These soap stars have either played some of your favorite heroes or anti-heroes, but did you know that they are all actually real-life heroes?
Which Soap Star Was It?
All of these actors are either an alum of a long-ago classic – like All My Children, Dark Shadows, and One Life to Life – or they are currently portraying a character on one of the four remaining soaps – The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, General Hospital and The Young and the Restless.
And all of them faithfully served their country in one of the eight branches of the United States Uniformed Armed Forces. But only one worked in the Intelligence Department of the U.S. Navy.
But who can that actor be? Was it David Canary (ex-Adam Chandler, AMC), John McCook (Eric Forrester, BB), Louis Edmonds (ex-Roger Collins, DS), John Aniston (Victor Kiriakis, DAYS), or Phil Carey (ex-Asa Buchanan, OLTL)?
David Canary
Instead of pursuing a career as a star athlete, Canary opted to relocate from Ohio to New York City and try his hand at acting. He landed a role opposite Colleen Dewhurst (Anne of Green Gables) in the play the Great Day in the Morning, but he would have to briefly forfeit his chosen profession when he was drafted into the United States Army. He served for two years – during which time he entered an All-Army Entertainment Contest.
John McCook
McCook’s promising career in musical theater (not to mention his future as a contract player at Universal Pictures) was momentarily stymied by a call to arms. He spent his two years in the U.S. Army playing the piano and conducting the Army men’s choir.
Louis Edmonds
Upon graduating from Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University, Edmonds joined the U.S. Navy and served with them for three years during the height of World War II, leaving little doubt that the future daytime star was a far cry from the cowardly characters he would become so well known for playing.
Phil Carey
Carey served in U.S. Marines and saw action during both the Second World War and Korea. It was while serving in the former that he received a serious injury when the ship he was on – the USS Franklin – suffered heavy damage following a Japanese air attack.
John Aniston
After earning both a degree in Theater Arts from Penn State and one in biology from the University of California at Northbridge, Aniston volunteered for enrollment in the United States Navy. He worked as an intelligence officer on active duty in Panama and later in the reserve. During the course of his service, Aniston obtained the rank of lieutenant commander.
So, if you guessed that the soap star in question was John Aniston, then you were absolutely correct.
