10 Stars Who Appeared on ‘One Life to Live,’ Which Ended 10 Years Ago
Going from the fictional town of Llanview to the stranger-than-fiction town of Hollywood, many TV stars got their start on One Life to Live, an ABC daytime drama that ended its linear run 10 years ago, on January 13, 2012.
One Life to Live aired more than 11,000 episodes over 44 seasons—if you don’t count the ill-fated online revival—making the show one of America’s longest-running soap operas. And as you’ll see in the gallery below, big names in showbiz owe the soap a debt of gratitude. Here are some of Llanview’s most notable former residents…
Marcia Cross
Cross, better known for her Melrose Place and Desperate Housewives roles, played archaeologist Kate Sanders on One Life to Live between 1986 and 1988.
Nathan Fillion
The lead of The Rookie played a teen version of photographer-turned-clergyman Joey Buchanan between 1994 and 1997, then returned to the part in 2007.
Laurence Fishburne
This star of The Matrix and Black-ish wasn’t even a teenager when he started playing troubled youth Josh Hall, a role he kept from 1973 to 1976.
Renée Elise Goldsberry
Tommy Lee Jones
This actor of Men in Black and The Fugitive fame spent the first half of the 1970s appearing on One Life to Live, playing Dr. Mark Toland.
Judith Light
Long before her days on Ugly Betty and Transparent, Light starred on OLTL as housewife Karen Wolek from 1977 to 1983, ultimately leaving the show for her famous role in Who’s the Boss?
Hayden Panettiere
Ryan Phillippe
The ’90s heartthrob, now starring on MacGruber, appeared on OLTL from 1992 to 1993, playing groundbreaking gay character Billy Douglas on the soap.
Tika Sumpter
This star of Mixed-ish and The Haves and the Have Nots appeared on the show from 2006 to 2011, playing fashionista and actress Layla Williamson.
Blair Underwood
From 1985 to 1986—just before he hit it big on L.A. Law—Underwood portrayed Bobby Blue on One Life to Live.
