The soap opera ain't what it used to be.
Before the Trial of the Century - that would be the O.J. Simpson Murder Trial for those too young to remember - and before reality TV became the guiding force of primetime television, forcing huge budget cuts and mass cancellations of many of the daytime dramas, soap opera was king, the cash cow, whose revenues provided the monies the networks needed to back their primetime series.
To put into perspective just how huge soaps were in the 70s and 80s, some 30 million people witnessed the wedding of Lucas Lorenzo Spencer to Laura Webber Baldwin on General Hospital, a ratings record that stands to this day and a number that is sure to never be shattered.
Soaps were in vogue and college students jam packed student unions to watch the latest developments in their "stories," as they were affectionately called by the viewing faithful.
My, how times have changed.
The Nielsen numbers of the 70s and 80s equal - if not surpass - even the largest ratings of today's most popular primetime hits.
Of course, that was before cable and before reality TV.
It's too bad because if you didn't grow up in that special era, you didn't get to witness the magic of the genre, or the powerful performances of the stars who shone in them.
Many of those stars continue to turn in powerful, Emmy-worthy performances each day. Some have left the genre and others have passed.
The recent death of five-time Emmy winner David Canary, who was so superb as Adam and Stuart on "All My Children," got me to thinking who were the biggest and the best daytime stars of all time.
So, here is my purely subjective list of the actors and actresses who out performed all the rest in the genre.
BEST ACTORS OF ALL-TIME:
10. ERIC BRAEDEN (Victor, The Young and the Restless.) Some 35+ years ago, Braeden was hired for a short-term run on the #1-rated daytime drama, but Creator William Bell saw something special in the actor and changed the character from a straight villain to a multi-dimensional leading man, who can still play bad better than anyone else in the genre, while provoking sympathy and empathy from the audience. It doesn't hurt that Braeden's romantic pairing with Melody Thomas Scott's Nikki to this day is the leading coupling of the show and the stuff that supercouples are made of.
9. GERALD GORDON (ex-Nick, The Doctors, ex-Mark, General Hospital.) Anyone watching the reruns of the 60s/70s classic soap, "The Doctors" on Retro TV can see why Gordon made this list. His Nick Bellini bellowed, but beneath the surface possessed a heart of gold. Gordon was able to perfectly capture the essence of the character, which was the breakout male lead in the soap's early days.
8. CHRISTOPHER BERNAU (ex-Alan, Guiding Light.) Bernau's untimely passing in 1988 deprived him of an Emmy that he so rightfully deserved for portraying the complex, dastardly, yet romantic Alan. That it took a couple of recasts to get the role right after Bernau's death is testimony to his phenomenal talent. He could - and did - play it all, evil, deception, family man, businessman and romantic lead with equal aplomb.
7. JAMES MITCHELL (ex-Palmer, All My Children.) Mitchell was pure magic with any of his couplings on the now-defunct AMC, be it romantically with Donna, Daisy or Opal, or as a nemesis to Cliff and later Adam, Mitchell balanced the character delicately and made him a fan favorite - and, sadly, a perennial Emmy bridesmaid - during his 30 years on the show. His sophistication in the role was only exceeded by the humor he put into it, nicely balancing the despicable deeds his character often made.
6. MICHAEL ZASLOW (ex-Roger, Guiding Light, ex-David, One Life to Live.) That Zaslow made two completely different characters memorable is testament enough to his Emmy-winning talents. Roger was downright despicable, yet complex enough to have fans rooting for him during most of his tenure on GL. His OLTL character was a romantic lead, a crusader for all that is good. Two completely different characters, both of whom became classics in the soap world and made Zaslow a huge fan favorite.
5. PETER BERGMAN (Jack, The Young and the Restless, ex-Cliff, All My Children.) That Bergman was able to pull of the recast of the century when he took over for multiple-Emmy nominee Terry Lester in the role of Jack some 26 years ago and quickly make the role his own, was worth at least one of Bergman's three Emmy awards. That he believably was able to portray Jack the Cad as a multi-layered lead was worth at least another. Many - myself included - questioned whether Bergman, who had spent almost 10 years playing noble, perpetual good guy, Cliff on AMC, was up to the challenge of portraying such a different, more complex role, but by the time he won his third Emmy, no one took this exceptional actor - or his talents - for granted anymore.
4. DAVID CANARY (ex-Adam and Stuart, All My Children, ex-Steven, Another World, ex-Far Wind, The Doctors.) The Emmy winner's death not only prompted this blog, but had me remembering all of his roles. How Canary was able to portray and differentiate between twin brothers, Adam (the classic never do well) and Stuart (the brother with a heart of gold) so seamlessly was like watching a master class in acting. As a recast Steven on AW, he brought a completely different sensibility to the role when compared to huge fan favorite George Reinholt, who preceded him in the role and on The Doctors, he was able to just play pure lunatic. A true treasure of the daytime community, Canary will be missed, as actors like him simply don't come around all that often.
3. LARRY BRYGGMAN (ex-John, As the World Turns.) That Bryggman only won two Emmys for ATWT is the real head scratcher here. Like Zaslow, Bryggman was able to bring a multi-dimensional aspect to his character, which could have been hated (after all, Larry, like Michael both portrayed marital rapists at junctures during their stints on their respective shows.) but, he instead - through concise, purposeful interpretation into the work - turned John into of of daytime's most fascinating and complex characters. And, of course his chemistry with Elizabeth Hubbard's Lucinda was purely magical;. ATWT needed a character like John - and an actor like Bryggman - during its final years on the air. Anyone who witnessed his triumphant return to the show in its waning days in 2010 was left wondering what could have been if only Bryggman had remained on the canvas after disappearing - literally - into thin air in 2003.
2. ANTHONY GEARY (ex-Luke,ex-Bill General Hospital.) Daytime's most celebrated actor - with 8 Outstanding Lead Actor trophies to his credit - he is arguably the genre's most well-known actor. Hired for a short stint as the villainous Luke Spencer, his immediate chemistry with Genie Francis' Laura made them the most popular couple in soap history. Aside from that, the recently retired Geary could do it all. An atypical looking leading man, he could play romantic, evil, hero and even, yes, the soap staple, multiple characters, and make each one his own. A rare blend of compassion and humor made Geary daytime's quintessential leading man and deserving of all 8 of his Emmy awards.
1. DOUGLASS WATSON (ex-Mac, Another World.) Although he only won two Emmys in his 15-year stint as AW's leading man, Watson should have at least won two more and was in the middle of an Emmy-worthy story at the time of his untimely death in 1989. His Mac was gentle, romantic, heroic and, yes, even volatile, and he could cry better than any actor on this list - save, maybe, Bergman. He set the bar high for his co-stars and his explosive chemistry with leading lady Victoria Wyndham (Rachel) kept AW at the top of the ratings throughout most of the mid-to-late 70s. His undeniable charm and acting ability made all around him even better performers and the Mac/Rachel/Iris triangle, which was a triangle despite the fact that Iris (the fabulous Beverlee McKinsey, who Watson shared just as much chemistry with as he did with Wyndham) was his daughter, was one of the most unusual, yet riveting stories soaps ever saw. That he is so fondly remembered by fans and co-stars some 26 years after his death is a strong testament to not only his exceptional acting ability, but his reputation as one of the nicest men in the business. Geary has more Emmys, but, in my book, Watson, a theatrically trained performer, was the best actor to ever appear in soaps.
In my next blog, I'll rank my top 10 best actresses of all time.
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