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Star of the Week

Soap Star Stats A-B-C

Soap Star Stats: A-B-C

Lexi Ainsworth
— ABC

Lexi Ainsworth (Kristina, GH)

Alexandra Danielle Ainsworth began performing at the tender age of 6 when she danced with a local ballet company. She portrayed a Lullaby League Munchkin in her first professional production, The Wizard of Oz. Lexi later landed the lead role of Scout in the Actors Equity production of To Kill A Mockingbird. MORE

Kristen Alderson ABC P.jpg
— ABC

Kristen Alderson (Starr, OLTL)

Sixteen-year-old Kristen Alderson was born, and continues to be raised, in Pennsylvania. The oldest child of Kathy and Rich Alderson, she was barely out of diapers when she got the acting bug. MORE

Eddie Alderson PLATZER 09 P
— Robin Platzer/Twin Images

Eddie Alderson (Matthew, OLTL)

Eddie Alderson was encouraged by his mother to work with his sister, Kristen Alderson, who plays Starr Manning on ONE LIFE TO LIVE. At first he was reluctant to join the show because he had never acted before. MORE

Grant Aleksander P 2000
— PGP

Grant Aleksander (ex-Phillip, GL)

The youngest of three brothers, Grant Aleksander grew up in a suburb of Baltimore, MD. He studied theater at Washington and Lee University, where he met his wife, Sherry Ramsey. After moving to New York, Aleksander briefly modeled and waited tables before landing GL in 1982. MORE

Kristian Alfonso 2007 JPI P
JPI

Kristian Alfonso (Hope, DAYS)

Growing up in chilly New England — Brockton, Mass., specifically — Kristian Alfonso developed an early passion for figure skating. She became a Junior Olympic Champion with bright prospects, until a tobogganing accident caused multiple fractures to her landing leg. MORE

Bradford Anderson
— MARINA CHAVEZ/SOAPNET

Bradford Anderson (Spinelli, GH)

In November 2006, Bradford Anderson joined the cast of GENERAL HOSPITAL as the quirky Damien Spinelli. Born and raised in Meredith, New Hampshire, Anderson's mother encouraged both he and his sister, Jennifer, to get involved in theater. MORE

John Aniston
JPI

John Aniston (Victor, DAYS)

Born John Anastassakis on the island of Crete in Greece, John Aniston and his family emigrated to the United States when he was 10. His father promptly anglicized the family name, changing it to Aniston. MORE

Melissa Archer 2005 P
— ABC

Melissa Archer (Natalie, OLTL)

Melissa Archer had only one major acting credit to her name when she joined ONE LIFE TO LIVE in 2001, but handled being thrown into a front-burner story (when Natalie was revealed as Viki's daughter) with aplomb. The Texas native won over the audience with her sassy portrayal of Natalie and eventually nabbed Soap Opera Digest Awards for Outstanding Newcomer in 2003 and Favorite Triangle in 2005. MORE

MatthewAshfordP05.jpg
— NBC

Matthew Ashford (ex-Jack, DAYS)

Matthew Ashford was bitten by the acting bug at 12 years old, when his sisters dragged him to auditions for a local play. A year later the family moved to Fairfax, Va., where he decided he had found his calling and became heavily involved in his high school drama program. MORE

Amanda Baker 07 P
— ABC

Laura Amanda Baker (ex-Babe, AMC)

Amanda Baker was raised in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., where her parents, Dr. F. Keels Baker and Laura Baker, and sister Candy Lowman still reside. She caught the acting bug when she first started to perform in school plays and musicals and participated in Wando School's Show Choir. MORE

Brandon Barash
— ABC

Brandon Barash (Johnny, GH)

If Missouri native Brandon Barash hadn't become an actor, he says he would have been a doctor. That's because the then-USC student had a dual major: theater and pre-med. MORE

Julia Barr P 2006
— ABC

Julia Barr (ex-Brooke, AMC)

Julia Barr joined AMC in 1976 as the rebellious teen-ager Brooke English. A Hoosier by birth, Barr lives in New Jersey with her husband. MORE

Murray Bartlett
JPI

Murray Bartlett (ex-Cyrus, GL)

Murray Bartlett was born in Sydney and has one older brother, Richard. Bartlett first began attending speech and drama-type classes at a young age to help correct a speech impediment that was caused by a childhood accident and the loss of several teeth. MORE

Noelle Beck
JPI

Noelle Beck (Lily, ATWT)

Baltimore native Noelle Beck was discovered while she was a junior attending a Maryland high school for the arts. MORE

Brandon Beemer P 2006
— NBC

Brandon Beemer (Owen, B&B)

