Soap actors that always give a solid performance

[Y&R21395]

It's amazing how often I forget that mother/daughter storyline actually happened...

[YRfan23]

I think we all wish we could forget it....

[soapfan770]

I'd also mention Kim Zimmer and Crystal Chappell who consistently gave good performances even in the most dire final days of GL. 

 

Others I'd include who made the best of horrific storylines: 

 

Sharon Case

Maura West

Camryn Grimes

Tracey Bregman 

Bryton James

Jess Walton

Melody Thomas Scott

Tristan Rogers

Justin Hartley

Gina Tognoni 

Tricia Cast

Darlene Conley

Lindsay Hartley(yes she has somehow sold a LOT OF CRAP but she has done it well!) 

Adrienne Zucker

Lauren Koslow

Alison Sweeney 

Josepeh Mascolo

Anthony Herrera 

[StevieM]

Matthew Ashford.  No matter how much crap DAYS gave him to work with, he always gave it 100 percent effort.

[SOAPSFOREVER]

Ann Flood (EON), Lois Kibee (EON), Terri Keane (EON), Donald May (EON), Maeve McGuire (EON/SFT), Susan Flannery (B&B), Meg Bennett (Y&R/GH), Irene Daily (AW), Douglas Watson (AW), Eileen Fulton (ATWT), Kathy Hayes (ATWT), Katherine Kelly Lang (B&B), Jeanne Cooper (Y&R), Heather Tom (Y&R/B&B), Lara Parker (DS), 

 

[P.J.]

Michael Park (who of course, is always linked in my mind to Maura West)

along with ATWT's vets, (Hastings, Hays, Fulton) I'd add Colleen Zenk, Ben Hendrickson, Marie Masters, Liz Hubbard,  and Kathleen Widdoes.

For GL, Maeve Kincaid, Jordan Clarke, Robert Newman (which must have been a monumental task at times), Grant Aleksander and Michael O'Leary.

[Mathewson]

Jane Elliott - she even makes GEARY onscreen human!

Vincent Irizarry

Eileen Davidson

Lauren Koslow

Jerry ver Dorn

Kim Johnston Ulrich

Andrea Evans

 

Maura West was just heinous as "Denise". And Lindsay Hartley played Theresa as a complete bitch on Passions. The writing certainly didn't help but she was so smug (even when her character was "crying") that it made her enemy Gwen come across as the heroine to me. Lindsay improved a lot though in recent years.

 

[titan1978]

Oh Michael Park for sure!  He could easily have been upstaged by Maura and Carly but he was always just as compelling.

[marceline]

Gotta add David Canary to that list. No matter what BS they had Adam do Canary went all in.

[Gray Bunny]

Yes, Robert Newman sold Josh deciding to clone his wife. And then followed through with the task of raising the clone and later taking her to bed. No easy feat!

[edgeofnik]

Without a doubt. Jeanne Cooper in the late-90s or early 00s was asked who were the best actors on Y&R and I think she named three - I do know the first two were obvious and I've forgotten, but I remember she mentioned SC as the consumate actor and it really surprised me because - especially during the 90s - there wasn't really much to the Sharon character. However, after all these years, I totally get what JC saw. I almost wonder like KKL and MW if the writers/producers throw the worst or most out there stuff, only because they can somehow make it not laughable. 

So many of the actors mentioned obviously have had long careers, but also had many, many terrible storylines, but they sold it. Someone I haven't seen on the list (or maybe I missed it) would be Lauralee Bell. I say this because for years certain actors and some fans resented her being 'forced' on the audience, but she really worked hard to become a better actor. I never got the sense that she took her opportunity for granted. And, again, she had some awful storylines and was also trapped by "St. Christine" not fun for an actor.

[BetterForgotten]

Whether the people at Y&R want to admit it or not, Sharon Case is their lead actress and has been the ONLY actress that's been consistently frontburner on the show for the past 20 years. The material they give her may suck, but they know she's always going to commit to it and try to sell it.

 

[YRBB]

Whaaaaat? Other than the fact she was the quintessential flawed heroine that was the only reason NICK NEWMAN ever worked, carried a 10 year arc while having other stories, and never bored the audience or phoned it in while making everything work?

[slick jones]

damn straight^^^^^^ BF and YRBB

[edgeofnik]

Sharon was more there supporting Nick, being Nikki's punching bag, etc. during most of the 90s. She was more the 'good' girl and closer to the moral compass of the insanity that is Newman. That wasn't a bad thing, but her character was certainly not what she became particularly after her brief exit during contract negotiations during 2003. Her return triggered the whole Cameron thing, being suicidal, etc. and it's been a crazy ride ever since - though the Matt Carter rape and the Diego fall-out after losing that baby in 2001 were early seeds. The most memorable stuff in 1990s - obviously Cassie's return and Grace/Nick. There were so many other 'lead' actresses getting time during that period, but Case outlasted and, frankly, outworked them all.