Daytime’s Best Criers: Actors Who Can Turn on the Waterworks

[Faulkner]

Any competent performer can summon tears, but some truly raise crying to an artform, even to the point it becomes what they’re primarily known for. Who are daytime’s most talented criers?

 

I submit to you, Eva LaRue (Maria, AMC). The tear ducts open around 7:09, and admittedly Susan does a fabulous job here as well:

 

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[titan1978]

Genie Francis.  Her emotions as Laura always run deep.  So many things stand out, but never more devastating than when Lucky “died”.

 

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[Gray Bunny]

Kim Zimmer for sure. 

[BetterForgotten]

Julia Barr was always pretty good with the tears from what I remember.

[Forever8]

Linda Dano 

 

[Faulkner]

 

 

Agree with all of these as well as @titan1978’s Genie Francis, and was actually looking for a representative clip for LD, maybe from her alcoholism story on AW.

 

For men, Peter Bergman, Doug Davidson, and Jonathan Jackson are all up there.

[mango]

Tyler Christopher. I can't seem to find the clip on YouTube, but it would've been 2004 when Stefan fell off of the bluffs. Nikolas recalled Stefan saving him from drowning as a little boy. That scene really stands out to me.

 

Actually, both of Laura's sons cried a lot. 

 

Greg Vaughan didn't cry much as Lucky but as Eric...

[Faulkner]

Adding Katherine Kelly Lang. Even when people dismissed her acting, her ability to cry has rarely been in question.

 

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[YRfan23]

Melody Thomas Scott
Katherine Kelly Lang
Heather Tom
Lindsay Hartley
Peter Bergman

[titan1978]

For all the times I have not enjoyed Peter Bergman as Jack, he can cry with the best of the mascara lined faces of any soap heroine.

 

I know it is harder than ever for performers with how they produce soaps now, but I have always hated the scrunched face and no tears crying that often takes place on soaps.  I hate it.

 

 

[BetterForgotten]

Forgot about MTS, she must have spent over half her life in tears at this point, lol. 

Edited July 2, 2020 by BetterForgotten

[Vizion]

There are a lot of people who can cry that I don't consider good actors. Some rely entirely too much on tears to convey emotion and offer little else frankly (subtletly, nuance, anything else beisdes crocodile tears).

 

Back to the subject....

Florencia Lozano was a Viola Davis type crier, she'd give you tears, snot, the whole nine. 

[Darn]

 

This is almost too real, it's like being in someone's home. Not even a hint of vanity from Genie.

[BetterForgotten]

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Edited July 2, 2020 by BetterForgotten

[Faulkner]

And the pterodactyl screaming. FloLo could have easily had a flourishing career as a death metal vocalist.

I always remember what Camille Paglia said about MTS in TV Guide: “I'm known for having dismissed Meryl Streep, but I can be deeply moved by Melody Thomas Scott as Nikki. Her passion, her suffering, her tortured face, her one perfect tear - incredible!"

Edited July 2, 2020 by Faulkner