Born and raised in Eugene, Ore., Brandon Beemer admits to having a "crazy imagination" since childhood, yet he never seriously considered acting. Instead, he played sports in high school and earned small scholarships to several colleges for track. MORE

Drew Tyler Bell JPI 08 P
JPI

Drew Tyler Bell (Thomas, B&B)

Drew Tyler Bell has been entertaining since he was only 6 years old, which is when he began taking dancing lessons. Soon after, the Wooster, OH, native added several musical instruments to his repertoire. At 15, he considered becoming a professional pianist, but chose to get into acting instead. MORE

Lauralee Bell 2006 P
— CBS

Lauralee Bell (Christine, Y&R)

Lauralee Bell was born and raised in Chicago. The daughter of William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, Lauralee and her older brothers moved to Los Angeles after her parents created Y&R. MORE

Maurice Benard P 2006
— ABC

Maurice Benard (Sonny, GH)

One of daytime's hottest stars, Maurice Benard has endeared himself to audiences as GENERAL HOSPITAL's moody mobster Sonny Corinthos for the past 10 years. Born and raised in San Francisco as Mauricio Morales, Benard's mom hails from El Salvador and his father is from Nicaragua. MORE

Peter Bergman 06 P
— CBS

Peter Bergman (Jack, Y&R)

Jack Abbott has always been a bit of a ladies' man. Who knew that his portrayer, Peter Bergman, found his way into acting by chasing after a girl? And lucky for daytime and his fans, he did. MORE

Julie Marie Berman 06 P
— ABC

Julie Marie Berman (Lulu, GH)

A bona fide California girl, Julie Marie Berman was born and raised in Los Angeles. Courted by casting directors and talent scouts from a young age, Berman had already starred in a number of commercials by the time most kids were learning their multiplication tables. MORE

Corbin Bernsen P
— ABC

Corbin Bernsen (ex-John, GH)

Corbin Bernsen was born to Jeanne Cooper (Katherine, YOUNG AND RESTLESS) and Harry Bernsen in Hollywood, CA. He has two siblings — a brother, Collin, and a sister, Caren — who are also actors. MORE

Blake Berris
— NBC

Blake Berris (ex-Nick, DAYS)

Born into the business — his father, Ken Berris, is a director — Blake Berris always knew he wanted to perform. And, as a native of sunny California, he didn’t have to go far to achieve his dream. However, Berris did spend a summer abroad studying at Oxford, concentrating on the likes of Shakespeare and Chekhov. MORE

Nadia Bjorlin P 2008
— NBC

Nadia Bjorlin (Chloe, DAYS)

One of six siblings, Nadia Bjorlin was born in Newport, Rhode Island. Her father, composer/conductor Ulf Bjorlin, was a native of Sweden, and Bjorlin and her family moved there when she was two months old. Upon returning to the States, Ulf took a job conducting the Florida Philharmonic and Palm Beach Symphony. MORE

Vail Bloom
— CBS

Vail Bloom (Heather, Y&R)

Born in Boston but raised in Connecticut and Florida, Vail Bloom never aspired to be an actress growing up. In fact, when she enrolled at Princeton University, she majored in architecture, eventually earning a Bachelor's degree in the subject. MORE

Robert Bogue P 2007
— PGP

Robert Bogue (ex-Mallet, GL)

Rob Bogue was born in Nebraska, but was raised in Kansas and Kentucky. While attending Colorado College, where he played basketball, he met director Sydney Pollack, the father of a classmate, and was intrigued by the idea of acting for a living. MORE

BethAnnBonnerP.jpg
— ABC

BethAnn Bonner (Talia, OLTL)

Although she was second runner-up to I WANNA BE A SOAP STAR 3 winner Mike Jerome (ex-Ted, OLTL), it didn't take long for BethAnn Bonner to book a contract role as intuitive cop Talia on OLTL. After the final taping of SOAP STAR in 2006, OLTL Executive Producer Frank Valentini approached Bonner and gave her his business card. MORE

RoscoeBorn2005P.jpg
— CBS

Roscoe Born (ex-Trent, DAYS)

Roscoe Born was born on November 24, 1950 in Topeka, Kansas, one of four siblings. At the age of seven, his family moved to Maryland, where he spent the rest of his formative years. Born entered Tulane University in Louisiana at the early age of seventeen, and later attended Boston University. MORE

Eric Braeden P 07
— CBS

Eric Braeden (Victor, Y&R)

Eric Braeden was born Hans Gudegast on April 3 in Kiel, Germany. He emigrated to the United States in the late '50s and settled in Texas. Prior to beginning his acting career, Braeden worked in the University of Texas' medical school lab. He relocated to Los Angeles where he attended Santa Monica College. MORE

