Stars who started on soaps

Bill Sullivan — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:32:08 +0000

No matter how big of famous they went on to become, entertainment’s top stars had to start somewhere. For a few, that meant small budgets, hastily-written scripts and one-take wonders in the world of the daytime drama.

Some had soap opera careers that lasted just a scene or two. Others made their mark with memorable roles.

Here’s a partial list of celebs who cut their teeth on daytime TV, with the show on which they appeared:

Demi Moore, General Hospital (1982-83): Jackie Templeton

Kathleen Turner, The Doctors (1978-79): Nola Dancy

David Hasselhoff, The Young and the Restless (1975-82): Dr. Snapper Foster

Meg Ryan, As the World Turns (1982-84): Betsy Stewart

Teri Hatcher, Capitol (1986-87): Angelica Clegg

Christopher Reeve, Love of Life (1974-76): Ben Harper

Kelsey Grammer, Another World (1984-84): Dr. Canard

Tommy Lee Jones, One Life to Live (1971-75): Dr. Mark Toland

Ray Liotta, Another World (1978-81): Joey Perrini

Susan Sarandon, A World Apart (1970-71): Patrice Kahlman

Source: The Extraordinary Book of Lists

Actors who played gay roles

Philip Wuntch — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:49:47 +0000

At this point, Sean Penn ranks high among probable Best Actor Oscar nominees. The dynamic Penn stars as assassinated gay politico Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant’s Milk, which opened nationwide Nov. 26. There was a time, though, when such a role would have been considered risky. Among those who proved otherwise: Hugh Jackman. What’s this, People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive once played gay? Yes, and he was heaped with praise for it. Although Jackman’s buff performance in Australia, not to mention X-Man Wolverine, helped make him People’s cover boy, he won a Tony as gay entertainer Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz. That musical hasn’t made it to the screen yet, but if it does, you can be sure Jackman will be cast. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. Probably the movie world’s most famous onscreen gay couple, they moved critics and moviegoers in Brokeback Mountain(Watch) . But when Brokeback surprisingly lost the 2005 Best Picture Oscar to Crash, Academy homophobia was blamed. Maybe Oscar voters will anoint this year’s Penn as means of erasing that label. Russell Crowe. Six years before Gladiator, Crowe played a good-natured gay in 1994’s The Sum of Us. He and his widowed father bond while searching for appropriate Significant Others. However, Crowe was reportedly offended when he and his rock band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts played San Francisco and gays threw their underwear onstage. Meryl Streep. In 2002’s The Hours, Madame Meryl played a plain-spoken lesbian who vainly tries to keep AIDS-ridden friend Ed Harris from suicide. And near the beginning of her movie career, when handlers discourage such role choices, she played Woody Allen’s ex-wife in Manhattan. When she writes a book explaining how her same-sex relationship had been much more nurturing than her marriage, Woody’s character was not amused. Didn’t hurt Meryl’s career at all.

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Stars who started on soaps

Actors who played gay roles