All - Original characters/actors

[Paul Raven]

Of all soaps past and present, who were among the last original characters and/or actors to leave and how were they written out? Which were the first actors/characters to depart?

On Y&R, Jill remains as the last original character. Of the others in the premiere cast,the last character to depart would have been Liz Foster ,as Julianna McCarthy hung around until the mid 80's.(anyone have precise dates for that?) Robert Colbert as Stuart Brooks would be second.Stuart just vanished around 83 I think.

Would Pierre (Robert Clary) be the first to leave? He was killed off in 75.

[Dion]

GH's last remaining original character/actor was Steve Hardy (John Bernadino who died in 1996 (a lot of people assume that Rachel Ames/Audrey Hardy was the last remaining original but she actually joined nine months in).

Behind him of course are Emily McLaughlin (Jessie Brewer) who passed away in 1991 and Lucille Wall (Audrey's sister Lucille) who left in 1976 and had a guest appearance in 1982 (i'm guessing to usher Anne Logan out of Port Charles). Lucille's husband Al Weeks (who was an original cast member I believe) probably left about the same time (though I believe he wasn't on consecutively, rather he had left and then come back to marry Lucille).

And before that Phil Brewer in 1974, though he was up to his fourth actor and had been coming and going for years.

It's also worth noting that Jana Taylor (Angie Costello, GH's first patient) left the show in 1965 but came back for the 30th anniversary episode.

[CouchTomato]

Victoria Lord Banks is OLTL's only original character remaining from its 1968 premiere.

[Cheap21]

AMC still has Susan Lucci as Erica Kane

[JellicleCat]

B&B of course has 4 original characters and actors still around: Susan Flannery (Stephanie), John McCook (Eric), Ronn Moss (Ridge) and Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke).

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the first actor who left that show could be Judith Baldwin (Beth Logan). She was replaced quite early into the show's run by Nancy Burnett.

ATWT had one character present through the entire 54 year run: Bob Hughes. He wasn't played by the same actor the entire time though. Bobby Alford and Ronnie Welch played the character during the first 4 years and then Don Hastings took over in late 1960 and stayed until the very last episode. (The very last scene even.)

[Antoyne]

I thought Erica Kane wasn't on AMC until a couple of months in?

[Cheap21]

AMC debuted on Jan 5, 1970. Lucci debuted as Erica Kane on Jan 10, 1970. She's an original cast member

[SFK]

I think her first episode was the show's 8th.

[SFK]

*Oops, I had this thread opened before you posted Cheap, sorry. But can that date be right? Did AMC not debut on a Monday? If it did, the 10th would have been a Saturday.

[Cheap21]

It could be. I got the date from Soapcentral. According to Wikipedia, Erica debuted on the show's 10th episode so thats where the confusion might be. Either way, she was in there when it began, not months later

[All My Shadows]

AMC:

Ruth Warrick as Phoebe Tyler (character and actress died in 2005)

Hugh Franklin as Charles Tyler (character died in 1983; actor died in 1986)

James Karen as Lincoln Tyler (character had a three-year absence in the early 70s before leaving in 1980 and has made guest appearances, the last one being in 2005; the actor was recast within the show's first year on the air)

Rosemary Prinz as Amy Tyler (character and actress left in the summer of 1970)

Diana deVegh as Anne Tyler (character died in 1981; actress replaced in the first year)

Jack Stauffer as Chuck Tyler (character left in 1984, returned in the late 80s/early 90s, and has made guest appearances; actor was replaced in 1972)

Kate Harrington as Kate Martin (character died in 1985; actress replaced within the first year)

Ray MacDonnell as Joe Martin (character and actor retired in 2010)

Christopher Wines as Jeff Martin (character left in 1979, returned in the mid-80s for a year, made guest appearances and returned again for a year in 2006; actor was replaced in the first year)

Karen Gorney as Tara Martin (character left in 1981, guest appearances in 1985 and 1995; actress left in 1974, returned for 1976-1977, and guest starred in 1995)

Mike Bersell as Bobby Martin (character and actor disappeared in 1970)

Mary Fickett as Ruth Brent (character went recurring in the late 90s and continues to make guest appearances; actress replaced in 1996, returned for a year in 2000)

Mark Dawson as Ted Brent (character killed off in the first year; actor left)

Richard Hatch as Phil Brent (character died in 1979, made a guest appearance in 1988; actor left in 1972)

Frances Heflin as Mona Kane (character and actress died in 1994)

Susan Lucci as Erica Kane (character and actress remain on show)

Lawrence Keith as Nick Davis (character and actor left in 1978, continued to make appearances until 2005)

[soapfan770]

Does Dan McVicar still appear on B&B? I know he's seems limited to guest appearances nowadays but if he was to be on more often he was also an original cast member B&B, leaving in 1992 and returning in 1996 or so. I don't know when he stopped appearing regularly. Margo's 2002 return gave him a son in Mark but I think we last them in 2006 aside from Clarke's brief returns.

With Days of course we had our dear late Francis Reid as Alice Horton although Reid's last appearance was in 2007 but didn't pass until last year, when the show decided to do the same after Reid's passing. Before that John Clarke was at a tie with Reid until his retirement in 2004.

[SFK]

I didn't know that Charles died before Hugh Franklin did.

[darraholic]

DAYS only remaining original character is Julie I believe. No original actors though

[JellicleCat]

Clarke wasn't an original character on B&B.

It was Stephanie Forrester, Eric Forrester, Ridge Forrester, Thorne Forrester, Kristen Forrester, Caroline Spencer, Bill Spencer, Beth Logan, Brooke Logan, Storm Logan, Donna Logan, Katie Logan, grandma Logan, Margo Lynley, Dave Reed (Brooke's boyfriend), Rocco Carner and Conway Weston (P.I. working for Bill)