Chad Brannon JPI P 07
JPI

Chad Brannon (ex-Zander, GH)

Chad Brannon grew up in Houston with his parents... Though Brannon was an athlete throughout high school and planned to be a lawyer, he snagged the lead in a school play and was instantly bitten by the acting bug. MORE

Jeff Branson JPI P
JPI

Jeff Branson (ex-Shayne, GL)

Jeff Branson is not one of those actors who was born with a burning desire to perform. Rather, he stumbled into what would become his profession when he got a tip that the acting teacher at his high school didn't have a problem with students sleeping through class. MORE

Tamara Braun P 08 JPI
JPI

Tamara Braun (Reese, AMC)

Having had to deal with a firestorm of controversy when she came to the recast role of Carly Benson Quartermaine Corinthos in 2001, Tamara Braun has since become a force of nature all her own. MORE

Tracey E Bregman 2006 P
— CBS

Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren, Y&R)

Department store heiress Lauren Fenmore has certainly led an eventful life on on both Y&R and BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL, but her portrayer, Tracey E. Bregman's background is just as colorful. Born to a showbiz family in Munich, Germany, Bregman then lived in London, England until she was 10, when her clan relocated to Los Angeles. MORE

Darin Brooks
— NBC

Darin Brooks (Max, DAYS)

Born and raised in paradise — a.k.a. Honolulu — Brooks got bit by the acting bug after playing Rapunzel's Prince in a high school production of Into the Woods. He began taking classes and doing extra work in movies filmed in Hawaii. MORE

John Brotherton STEVEN BERGMAN 08 P
— STEVEN BERGMAN

John Brotherton (Jared Banks, OLTL)

Although he graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in business, John Brotherton was driven to make a career of acting. So he packed up his car and headed straight to L.A., where he lived and worked for four years while booking the occasional acting gig. MORE

Sarah Brown P 08 ABC
— ABC

Sarah Brown (Sandy, B&B)

Sarah Brown had an eclectic upbringing, living in various combinations with her mother, father and two siblings in cities throughout California. She began her acting career at the prestigious Los Angeles High School for the Performing Arts. MORE

Justin Bruening 06 P
— ABC

Justin Bruening (ex-Jamie, AMC)

Born and bred in Nebraska, where he was raised by his now-deceased maternal grandmother, Justin Bruening claims that as a child, he was "the nerdiest, geekiest kid ever." He studied biochemistry in college, but found that life in a lab wasn't for him ("I would entertain everyone by setting my lab partner on fire," he jokes), so he moved to sunny California after graduation to live with his aunt and uncle. MORE

Mandy Bruno
JPI

Mandy Bruno (ex-Marina, GL)

Mandy Bruno was born in Phoenix, but she grew up in Beaverton, Oregon. She began her acting career on the stage. One of the first roles she won was Jesus in her Catholic high school's production of Jesus Christ Superstar. When school officials demanded a male be recast in the lead role, Bruno's predicament sparked a national religious debate. MORE

Scott Bryce EP 07
— PGP

Scott Bryce (ex-Craig, ATWT)

Scott Bryce's showbiz lineage spans at least four generations — he's the great-grandson of a circus juggler, the grandson of a vaudeville talent manager and the son of the late actor (ex-Bill, GL et al) and director Ed Bryce, who met and married Bryce's mom, Dorothy, while doing summer stock theater. MORE

bryton McClure JPI 09 P
JPI

Bryton James (Devon, Y&R)

Bryton began his acting career when he was just a toddler. He landed his very first commercial audition for Disney Mattel at the tender age of 2. By the time he was 3, Bryton won his first television series role, playing Richie on FAMILY MATTERS. He appeared on the show throughout its nine-year run. MORE

Ian Buchanan 2005 P
— ABC

Ian Buchanan (ex-James, B&B)

Ian Buchanan, a native of Hamilton, Scotland, was born the second eldest of six children (he has two sisters and three brothers). He left school at 14 and worked as a hotel bellhop and before long was living the jet-set life, working internationally as a top model for the prestigious Ford agency. MORE

Brandon Buddy P 2007
— ABC

Brandon Buddy (Cole, OLTL)

Born in Austin, TX, Buddy moved around the country with his family before returning to San Antonio after high school. There, a management company showed interest in him and encouraged him to move to L.A., where he took acting classes for six months until he started going on auditions. MORE

Rebecca Budig P 2003
— ABC

Rebecca Budig (Greenlee, AMC)

The youngest in a family of eight children, Rebecca Budig joined AMC in 1999 after a stint as good girl Michelle Bauer on GL. MORE

