I do beleive that once AMC and OLTL end, Katherine Chancelor will be the longest running woman character on the soaps now. She stared in 1973 and she's been on throughout all these years. I just love her! I love how she started out a drunk who didn't have many friends, had to pay Jill to be her companian and then eventually became friends with everyone in town. if you look on Youtube, you get to see her in the 80's and even in the 70's. Odly enough she had a different voice back then but i liked it.

As far as Jeanne Cooper, i don't know much about her but i loved her Corbin son on LA law. I also saw her other son Collin on a few movies years ago and in an episode of Designing Women.

Edited June 16, 201114 yr by BKuzak

Jeanne Cooper was the first actress from Y&R to be nominated in the lead actress category and she finally won the lead actress Emmy in 2008 on her 8th nomination in the category. Previous noms in lead were 1989-1992, 1999, 2000, 2007. She also was nominated in supporting in 2005, so she had 9 nominations overall, as well as a lifetime achievement award. Jeanne had more nominations in the lead actress category before winning than anyone not named Susan Lucci, although Jeanne's losses didn't get the same degree of coverage as Susan Lucci's did.

Actually, Susan Seaforth Hayes on DAYS has been around longer if you want to get technical. If you're talking contract cast members, then Suzanne Rogers also started (on DAYS) in 1973.

If we're talking characters, not actors (since the op mentioned Katharine, not Jeanne Cooper), then Katharine isn't even the longest-running from Y&R. Isn't Jill an original character whereas Katharine appeared for the first time several months into the show's run?

Is kathereine the longest running character not to be removed from the cast and never to be recast?

Yes,i believe Katherine came on in Dec 73.

Maggie/Suzanne was off Days for about a year in 84-85

Erica/Susan has been on since 1970.

Jo/Mary Stuart was on SFT for the entire 35 yr run.

Joe/Ray McDonnell made it to 40 yrs on AMC

Edited June 16, 201114 yr by Paul Raven

Edited June 16, 201114 yr by Paul Raven

Yeah, so I think Jeanne will become the longest-running continuous actor, while "Jill" will become the longest running continuous character. If Rachel Ames-Audrey were still making appearances on GH, I suppose she would get those honors.

Jeanne stated in an article posted on here from SON member Supes that she started 6 and a half months after the rest of the cast. Her start date has always been placed as Nov 1973 (I am assuming first air date), and she and her character have never left the show. Though she has been presumed dead many times, Katherine that is, not Jeanne.

It's also amazing that Jill has been a character on the show non-stop since the first week it went to air in Mar 1973.

Edited June 16, 201114 yr by will81

Katherine & Jill :wub:

Katherine & Jill :wub:

+1

It's really sad what they did to them.

Ever since they became mom and daughter, they cut off their balls.

It's really sad what they did to them.

Ever since they became mom and daughter, they cut off their balls.

I liked the change. The gut-wrenching hate had run it's course, and they were getting too old for those attic catfights. The realization that they loved the same people, were one family, and had the same interests gave them a new road to explore. Unfortunately when they decided to undo the blood bond they failed to put any structure in place to keep Chancellor as a cohesive unit. Now they're all running around aimlessly, with nothing to bind them except that they all live at the estate.

This new re-written version of Katherine's Y&R history is what I hate. A life long savvy business women who has been joined at the hip with BFF Victor driving the GC corporate world is a complete joke. I can't forget watching 30 years of Jill and Victor doing business as Katherine drank and schemed, and threw parties in her mansion. In addition to her new business history, Katherine Chancellor now acts as mother and grandmother to Jill's offspring and spokesperson to God for any resident who ends up in the hospital. Jill is used exclusively for Cane/Lily. Once in awhile she appears in scenes with her family, but just window dressing, she's unaware of, and uninvolved in anything happening in their lives.

Jill and Katherine together are the foundation of the Chancellor family, they need to restore a connection that matters. Both have interest in Chancellor Industries being passed on to the younger Chancellor/Reynolds generations. They should be working together. Katherine should be relying on Jill the day to day business matters. Victor should only appear when something big goes down. The relationship between Jill and her new sister Lauren can still happen and be interesting, but they don't need to have Jill work at Fenmores to connect them as sisters. Joint projects between CI and Fenmores would work just as well.

There is change & there is complete destruction.

What was done to Katherine & Jill was complete destruction.

Edited June 16, 201114 yr by DeeeDee

It's also amazing that Jill has been a character on the show non-stop since the first week it went to air in Mar 1973.

I don't think she's been non stop. I think there was a little time between Brenda and Debra Adair back in the early 80's.

Katherine seems to always have storylines. If it wasn't her drinking, it was marge or new schemes to get back at Jill or finding out she had a daughter. She's been pretty constant all these years. Even the times she "died" i beleive they had storylines for all of them. I think the first time wasn't that when she met some guy who was a refugee and then she came back. and this last time, she had no memory and met Murpy. and then when she went away to go to the homless shelter was one of my favorite storylines because you saw Katherine without the jewlery and expensive clothes for a while. until that moment when she walked down the stairs and presented herself to her new granddaughter. that was amazing.