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Actors Equally Successful In Different Roles


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Anna Stuart as Donna Love on AW and then as Mary Smythe on AMC, similar characters, but she was excellent in both.

The same cannot be said for my beloved Linda Dano, fabulous as Felicia Gallant on AW, bland (aside from scenes with Robin Christopher) as Rae Cummings on OLTL.

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Oops, I goofed. She was wanted for a role as a doctor (psychiatrist?) on Days at one point--Dr. Whitney Baker, I think--but she was played by maybe two actresses briefly before she was written off.

This in the DAYS trivia book (which I no longer have--sure the cover was screwed up, I should have kept it! laugh.png ).

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Yes, I agree that Linda did the best she could with Rae, that's just how Linda is, a professional. I think the character would have worked better if she'd been resurrected in the style she'd been written as for the 1978-1980 run as a heartbroken, neurotic and ultimately conflicted woman. She could have come to OLTL with a mission to tangle with Dorian for breaking up her relationship with Herb...Dano and Strasser? Fantastic. But what we got was a psychologically focused Felicia Gallant and it just didn't work, it was, as you've perfectly put it, forced.

She dressed immaculately though. The sleek suits and separates with bold silver jewellery, Linda Dano has impeccable style.

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On the red carpet, Linda teased to Kimmer that she should go on over to GL as Felicia and Kim said, "please come and play with us!", but then Frank passed away and Linda's feelings changed and she ended up playing the short term role of Lena.

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Off the top of my head:

Marcy Walker (Liza, AMC)(Eden, SB)

Nancy Grahn (Julia, SB)(Alexis, GH)

Harley Kozak (Annabelle, GL)(Mary, SB)

Elizabeth Hubbard (Althea, The Doctors)(Lucinda, ATWT)

Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie, DAYS)(Joanna, Y&R)

Louise Sorel (Augusta, SB)(Vivian, DAYS)

Paul Anthony Stewart (Casey, LOV)(Danny, GL)

Ellen Wheeler (Vicky/Marley, AW)(Cindy/Karen, AMC)

Genie Francis (Laura, GH)(Diana, DAYS)

Justin Deas (Tom, ATWT)(Keith, SB)(Buzz, GL)

Anna Stuart (Donna, AW)(Mary, AMC)

Beverlee McKinsey (Iris, AW)(Alex, GL)

Mary Beth Evans (Kayla, DAYS)(Katherine, GH)(Sierra, ATWT)

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Successful in different roles:

Larkin Malloy (EON, AMC, GL) - didn't hurt that they kept pairing him with the reigning divas and he had great chemistry with them

Michael Zaslow (GL and OLTL) - great thing was that the characters were so different--Roger was the villain but David was a good guy

Denise Alexander - DOOL, GH, AW

Genie Francis - even though she was so identified as half of the L & L supercouple, her pairing with Drake Hogestyn on DOOL was pretty popular as well

Judi Evans - GL, DOOL, AW

Ricky Paull Goldin - AW, GL, AMC

Not so successful:

Sharon Gabet - Raven (EON) was a great character, Brittany (AW) and Melinda (OLTL) not so much

David Canary (AMC & AW) - his time as Steve Frame on AW is forgettable

Linda Dano - non-descript during both of her OLTL stints but really took off as Felicia on AW

Finola Hughes (GH & AMC) - I don't think Alex Devane was that great a character...AMC-only fans didn't care about her and GH fans wanted to see Anna

Mary Beth Evans - none of her roles subsequent to Kayla ever approached even half that popularity

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Days and GH, I'll grant you. Susan and Lesley are still fondly remembered. But I think Ms. Alexander's role of Mary on AW was basically a flop. The character *was* loved by the arch villain, but as a character on her own, Mary was very boring, considering her circumstances.

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