Molly Burnett
— NBC

Molly Burnett (Melanie, DAYS)

Born and raised in the small town of Littleton, Colo., Molly Burnett grew up in the Denver community theater world. She tackled the roles of Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Mayzie in Seussical, Annie in Annie and Dotty in Noises Off. MORE

Steve Burton 07 P JIM WARREN
— ABC

Steve Burton (Jason, GH)

Steve Burton was born in Indianapolis, IN and raised in Cleveland, OH and Chicago, IL. The only child of divorced parents, Burton spent his childhood living with his optician mother in the Midwest. At age 16, he went to Beverly Hills, CA to visit his father, a jockey and real-estate manager. MORE

Martha Byrne P 08 CBS
— CBS

Martha Byrne (Andrea, GH)

The youngest of four children born in Ridgewood, NJ, Martha Byrne began her acting career at age 10 when she played July in Broadway's Annie. In 1984, she auditioned for but lost the role of Lily to Lucy Deakins. MORE

JohnCallahanP.jpg
— ABC

John Callahan (ex-Edmund, AMC)

John Callahan admits to a handful of great loves — his wife, his daughter, his work and golf, golf and more golf. The Brooklyn born and Long Island bred 6-footer first thought about a career as a lawyer, and paid for his college tuition by working as a bartender and as nightclub managers. MORE

David Canary 05 P
— ABC

David Canary (Adam/Stuart, AMC)

David Canary was born in Elwood, Ind., and raised in Massillon, Ohio. He attended the University of Cincinnati on a football scholarship and graduated as a music major with a specialization in voice as part of a unique program that included study at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. MORE

Phil Carey 2003 P
— ABC

Phil Carey (ex-Asa, OLTL)

Phil Carey grew up in suburban Long Island in the towns of Malverne and Rosedale. He knew he wanted to be an actor at a very young age and studied drama at the University of Miami. MORE

Sharon Case JPI 07 P
JPI

Sharon Case (Sharon, Y&R)

They say the third time's the charm, a cliché that has worked out well for Sharon Case. After short stints on GENERAL HOSPITAL, AS THE WORLD TURNS and VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, Case was cast as the third Sharon Collins Newman, a role she's held since 1994. MORE

Orlagh Cassidy P 2007
— PGP

Orlagh Cassidy (ex-Doris, GL)

Orlagh Cassidy developed a knack for speaking in dialects at a young age, which the Washington, D.C. native attributes to her Irish roots. She attended the acting conservatory at State University of New York (in Purchase) and immediately fell in love with the theater. MORE

BethChamberlinJPIP.jpg
JPI

Beth Chamberlin (ex-Beth, GL)

Originally from Danville, Vermont, Beth Chamberlin grew up with her three brothers. She got her first taste of acting while living in Vermont, but ballet soon became her great interest. Chamberlin's love of ballet led her to enroll at New York University to study dance, but she later changed her focus to acting. MORE

Christina Chambers P 2007
— ABC

Christina Chambers (ex-Marty, OLTL)

Though the daughter of doctors (one of physics, the other of mathematics), Christina Chambers always knew she would be an actress. She grew up in Alexandria with her parents and three siblings. MORE

judith chapman JPI 07 P
JPI

Judith Chapman (Gloria, Y&R)

Judith Chapman was born in Greenville, S.C. The daughter of an Air Force General, she spent the majority of her childhood living outside of the United States. As a young teen, she caught the acting bug and began her career in Spain. MORE

Crystal Chappell P 05
— PGP

Crystal Chappell (Carly, DAYS)

Born the only girl and middle child to Don and Priscilla, Crystal Chappell had a semi-nomadic lifestyle growing up. Her family moved constantly, constructing houses wherever they went (the family often slept in the abodes before they were finished and sold). Shy and overweight, Chappell has confessed that she was often an outsider growing up. MORE

Leslie Charleson 2004 P
— ABC

Leslie Charleson (Monica, GH)

Born in Kansas City, MO, Charleson knew at an early age that she wanted to act and made her way to New York City. There, she jumped into daytime and even garnered her first Emmy nomination. But it’s her classic commercial for Pearl Drops toothpaste that Charleson credits as her true entry into show business. MORE

ambyrchildersJPIP.jpg
JPI

Ambyr Childers (ex-Colby, AMC)

The middle of three sisters (one is seven years younger; the other is two years older), Ambyr Childers grew up playing sports ("We were never the ballet-type girls or the girls who would dress up with princess outfits; we were very athletic") and singing. MORE

Shawn Christian
— Mitchell Haaseth/NBC

Shawn Christian (Daniel, DAYS)

