The celebrities who have made appearances on soap operas: from Chrishell Stause to Betty White
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EVERYONE has to start somewhere, and for some celebrities, that meant landing their first major roles on soap operas.
From stars who got their start on soap operas to those who simply dropped in for a few episodes, here are 15 celebrities who have appeared in them.
ALEC BALDWIN
While Alec Baldwin seems to be in the tabloids just as much as movie credits, he’s had a long and bustling career.
The actor and father of seven kicked off his career in 1980 with a role on The Doctors as an irresponsible man named Billy.
The show ended two years after Alec signed on, and he quickly landed a role in the successful soap, Knots Landing.
BETTY WHITE
Betty White was a huge name in Hollywood by the time she landed a role in The Bold and the Beautiful.
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Between 2006 and 2009, she acted in about a dozen episodes as the dismissive Ann Douglas, the mother of the show’s iconic matriarch Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery).
Her character departed the show in an emotional scene on the beach in which she died in her daughters’ arms.
BRAD PITT
Brad Pitt’s soap opera stint takes up an iota of space in his long and impressive list of television and film gigs.
The Acadamy Award winner appeared in just two episodes of Another World in 1987 as a young basketball player named Chris.
CHRISHELL STAUSE
Before Chrishell Stause became a successful realtor and reality star thanks to her hit Netflix show Selling Sunset, she was an actress making her way in Hollywood.
Her big break came in the role of Amanda Dillon Martin on All My Children.
She acted on the show from 2005 to 2011.
She also appeared on Days of Our Lives between 2013 and 2021 and had a 10-episode part on The Young and the Restless in 2016.
In The Young and the Restless, she played a “live-in-the-moment” character, which she told CBS was “super fun.”
COURTENEY COX
Before she landed her iconic role of Monica in Friends, Courteney Cox acted in one episode of As the World Turns in 1984.
DEMI MOORE
Two years before Courteney was awarded her first on-screen gig, Demi Moore landed a recurring role on General Hospital.
She played the role of Jackie Templeton, an investigative journalist whose life goal was to locate her missing sister, between 1982 and 1984 and appeared in 41 episodes.
According to Soap Hub, the now-millionaire made $750 per episode.
EVA LONGORIA
Before being nominated for a Golden Globe for her work on Desperate Housewives, Eva Longoria had a guest spot on General Hospital.
She then landed a recurring role on The Young and the Restless between 2001 and 2003, for which she won an ALMA Award.
She played a disturbed wife who was locked up in a psych ward after trying to kill her husband’s first wife.
According to Soap Central (via Inquisitr), Eva said that her family was beyond thrilled when she landed her spot at General Hospital.
“You would have thought I won an Oscar Award the way my mother was carrying on,” she recalled.
JOHN STAMOS
John Stamos became a household names thanks to Full House, but that’s not where he got his start.
He played musician Blackie Parish – and even crossed paths with Demi Moore – on General Hospital between 1982 and 1984.
Once he gained a great deal of fame thanks to Full House, he returned to General Hospital in 1992 by playing himself.
JUSTIN HARTLEY
Like ex-wife Chrishell Stause, Justin Hartley got his acting career going on soap operas.
He first appeared as a handsome hunk on Passions between 2002 and 2006, and then continued his soap career with The Young and the Restless from 2014 to 2016.
KELLY RIPA
Kelly Ripa likely could never have imagined that she would go from a successful soap actress to one of the most famous television hosts in the world.
Before landing her gig on Live! With Regis and Kelly (now called Live! With Kelly and Ryan), she acted on All My Children as Hayley Vaughan from 1990 to 2002.
Not only did All My Children put Kelly in the spotlight, but it also brought her the love of her life.
She and her husband of 25 years, Mark Consuelos, notoriously met by playing love interests on the show, which transformed into the real thing in real life.
In a 2021 interview with Entertainment Tonight, she declared that All My Children shaped her whole life.
“I met my husband on All My Children.
“I had my children on All My Children.
“I got [Live! With Regis and Kelly] standing in my dressing room on All My Children,” she recalled.
“It's responsible for my entire life.
“I'm not being glib when I say that."
LEONARDO DICAPRIO
Leonardo DiCaprio may be an A-list movie star, but he is no stranger to television.
On top of his roles in the original Roseanne and Growing Pains, he made an appearance in Santa Barbara in 1990 when he was a child.
LINDSAY LOHAN
Lindsay Lohan grew up acting and has been in the spotlight for most of her life.
Before she was a teen sensation-turned-questionable adult, she played the clever and adorable little girl Alli Fowler on Another World from 1996 to 1997.
LISA RINNA
Most people know her as the spunky and opinionated star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but Lisa Rinna started off as an actress.
Although she’s appeared on The Real Housewives for quite some time, her longest-running gig was with Days of Our lives, in which she played Billie Reed off-and-on between 1992 and 2018.
Lisa reprised her role of Billie in Peacock’s Days of Our Lives spin-off, Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem in 2021.
“I hold a special place in my heart for Billie Reed, and I love her probably — I'm closer to her than any character I've ever played, and it's always fun to go back and revisit her,” she told Today at the time.
She also acted on Melrose Place between 1996 and 1998.
MARK CONSUELOS
Some people know him as Kelly Ripa’s gorgeous husband, while others know him as a gnarly mob boss on Riverdale.
Before these labels, though, Mark Consuelos was a soap star.
He kicked off his career by playing Mateo Santos Jr. on All My Children in 1995, and as noted above, starred opposite his future wife.
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MICHAEL B. JORDAN
Way before Michael B. Jordan’s enthralling and butt-kicking roles in Black Panther and Fantastic Four, he appeared on All My Children.
He played ganged-up teen Reggie Porter Montogomery between 2003 and 2006 before departing and becoming the critically-acclaimed star we know him as today.