10 Famous Actors Who Started Their Career in Soap Operas
Let's be honest here, soap operas is the place where amnesia is as common as a common cold and evil twins spring up like daisies. It's also a place where many well-known actors cut their teeth.
1. Brad Pitt
Before Brad Pitt was breaking hearts and collecting awards in Hollywood, he was causing drama in the fictional town of Springfield. Pitt made several appearances on the soap opera "Another World" and "Dallas." But it was his role as Chris, the boy-next-door type with killer looks on "Another World," that truly started his career. As a blue-collar guy-next-door, Pitt gave the audience a taste of the charm and good looks that would later make him a household name.
2. Demi Moore
Before she was heating up the screen in "Ghost" or shaving her head for "G.I. Jane," Demi Moore was causing a stir in "General Hospital" on ABC. Moore played the investigative reporter Jackie Templeton, a role she held for two years. Much like a soap opera storyline, her career took several unexpected twists and turns before she became the A-list star we know today. But Moore's time on "General Hospital" gave her the platform she needed to shine.
3. Morgan Freeman
Imagine turning on "Another World" and seeing none other than God Himself (or at least the man who has played Him multiple times), Morgan Freeman. In the 80s, long before he was narrating our lives with his dulcet tones, Freeman played Dr. Roy Bingham, a character who, despite the melodrama surrounding him, always remained calm. Perhaps it was here that Freeman learned the art of Zen-like tranquility that would serve him well in later roles.
4. Julianne Moore
One might argue that Julianne Moore's entire career has been leading up to her Oscar-winning role in "Still Alice," but it all began on "As the World Turns." She played not one, but two roles – half-sisters Frannie and Sabrina Hughes. Double the Moore, double the fun! Her performance as the two siblings even won her a Daytime Emmy, proving early on that she was a talent to be reckoned with.
5. Alec Baldwin
Before he was making us laugh on "30 Rock" or playing a killer-as-cool-as-ice in "The Hunt for Red October," Alec Baldwin was heating things up on "The Doctors" and "Knots Landing." Baldwin played Billy Aldrich, a character that let him flex his bad boy muscles, foreshadowing his knack for playing charming yet roguish characters. It's hard to imagine Jack Donaghy getting his start on a soap, but hey, we all have to start somewhere.
6. Leonardo DiCaprio
You know him as the king of the world in "Titanic" and the wolf of Wall Street, but did you know Leonardo DiCaprio was once a resident of the soap opera universe? Yes, before he was chasing Oscars, he was romancing ladies on "Santa Barbara" as the young Mason Capwell. While his time on the show was brief, it was enough to get him noticed. If you squint hard enough at his performance, you might see the seeds of the charming scoundrel he'd later perfect in "Catch Me If You Can."
7. Eva Longoria
Before she was heating up Wisteria Lane on "Desperate Housewives," Eva Longoria was raising temperatures in Genoa City on "The Young and the Restless." She played the feisty Isabella Brana for two years, a character that allowed her to flex her skills as a manipulative vixen. Her time on the show was a masterclass in melodrama, an experience that surely prepared her for the trials and tribulations of Gabrielle Solis.
8. Marisa Tomei
A long time before she was advising Peter Parker as Aunt May in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or winning an Oscar for "My Cousin Vinny," Marisa Tomei was lighting up the screen on "As the World Turns." Her character, Marcy Thompson, was a classic soap character — full of passion, drama, and a penchant for finding herself in extraordinary circumstances. This role provided Tomei with a wide range of emotional experiences, a veritable actor's gymnasium, which no doubt helped shape her later, critically-acclaimed performances.
9. Ryan Phillippe
Ryan Phillippe, the ultimate 90s heartthrob known for films like "Cruel Intentions" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer," started his career in the fictional town of Pine Valley on "One Life to Live." Playing the first major gay teenager on daytime television, Billy Douglas, Phillippe proved early in his career that he wasn't afraid to take on challenging roles. It's almost poetic that his career, which often involves playing complex and brooding characters, began in the overly dramatic world of soap operas.
10. James Earl Jones
The voice of Darth Vader himself, James Earl Jones, started his career in the humble world of soap operas. Before he was ruling the galaxy or being the voice of Mufasa in "The Lion King," Jones was Dr. Jerry Turner on "As the World Turns." Even in the early days of his career, Jones' deep, resonant voice brought a level of gravitas to the show. It's almost like he was destined to voice iconic characters in pop culture.