Familiar faces tend to pop up on soaps — a lot. Actors and actresses often leave one show, only to turn up on another one a few years later.
Show Hopping On Soaps
In fact, some performers have an array of different daytime credits on their resumes. Here’s a look at the Top 10 soap hoppers.
1. Roscoe Born
Who knew when the late Roscoe Born made his Ryan’s Hope debut as mobster Joe Novak in 1981, that it would be the beginning of a long illustrious daytime career. He appeared on 11 soaps over 28 years, and devious men were his specialty — like his last gig as “Terrible Tom” on The Young and the Restless.
2. Kimberlin Brown
Best known for bringing the crazy as Shelia Carter, a role she originated on Y&R in 1990 and also played on The Bold and the Beautiful, Kimberlin Brown has been on nine soaps. She’s also been cast as respectable doctors on Port Charles, General Hospital, and One Life to Live, as well as a judge on All My Children.
3. Vincent Irizarry
He got his start as a street kid named Lujack on Guiding Light in 1983 and parlayed it into a lifelong career in the medium. Over the decades, Vincent Irizarry has been on seven daytime dramas, including playing Victor’s (John Aniston) black sheep little brother Deimos on Days of our Lives. His most recent was as Dr. Armstrong on B&B.
4. Robin Mattson
Eight soaps have hired Robin Mattson to do her thing. Her first gig was as troubled teen heroine Hope Bauer on Guiding Light in 1976. After that, it was mainly women behaving badly. Her breakout roles were Heather Webber on GH and Gina Capwell on Santa Barbara.
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5. Debbi Morgan
Beloved in her debut as All My Children’s Angie Baxter in 1982, a role that would see her become the first African-American to win a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress, Debbi Morgan would ultimately appear on eight shows. She famously defected from AMC to Generations in 1999, to take over the pivotal role of Chantal Marshall.
6. Jack Betts
Character actor Jack Betts made his mark on soaps 11 times. He is best known for his two turns as the ambitious cutthroat Dr. Ivan Kipling on One Life to Live (1979-1982, 1985-1986), but got his daytime start on another ABC drama. He had a one-day gig as Ken Martin on GH in 1963.
7. Robin Strasser
After a breakout turn as Rachel Davis on Another World, a part she originated in 1967, Robin Strasser was off and running as a soap hopper. The consummate actress has been on seven shows. Among her most memorable roles are Dorian Lord on One Life to Live and a dastardly witch named Hecuba on Passions.
8. Dorothy Lyman
Dorothy Lyman has had nine daytime lives, beginning with her 1970 gig as Julie Stark on A World Apart. Her most notable run was as Opal Gardner, a cocktail waitress turned beauty shop owner on All My Children. She received two Daytime Emmy Awards as Outstanding Supporting Actress for the 1981 to 1983 gig.
9. Mark Pinter
A consummate leading man, Mark Pinter has made a career out of playing a couple of daytime heroes, but mostly heels on eight different shows. It all began with the role of Dr. Tom Crawford on Love of Life in 1979. However, he is most famous for portraying slick politician Grant Harrison on Another World (1991-1999).
10. Colleen Dion
Breaking onto the soap scene in 1985, when she was cast as a young heroine named Evie Stone on Search for Tomorrow, Colleen Dion would end up appearing on eight shows. However, her best fit and most memorable character was Felicia Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful, which she played from 1990 and 1992, 1997 and again in 2004.
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