Everybody loves a great daytime diva, and soap lovers have enjoyed plenty of them over the years. However, there is one legendary leading lady who earned more than the adoration of the audience.
Daytime leading ladies, Rachel Ames (Audrey Hardy, GH), Helen Wagner (Nancy Hughes, ATWT), Suzanne Rogers (Maggie Horton Kiriakis, DAYS), and Susan Lucci (Erica Kane, AMC) remained in their sudsy roles for decades! You’ll never guess which one of these four women hold a Guinness World Record for it, though!
Rachel Ames’s Impressive Lifetime of Achievements
Rachel Ames played Audrey Hardy on both General Hospital and Port Charles from 1964 until 2007 with guest appearances in 2009 and 2013. While her impressive run on the show spans more than five decades and is both the show and the ABC network’s longest-running role, this stunning, Emmy-nominated daytime dame is not a world record holder!
Did you know that Ames’s original contract for the role for the sudser was for 13 weeks with the option of 13 more? It’s amazing to see how she grew right along with the daytime drama!
From Rockette to Days of our Lives
Since 1973, Suzanne Rogers has portrayed Maggie Horton Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives. Originally, Rogers dreamed of dancing professionally and pursued that career option. In fact, she became one of the legendary Rockettes, and ultimately she was the youngest girl to take the stage at Radio City Music Hall.
However, ultimately her dream switched to acting, and when she snagged a guest character role on Days of Our Lives, it ended up becoming her huge acting break! Even now, the long-serving daytime beauty serves as the Horton family matriarch in Salem.
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Daytime’s Leading Lady Susan Lucci
For 31 years, Susan Lucci embodied the character Erica Kane on All My Children. Her Daytime Emmy-winning run lasted from the show’s debut in January 1970 until the end of its network television run on September 23, 2011.
However, while she still appears to hold the auspicious title of The Queen of Daytime, Susan Lucci is not the Guinness World Record Holder.
And the Winner Is. . .
Helen Wagner! The As the World Turns actress holds the Guinness Book of World Records record for playing the same television role for the longest amount of time — 54 years.
Dedicated to her craft, the wonderful Wagner held the role of Nancy Hughes for nearly five-and-a-half decades! She appeared on the show from April 2, 1956, through her death in May 2010. Isn’t that amazing?
As the World Turns: Helen Wagner's Final Scene as Nancy Hughes
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