Born in Grand Rapids, Mich., Christian graduated in 1989 from Ferris State University with a degree in marketing. He promptly moved to Chicago to pursue an acting career, where he began honing his skills onstage by joining the improvisational company, Improv Olympics. MORE

Robin Christopher 2000 P
— ABC

Robin Christopher (ex-Skye, GH)

Robin Christopher can be considered an overnight sensation. Spotted by a photographer in Boston as a teenager, she left her strict, Catholic upbringing and immediately headed to Japan for a three-month modeling stint. Following jobs in London and Germany, Christopher returned to the States. MORE

Thom Christopher 1996 P
— ABC

Thom Christopher (Carlo, OLTL)

Native New Yorker Thom Christopher hails from the Queens neighborhood of Jackson Heights. Known to most soap fans as the golden-voiced villain Carlo Hesser, Christopher is also an accomplished theatrical actor. MORE

Tyler Christopher P 2006
— ABC

Tyler Christopher (Nikolas, GH)

The youngest of four children, Tyler Christopher was born in Joliet, IL, but he grew up with his two sisters and brother in Delaware, OH. Accomplished in sports, he graduated from high school and attended Ohio Wesleyan University for two years, before heading to California to pursue a career in acting. MORE

Jordan Clarke G 2003 P
— PGP

Jordan Clarke (ex-Billy, GL)

Born in Rochester, NY, Jordan Clarke was raised on a horse farm. After high school, he enrolled in Cornell University, where he double-majored in philosophy and government. At Cornell, he also participated in several plays and took arts courses, which prompted his post-graduate move to New York City. MORE

Scott Clifton
— ABC

Scott Clifton (Schuyler, OLTL)

Three-time Emmy-nominated actor Scott Clifton's acting career began when he was 9 years old, and his mother gave him a copy of Hamlet to read. Within days, Clifton had memorized the "To be or not to be" speech! Being raised in Los Angeles, his mother introduced him to an actor who taught him about Shakespeare and acting. MORE

Bradley Cole P 2007
— PGP

Bradley Cole (ex-Jeffrey, GL)

Los Angeles native Bradley Cole is one of five children. He went to Pepperdine University in Malibu with the intention of playing sports. An arm injury took him off the baseball field and introduced him to acting. MORE

MarkCollierP.jpg
— PGP

Mark Collier (ex-Mike, ATWT)

He did some local theater while growing up in small town Ocala, FL, but by the time Mark Collier got to high school, he equated drama club to "being in band." At Georgia Southern University, he majored in public relations, psychology and even accounting, but spent most of his time with his fraternity. MORE

JanetS.jpg
— ABC

Kate Collins (ex-Janet, AMC)

Kate Collins was born in Boston, MA to astronaut Michael Collins and Patricia M. Finnegan. She graduated from Northwestern University and went on to star in many theatrical performances. At age twenty-four Collins got married, but the pairing fizzled out three years later just prior to her Broadway debut in Doubles. MORE

Terri Colombino JPI 2007 P
JPI

Terri Colombino (Katie, ATWT)

Theresa Celeste Conn is the only child of a real-estate-agent mother and a (now-retired) Air Force officer father. The family moved often during her childhood, but eventually settled in Albuquerque, NM. Having forsaken acting for cheerleading in high school, Colombino was in her junior year as a communications major at University of San Diego when she went to Florence, Italy — and had an epiphany. MORE

DarleneConleyP.jpg
— CBS

Darlene Conley (ex-Sally, B&B)

Before Darlene Conley originated the role of the flamboyant Sally Spectra in 1989, she had already carved out an impressive career in theater, film and prime-time. Raised on the South side of Chicago, Conley was discovered at age 15 by Broadway impresario (and notoriously difficult boss) Jed Harris. MORE

Jeanne Cooper P 2003
— CBS

Jeanne Cooper (Katherine, Y&R)

Born in Taft, Calif., in 1928, Jeanne Cooper attended College of the Pacific before graduating from Pasadena Playhouse School. Cooper's career included television guest spots on THE TWILIGHT ZONE, PERRY MASON, L.A. LAW, MAVERICK, TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL, THE NANNY and BEN CASEY (for which she received a prime-time Emmy nomination). MORE

DanielCosgroveP2005.jpg
— PGP

Daniel Cosgrove (ex-Bill, GL)

Born the third of seven children, Daniel Cosgrove did not catch the acting bug until he was an adult. Painfully shy as a child and adolescent, Cosgrove excelled at sports, not public speaking, at his all-boys Catholic high school. He spent three semesters at a small Catholic college before taking time off. During that break, he became a bailiff at a local court. MORE

More Soap Star Stats (by last name):
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