

You missed a valid one.

Edited May 3, 201015 yr by DeeeDee

Nope.

You missed a valid one.

Not according to soapcentral. That doesn't make me right by any means, but if their wrong, then wrong we shall be. LoL

but if their wrong, then wrong we shall be.

Yep.

Her full name is Nicole Reed Foster Bancroft DiSalvo Newman Abbott LANDERS Newman Chow.

Yep.

Her full name is Nicole Reed Foster Bancroft DiSalvo Newman Abbott LANDERS Newman Chow.

Landers, apparently, was invalid.

On another note, does or has anyone ever referred to Nikki as Nicole on a regular basis?

Edited May 3, 201015 yr by Amello