13 Former Soap Stars Who Hit the Big Time (PHOTOS)
Josh Duhamel
Before breaking into movies, Duhamel starred on All My Children as Leo du Pres. He was on the show from 1999 to 2002.
Julianne Moore
Believe it or not, the Boogie Nights star played twins Frannie and Sabrina Hughes on As the World Turns from 1986 to 1988. She even won a Daytime Emmy for her performance!
Leonardo DiCaprio
Long before DiCaprio broke out as Jack from Titanic, he starred on Santa Barbara as a young Mason Capwell. He was on the show for five episodes.
Laurence Fishburne
Fishburne was the first actor to ever play Josh West on One Life to Live. He played the character from 1973 to 1976.
Kelly Ripa
Though she’s been working in daytime television for many years, Ripa used to be a soap actress! She played Hayley Vaughan Santos on All My Children from 1990 to 2002. It’s even where she met her husband, Mark Consuelos.
Tommy Lee Jones
Jones played Dr. Mark Toland on One Life to Live from 1971 until his character’s death in 1975.
Demi Moore
Moore played Jackie Templeton, an investigative reporter, on General Hospital. She was on the show from 1981 to 1984.
Michael B. Jordan
Long before he snagged roles in Creed and Black Panther, Jordan played Reggie Montgomery in All My Children from 2003 to 2006.
Justin Hartley
Hartley’s first television role was on the show Passions, where he played Nicholas Foxworth “Fox” Crane from 2002 to 2006. He was also on The Young and the Restless from 2014 to 2016.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
A lot of people know Gellar from the TV show Buffy, but she also played Kendall Hart on All My Children from 1993 to 1995.
Alec Baldwin
The actor’s first ever television show was on The Doctors, where he played Billy Allison Aldrich. He was on the show from 1980 to 1982.
Robin Wright
The House of Cards star was on Santa Barbara from 1984 to 1988 as Kelly Capwell. She was also nominated for three Emmys.
John Stamos
The Full House star was on General Hospital from 1982 to 1984 as Blackie Parrish. It was his first television show ever.
Soap operas have been a staple of daytime television for decades, which means they have been an amazing platform for countless young and aspiring actors.
Some of these actors have gone on to star on their own network television shows, and others have even won Academy Awards!
Click through the gallery above to see 13 former soap stars who have hit the big time in both television and movies.
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