By Allan Brown
The Emmy is the highest honor a performer can receive.
And while 7 of the 10 actresses I've chosen as the best to ever grace the daytime drama stage have been honored with that award, three of them have not - one, in fact - never even received a nomination.
Whether these actresses have been honored - or ignored - come Emmy time, in no way takes away from their vast contributions to the genre nor their phenomenal talent, either.
In my last blog, I chose my 10 best actors and, in this one, I'm selecting the actresses who I feel are the most outstanding to ever appear in soap operas.
To say that the genre is a woman's one is no understatement. With that said, it was much more difficult for me to select only 10 leading ladies to appear on this list. I gave strong consideration to the following, who just missed my cut.
Jane Elliot, Robin Strasser, Genie Francis and five-time Emmy winner Heather Tom narrowly missed the final cut, testament to just how loaded this category actually is.
And Emmy wins weren't necessarily a huge barometer for my choices, even though the majority of my selections do have multiple Emmy awards on their mantle.
So without further ado, here are my choices for the 10 best actresses to ever appear in daytime dramas. And, of note, except for my #1 choice, it was extremely difficult to put these splendid actresses in any kind of order, as they are all unique, they are all talented and were all game changers in the industry.
10. MAEVE McGUIRE (ex-Nicole, The Edge of Night, ex-Elena, Another World, ex-Kate, Search for Tomorrow, ex-Judith, All My Children.) As Nicole on the late, great EON, McGuire turned a a haughty performance as a bad girl turned good. good enough to be the lead of that show during its heyday. Her romance with Adam (Donald May) was arguably the greatest romance in that show's 28-year history. McGuire then used her unique abilities to portray two entirely different characters on AW and AMC, the latter a homophobic snob who was nothing like the other two major roles she had previously played. An underrated, true superstar of the genre, she received nary even one Emmy nomination in her 30-year daytime career, yet is still fondly remembered by those who were witness to her nuanced, sophisticated performances.
9. SARAH BROWN (ex-Carly/Claudia, General Hospital, ex-Julia, As the World Turns, ex-Aggie, The Bold and the Beautiful, ex-Madison, Days of Our Lives.) When Brown exploded onto the daytime scene as the original Carly on GH in 1996, she immediately screamed superstar. Three Emmys and four other roles later, Brown proves that she can do it all, naughty, nice, romantic and devious, with equal fervor and depth. Daytime isn't the same without her commanding presence in it.
8. VICTORIA WYNDHAM (ex-Rachel, Another World, ex-Charlotte, Guiding Light.) Wyndham was able to transform Rachel from a hated villainess to a beloved heroine without losing the former's fangs. Rachel could - and did - stand up for whatever she believed was right, even if it was only in her own mind (think trying to bribe Blaine divorce Jamie, Rachel's son.) Of course the love of a good man (Mac, portrayed by my #1 Best Actor of All Time, Douglass Watson) helped Rachel make that transformation, but she never lost her edge. Her fight scenes with Watson were legendary. Her chemistry with all of her leading men (Watson, David Canary and later Charles Keating) was electric. The leading lady of the now-defunct soap for its last 24 years, Wyndham played it all and did it with class, dignity and panache. Another Emmy-less actress on this list, it's difficult to reason as to why she never collected the honor in her three nominations, especially when witnessing her work in retrospect some 20-30 years later via YouTube.
7. JUDITH LIGHT (ex-Karen, One Life to Live.) One need only watch Light's tour de force performance on the witness stand - perhaps the greatest soap moment in history - to see why Light is on this list and won two Emmy awards. Her later success in primetime proved what soap fans already knew, she could balance high drama with humor and a special presence that is illuminating.
6. ELIZABETH HUBBARD (ex-Lucinda, As the World Turns, ex-Althea, The Doctors.) A two-time Emmy winner, Hubbard inexplicably never won the honor for her 26-year portrayal of Lucinda on ATWT, maybe because she just made it look too easy. Her Lucinda was over the top, yes, but so on spot, that fans to this day, wonder why she didn't take daytime's highest honor for that role. A true treasure, Hubbard is one of the few actresses in the business who could make reading a phone book seem like an Emmy moment. Fortunately, viewers who missed - or weren't even born - during her TD run can now watch her tremendous Emmy-winning performance on the Retro TV reruns of the classic medical drama.
