9 Daytime Stars Who've Done Double Duty on the Same Soap (PHOTOS)
Bethany Joy Lenz, Guiding Light
Before her One Tree Hill days, Lenz appeared on this long-gone CBS show both as a Reva Shayne clone and as Michelle Bauer Santos (following Rebecca Budig’s exit).
Josh Taylor, Days of Our Lives
In 1997, Taylor rejoined the NBC soap as Roman Brady, a role he has played ever since. Beforehand, he spent a decade playing Chris Kositchek on the show.
Wayne Northrop, Days of Our Lives
Speaking of Roman Brady, Northrop originated the role and starred on the show from 1982 to 1994. In 2005, he booked a return visit to Salem, playing Dr. Alex North.
Sarah Brown, General Hospital
Brown was the first of four actors to portray Carly Corinthos on General Hospital, leaving the role in 2001. In 2008, she popped up on the ABC daytime drama again, this time as the ill-fated Claudia Zacchara.
Judith Chapman, The Young and the Restless
Chapman played Jill Abbott on Y&R while actress Jess Walton was out sick, then returned to the CBS soap as Gloria Abbott Bardwell, her role since 2005.
John Aniston, Days of Our Lives
Jennifer Aniston’s pops played Eric Richards on the show from 1969 to 1970. Fifteen years later, he came back to the Days of Our Lives fold as Victor Kiriakis, and that role has kept him occupied ever since.
Deidre Hall, Days of Our Lives
Hall, one of the longest-serving soap opera actors still working now, has been playing Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives since 1976. She also plays the imposter Hattie Adams, who has been a thorn in Marlena’s side since 2004.
Kelly Monaco, General Hospital
Monaco played Livvie Locke on General Hospital spinoff Port Charles from 2000 to 2003, when she joined the mothership show as Sam McCall. She’s been playing that role ever since, but she also played lookalike Alicia Montenegro in 2005.
Michael Easton, General Hospital
Easton may be the ultimate soap opera chameleon. He played Caleb Morley on Port Charles before bringing his One Life to Live character, John McBain, to General Hospital. According to Soap Central, a legal issue forced the GH writers to drop John and craft a new character for Easton, Silas Clay. They then wrote Silas off the show and had Easton play the part of Hamilton Finn.
Soap operas aren’t as beholden to silly things like “continuity” and “logic” as their primetime equivalents are, and a lot of actors have played multiple roles on the same daytime drama.
Yes, some of these cases are evil twin situations, but you’d be surprised how many of these actors have played unrelated characters.
Click through the gallery above to see some of the actors who likely had soap fans experiencing déjà vu.
See Also