8 Movie Stars Whose Earliest Roles Were in Soap Operas

There is no straight path to stardom, and the actors who now headline the biggest blockbusters made their way in the industry through hits and flops in order to get to their current position. Not everyone got to be a household name in the same way. There are those, for instance, who launched their careers as young child actors and went on to star in hits into adulthood, such as Daniel Radcliffe or Drew Barrymore, among many others. Other actors, on the contrary, devoted themselves to entirely different careers before they turned to acting, and some even spent many years struggling until they finally landed their breakthrough role and found success later in life. As an example, it took Kathy Bates 20 years of hard work to achieve worldwide fame with her role as Annie Wilkes in Misery.

One of the many platforms that actors have used to launch their artistic careers were hit soap operas, a genre known for its lengthy airtime, speedy production, and storylines that often stretch over several episodes. Generally speaking, soap operas are low-budget productions, featuring a cast made up of lesser-known actors filmed mostly on sets that have been recycled from other productions. Still, these shows kept many viewers company over the years and spawned many of the industry's greatest actors. This article will look back at the early days of eight famous actors and their parts in soap operas.

8 Meg Ryan — As the World Turns

Meg Ryan joined the cast of As the World Turns in 1982, initially intending to make a short cameo appearance and use that money to support her career in journalism. However, she ended up staying on the soap opera until 1984 as Betsy Stewart, a woman in a hasty marriage who eventually fell in love and remarried Steve Andropoulos (Frank Runyeon) during an episode that garnered 20 million viewers. Following that role, Ryan went on to make a name for herself in the film industry and became a top-grossing actress by the 1990s, particularly for her roles in the rom-com genre.

7 Mark Hamill — General Hospital

Mark Hamill is world-renowned for his role as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars film series. And, in fact, that was actually the role that launched him to fame in 1977. However, Hamill's career started a few years earlier, with some appearances in TV shows. His first regular role in the industry was as Kent Murray in General Hospital, the soap opera that premiered in 1963 and remains on the air to this day. Murray was Nurse Jessie Brewer's nephew, and he only appeared in the show between 1972 and 1973.

6 Brittany Snow — Guiding Light

The role that brought Brittany Snow to fame was that of troubled teenager Susan "Daisy" Lemay in the soap opera Guiding Light, in which she was featured from 1998 to 2001. Guiding Light aired for 57 years between 1952 and 2009. Because of her performance, Snow won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress, and following her participation, she was cast in the show American Dreams until 2005. From then on, Snow's career kept on growing, with the actress heading major projects such as Pitch Perfect, Hairspray, and Would You Rather.

5 Brad Pitt — Another World / Dallas

The audience may have come to know Brad Pitt through a myriad of roles he has performed over the years, in films such as Fight Club, Ocean's Eleven, Inglorious Basterds and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, among many others. But his debut in the industry was in 1987, when he took part in several TV shows, including the soap operas Another World and Dallas. In the former, Pitt was featured in two episodes playing a basketball player named Chris, while in the latter he had a slightly larger role playing Randy, one of the main actresses' boyfriend, for four episodes.

4 Demi Moore — General Hospital

Demi Moore is another star who began her career in the soap opera General Hospital, just like Mark Hamill. From 1982 to 1984, Moore starred as Jackie Templeton, an investigative reporter from New York who was in charge of investigating several disappearances, including her own sister's. Her breakthrough role came a few years later in the 1990 film Ghost, followed by appearances in blockbusters such as A Few Good Men, Indecent Proposal, and G.I. Jane, among others.

3 Morgan Freeman — Another World / Ryan's Hope

Owning one of the most distinctive voices in the film industry, Morgan Freeman was first seen in films and television series in his 20s, yet he only achieved worldwide acclaim in his 50s. One of his earliest roles was a brief appearance in Another World in 1983. This soap opera aired from 1964 to 1999, and in it, Freeman starred as architect Dr. Roy Bingham. Two years before that, Freeman also made a cameo in another soap opera, Ryan's Hope, playing the character of Cicero Murphy. Among the most important projects of his career following these roles are Driving Miss Daisy, Seven and Glory.

2 Susan Sarandon — A World Apart / Search for Tomorrow

Over the years, Susan Sarandon grew to be one of the most impressive actresses in the industry, starring in movies such as Atlantic City, Thelma & Louise and Dead Man Walking, to name just a few. The start of her career, however, dates back to 1970, the year in which she was cast in the movie Joe and the soap opera A World Apart. Sarandon's appearance in this show was short-lived: she was featured in a single episode as Patrice Kahlman. A year later, Susan was cast in another soap opera, Search for Tomorrow.

1 Leonardo DiCaprio — Santa Barbara

Leonardo DiCaprio's road to fame goes back to his childhood, when he first appeared in TV commercials and, subsequently, in a number of shows. One of his very first roles was in the soap opera Santa Barbara, where he played a younger version of the character Mason Capwell for five episodes. After that, DiCaprio went on to appear in the sitcoms Parenthood and Growing Pains, and in 1991 he made his film debut in the movie Critters 3. That was only the beginning for Leonardo, as a few years later he would land a number of his most acclaimed roles in films such as What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Titanic and Catch Me If You Can, among many, many others.