Who Did This Period-Garbed Younger Actress Grow Up To Play on Soaps?

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but we wonder what good is a picture when you can’t recognize the subject? Above is a snapshot of a future star of soaps but can you guess who this budding thespian grew up to be?

Star Of The Soaps

Obviously this young lady (now all grown up) is currently starring on one of the four remaining daytime dramas – The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless – but that’s probably not much of a hint.

So try these on for size. The role for which she is most famous was originated by another, she met her current spouse through her work, and, early in her career, she worked opposite a feature film star known of their association with director John Ford.

But just who can she be? Is this a photograph of Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan Forrester, BB), Mary Beth Evans (Kayla Brady, DAYS), Genie Francis (Laura Collins, GH), or Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman, YR)?

Katherine Kelly Lang

Though her grandfather, famed cinematographer Charles Lang, was nominated for an Oscar for his work on How the West Was Won (which included a segment helmed by John Ford), Lang isn’t our featured star.

Mary Beth Evans

Despite being well known for her portrayal of the frequently-in-peril Kayla, Evans is not the first actress to assume the role – that honor belongs to Catherine Mary Stewart.

And during her six-year tenure at GH (where she played the diabolical Katherine Bell), Evans shared many a scene with former leading lady Anna Lee, who had appeared in a plethora of John Ford directed pictures – including How Green Was My Valley, Fort Apache, Two Rode Together, and The Last Hurrah. However, Evans is not today’s featured star.

Genie Francis

Like Evans, Francis acted opposite Anna Lee while on General Hospital. And it was during the filming of the mini-series Bare Essence that Francis first made the acquaintance of actor Jonathan Frakes, the man who became her husband in 1988. But she isn’t today’s mystery actress.

Melody Thomas Scott

In her first silver screen effort, Scott beguiled Clint Eastwood. During her third, she appeared in scenes with John Wayne – who had worked with John Ford on 12 films.

In 1979, two months shy of her 23rd birthday, Scott threw caution to the wind and accepted an offer to replace Erica Hope in the role of Nikki Newman. While working at the venerable CBS soap, Scott met her third husband, executive producer Edward J. Scott. So, if you thought that Melody Thomas Scott might be the future soap star pictured above, you were right on the money!