5. SUSAN FLANNERY (ex-Stephanie, The Bold and the Beautiful, ex-Laura, Days of Our Lives.) As opinionated off screen as her B&B character was on screen, Flannery, winner of four Emmys (three for B&B) is a daytime treasure. In lesser hands, Stephanie would have been the most-hated character on daytime, but in Flannery's capable ones, she turned that character into B&B's most loved and integral one on the show. Although Flannery retired from daytime - and Stephanie succumbed to cancer - a few years ago, I wouldn't be opposed at all to B&B using that old soap cliche of the unknown twin separated at birth being written into the show should she ever decide to make a return to the genre.
4. KIM ZIMMER (ex-Reva, Guiding Light, ex-Echo/Bonnie, One Life to Live, ex-Nola, The Doctors.) A larger-than-life persona, both on and off screen, Zimmer may not be everyone's cup of tea. But, her four Emmy wins prove the Academy members know brilliant acting when they see it. No one wears her heart on her sleeve as well as Zimmer. Her performances are raw, they're nuanced and their mesmerizing. The 'Reva in the Fountain' scene is arguably the second single best performance by an actress in the history of the genre (Light's courtroom confession on OLTL is undoubtedly #1) and is one I could watch over and over without ever getting bored. Zimmer can play heartbreak and pathos better than anyone in the business.
3. ERIKA SLEZAK (ex-Viki/Niki, Jean etc....One Life to Live.) Holder of the all-time most Emmy wins by an actress in a daytime drama with six, Slezak deserved every one of those golden trophies. As Viki, Slezak portrayed the 'to the Manor Born' heroine to perfection. Yet, it was when her alter personalities emerged that Slezak was able to let loose and hit it out of the ballpark. OLTL wouldn't have made it past 10 years on the air, much less 42, without her commanding presence and stellar, depth-filled performances.
2. MAURA WEST (Ava, General Hospital, ex-Carly, As the World Turns.) The only actress on this list who is currently still in the genre, West is a treasure and has been ever since she first hit our screens as Carly on ATWT 20 years ago. She turned that girl from the wrong side of the tracks into the show's lead heroine in its last 15 years on the air and then found a second role of a lifetime (and third Emmy Award) as GH's Ava, a charaacter who could have easily been used and discarded in one simple story cycle, in the hands of a less capable actress. When West is on the screen, you can't help but watch, she's that good. In my opinion, there's no current actress on soaps who even comes close to matching West.
1. BEVERLEE McKINSEY (ex-Alexandra, Guiding Light, ex-Iris, Another World, Texas, ex-Emma, AW, ex-Myrna,GH) This one wasn't even close, McKinsey is the finest actress to ever grace our daytime screens and the only one in the top five to never have won an Emmy. She didn't need one. Her divine talent spoke for itself. From the deceitful Daddy's Girl on AW to the classy, yet not one to suffer fools gladly, Alex on GL, McKinsey's characters, like the actress herself, didn't suffer fools gladly. While Iris was the most layered and complex villainess ever to appear on daytime, McKinsey - like West now - was fortunate enough to find another role of a lifetime in Alex. In both roles, she could turn at the drop of the dime, delivering heartfelt, even syrupy lines, in one moment, and venomous, hateful ones the next, both with equal aplomb and fervor. Both roles were complex and both displayed McKinsey's wide range of abilities to perfection. Go to YouTube to watch McKinsey's spin as Iris and then watch some of her GL work (especially the Country Club scene where she rips into Michael Zaslow's Roger to see her range and gusto) if you don't believe me. McKinsey made every scene special, every scene golden. That she never won an Emmy for Iris - or even received a nomination for Alex - is not just a travesty, it's downright criminal.
7. JUDITH LIGHT (ex-Karen, One Life to Live.) One need only watch Light's tour de force performance on the witness stand - perhaps the greatest soap moment in history - to see why Light is on this list and won two Emmy awards. Her later success in primetime proved what soap fans already knew, she could balance high drama with humor and a special presence that is illuminating.
