I got thinking last night about who my Mount Rushmore of soap actors/actresses would be and I would be curious to hear other people’s top 4. You could list your top 4 men, and top 4 women or just your top 4 in general. Keep in mind that mine is going to reflect my limited soap watching experience (I am a millennial) so the soap legends or icons I am familiar with or gravitate towards are mostly actors who i grew up watching on screen from the 90s onwards. I’ll go:

Women:

Victoria Rowell

Eileen Davidson

Sharon Case

Arianne Zucker

Men:

Ben Masters

Justin Hartley

Peter Bergman

Kristoff St. John

Interesting topic. I'm going to have it be relatively similar to Rushmore as it exists, with two ladies that could be considered from the same period of history, followed by a relatively modern lady, and one from the fairly recent past with a great deal of stature.

Thus, I give you, from left to right, Mary Stuart, Eileen Fulton, Katherine Kelly Lang, and Susan Lucci.

I know it's not perfect. Jo never had a vixen period, but how could she not be the George Washington of this scenario?

And if we were doing this for headwriters/show creators:

Irna Phillips, Agnes Nixon, Doug Marland, Bill Bell

My personal list, off the top of my head and I'll probably look at it later and feel like I forgot someone huge

Eric Braeden

Michael Zaslow

Terry Lester

Rick Hearst

Stuart Damon

Susan Flannery

Victoria Rowell

Jane Elliot

Jeanne Cooper

Kimberlin Brown

My top four overall (ABC order): Eric Braeden, Susan Flannery, Beverlee McKinsey, Michael Zaslow.

Actors: Mary Stuart, Helen Wagner, Susan Lucci, Don Hastings.

Writers: Irna Phillips, Agnes Nixon, Doug Marland, Bill Bell

Erika Slezak, Jeanne Cooper, Susan Flannery, Elizabeth Hubbard.

Susan Lucci, Erika Slezak, Eric Braeden and Deidre Hall

Should have honorable mentions:

Robin Strasser, Anthony Geary, Kim Zimmer, and Elizabeth Hubbard

Susan Flannery

Robin Strasser

Beverlee McKinsey

Erika Slezak

Actresses:

Bev McKinsey, Eileen Fulton, Rosemary Prinz and Charita Bauer

Actors:

Larry Bryggman, Michael Zasow, Christopher Bernau and Grant Aleksander

Writers:

Irna Phillips, Doug Marland, Bell and Slesar

There are so many ways to look at this. If I was going actual soap actors that have transcended the genre into the public consciousness, it would be Tony Geary, Genie Francis, Susan Lucci, with Deidre Hall or Eric Braeden fighting for that last spot.

The best actors I feel the genre had? Beverlee McKinsey, Erika Slezak, Anthony Geary, and Larry Bryggman. I know Flannery is a well respected and incredible talent, but I wasn’t old enough to see her as Laura, and didn’t watch B&B.

Personal favorite actors that I just liked to watch the most? Victoria Rowell, Jane Elliot, Genie Francis, Robin Strasser.

My Rushmore writers are Claire Labine, Bill Bell, Agnes Nixon, and Pat Falken Smith.

The EP’s would be Wendy Riche, Gloria Monty, Wes Kinney, and maybe Robert Calhoun.

This is hard, but based on my own personal relationship with soaps:

Susan Lucci

David Canary

Erika Slezak

Michael Zaslow

While not everyone's cup of tea, it would be weird to not say Kim Zimmer, so she and Julia Barr would be my runner ups.

Actors: David Canary, Darnell Williams, Eric Braden, Stephen Nichols

Actresses: Erika Slezak, Jane Elliot, Victoria Rowell, Laura Wright

Honorable mentions: Anthony Geary, Roger Howarth, Susan Flannery, Maura West, Debbi Morgan, Jonathan Jackson

There are so many GOATed actors who have left an imprint on daytime but these names came to mind first.

Actors:

Grant Aleksander, Eric Braeden, Anthony Geary, Michael Zaslow

Actresses:

Mary Stuart, Genie Francis, Deidre Hall, Erika Slesak

Writers/producers (ABC order): Bill Bell, Robert Calhoun, H. Wesley Kenney, Douglas Marland.