13 Stars Who Appeared on ‘All My Children,’ Which Ended on ABC 10 Years Ago
Even if you’re not a fan of All My Children—which ended its ABC run 10 years ago on September 23—you probably know some of its biggest stars.
You probably know, for example, that Susan Lucci led the cast of the daytime drama, playing Erica Kane in a role that earned her 21 Daytime Emmy nominations.
You likely know that All My Children is the soap opera on which Kelly Ripa met husband Mark Consuelos.
And you might even know that Sarah Michelle Gellar got her big break on the long-running series.
“I made incredible friends at that time, and I learned incredible work habits—soap operas are an intense amount of work. I’m incredibly grateful for that time and the people that I met,” Gellar told TV Insider earlier this month. “We live in a world now where my kids don’t even really know what a soap opera is, so anything I can do to continue the legacy I’m very proud of.”
But do you know who else appeared on the show, before or after their Hollywood fame?
We’re doing our part to continue the AMC legacy by looking back on some of the actors who found big-time screen success elsewhere.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
The Live With Kelly and Ryan cohost and the Riverdale actor joined the show in 1990 and 1995, respectively, playing eventual spouses Hayley Vaughan and Mateo Santos.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Long before her days as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gellar won a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance as Kendall Hart, troublemaking daughter of Erica Kane.
Michael B. Jordan and Chadwick Boseman
Years before they starred together in Black Panther, these two actors played the same role on All My Children. Producers initially cast Boseman (who passed away in 2020) as Reggie Jones, but after he criticized the depiction of the character, they brought in Jordan, as the two told The Wrap.
Carol Burnett
This comedy legend—star of The Carol Burnett Show—was an All My Children superfan, and creator Agnes Nixon crafted the recurring role of Verla Grubbs for her, according to Today.
Amanda Seyfried
After a stint on As the World Turns, this Mamma Mia! and Mank star played high schooler Joni Stafford on AMC.
Terrence Howard
This Empire and Iron Man actor played a character named Justin on the show back in 1992, and Ripa revealed in 2016 that in the middle of his screen test for the soap, he asked her out!
Matt Bomer
Bomer, who has starred on Doom Patrol and The Sinner recently, notched his first onscreen credit in 2000 playing Ian Kipling in a two-episode AMC arc. He later told Parade he was “terrified” on set but “really impressed” with Susan Lucci.
Elizabeth Banks
This Hunger Games and Mrs. America talent was also a brand-new actress when she appeared, playing a waitress named Rosalie in a 1999 AMC episode opposite fellow newbie Josh Duhamel. “We still talk about it,” she said on Live With Kelly in 2017. “Like, ‘Can you believe it? We’re still here. It’s a miracle!’”
Josh Duhamel
The Las Vegas and Jupiter’s Legacy alum played Leo du Pres from 1999 to 2002, when his character went over a waterfall. As he related on Live With Kelly and Ryan in 2017, his scene with Banks was his first speaking part: “I was so nervous.”
Daniel Dae Kim
Before his rotations on The Good Doctor and New Amsterdam—and even before Hawaii Five-0 or Lost—this actor played one Dr. Kim in a 1995 episode of the soap.
Christine Baranski
She’s fighting The Good Fight now, but in 1984, Baranski appeared as an All My Children character named Jewell alongside her late husband, Matthew Cowles, as Billy Clyde Tuggle.
Thorsten Kaye
Debbi Morgan
Darnell Williams
Ryan Bittle
Vincent Irizarry
Jill Larson
Colin Egglesfield
Jordi Vilasuso
David Canary
Eden Riegel
Julia Barr
Cady McClain
Heather Roop
Eric Nelsen
Denyse Tontz
Sal Stowers
Robert Scott Wilson
Ray MacDonnell
Alicia Minshew
Francesca James
Jordan Lane Price
Lindsay Hartley
Melissa Leo
Tasia Valenza
Peter Bergman
Dorothy Lyman
Kim Delaney
Richard Shoberg
Matthew Cowles
William Mooney
Warren Burton
Eli Mintz
Nicholas Benedict
Lawrence Keith
Mary Fickett
Frances Heflin
Ruth Warrick
Keith Hamilton Cobb
Robert LuPone
Elizabeth Lawrence
Steve Caffrey
Josh Duhamel
Finola Hughes
Mark Consuelos
Kelly Ripa
Jesse McCartney
Marcy Walker
Jack Scalia
Jennifer Bassey
Eva La Rue
Sydney Penny
Tommy J. Michaels
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Dondré Whitfield
Matt Borlenghi
James Patrick Stuart
William Christian
Robert Gentry
Liz Vassey
Mark La Mura
Ellen Wheeler
Robert Duncan McNeill
Lauren Holly
Kathleen Noone
Louis Edmonds
Gillian Spencer
J.R. Martinez
Michael Nouri
Susan Lucci
Michael E. Knight
Bobbie Eakes
Brittany Allen
Cornelius Smith
Jeff Branson
Alexa Havins
William deVry
Ricky Paull Goldin
Cameron Mathison
Rebecca Budig
Jacob Young
Walt Willey
Aiden Turner
Melissa Claire Egan
James Mitchell
Tonya Pinkins
Leven Rambin
Chrishell Stause
Amanda Baker
Eileen Herlie
Billy Miller
Christina Bennett Lind
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