6. ELIZABETH HUBBARD (ex-Lucinda, As the World Turns, ex-Althea, The Doctors.) A two-time Emmy winner, Hubbard inexplicably never won the honor for her 26-year portrayal of Lucinda on ATWT, maybe because she just made it look too easy. Her Lucinda was over the top, yes, but so on spot, that fans to this day, wonder why she didn't take daytime's highest honor for that role. A true treasure, Hubbard is one of the few actresses in the business who could make reading a phone book seem like an Emmy moment. Fortunately, viewers who missed - or weren't even born - during her TD run can now watch her tremendous Emmy-winning performance on the Retro TV reruns of the classic medical drama.
5. SUSAN FLANNERY (ex-Stephanie, The Bold and the Beautiful, ex-Laura, Days of Our Lives.) As opinionated off screen as her B&B character was on screen, Flannery, winner of four Emmys (three for B&B) is a daytime treasure. In lesser hands, Stephanie would have been the most-hated character on daytime, but in Flannery's capable ones, she turned that character into B&B's most loved and integral one on the show. Although Flannery retired from daytime - and Stephanie succumbed to cancer - a few years ago, I wouldn't be opposed at all to B&B using that old soap cliche of the unknown twin separated at birth being written into the show should she ever decide to make a return to the genre.
4. KIM ZIMMER (ex-Reva, Guiding Light, ex-Echo/Bonnie, One Life to Live, ex-Nola, The Doctors.) A larger-than-life persona, both on and off screen, Zimmer may not be everyone's cup of tea. But, her four Emmy wins prove the Academy members know brilliant acting when they see it. No one wears her heart on her sleeve as well as Zimmer. Her performances are raw, they're nuanced and their mesmerizing. The 'Reva in the Fountain' scene is arguably the second single best performance by an actress in the history of the genre (Light's courtroom confession on OLTL is undoubtedly #1) and is one I could watch over and over without ever getting bored. Zimmer can play heartbreak and pathos better than anyone in the business.
3. ERIKA SLEZAK (ex-Viki/Niki, Jean etc....One Life to Live.) Holder of the all-time most Emmy wins by an actress in a daytime drama with six, Slezak deserved every one of those golden trophies. As Viki, Slezak portrayed the 'to the Manor Born' heroine to perfection. Yet, it was when her alter personalities emerged that Slezak was able to let loose and hit it out of the ballpark. OLTL wouldn't have made it past 10 years on the air, much less 42, without her commanding presence and stellar, depth-filled performances.
2. MAURA WEST (Ava, General Hospital, ex-Carly, As the World Turns.) The only actress on this list who is currently still in the genre, West is a treasure and has been ever since she first hit our screens as Carly on ATWT 20 years ago. She turned that girl from the wrong side of the tracks into the show's lead heroine in its last 15 years on the air and then found a second role of a lifetime (and third Emmy Award) as GH's Ava, a charaacter who could have easily been used and discarded in one simple story cycle, in the hands of a less capable actress. When West is on the screen, you can't help but watch, she's that good. In my opinion, there's no current actress on soaps who even comes close to matching West.
1. BEVERLEE McKINSEY (ex-Alexandra, Guiding Light, ex-Iris, Another World, Texas, ex-Emma, AW, ex-Myrna,GH) This one wasn't even close, McKinsey is the finest actress to ever grace our daytime screens and the only one in the top five to never have won an Emmy. She didn't need one. Her divine talent spoke for itself. From the deceitful Daddy's Girl on AW to the classy, yet not one to suffer fools gladly, Alex on GL, McKinsey's characters, like the actress herself, didn't suffer fools gladly. While Iris was the most layered and complex villainess ever to appear on daytime, McKinsey - like West now - was fortunate enough to find another role of a lifetime in Alex. In both roles, she could turn at the drop of the dime, delivering heartfelt, even syrupy lines, in one moment, and venomous, hateful ones the next, both with equal aplomb and fervor. Both roles were complex and both displayed McKinsey's wide range of abilities to perfection. Go to YouTube to watch McKinsey's spin as Iris and then watch some of her GL work (especially the Country Club scene where she rips into Michael Zaslow's Roger to see her range and gusto) if you don't believe me. McKinsey made every scene special, every scene golden. That she never won an Emmy for Iris - or even received a nomination for Alex - is not just a travesty, it's downright criminal.
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