Five Things That Happened On June 6 In Soap History

In 1986, Ian Buchanan made his General Hospital debut as dashing Duke Lavery, love interest for Finola Hughes's Anna Devane. The actor recalled to Soap Opera Digest in 2023 of how he came to be cast, “I was in New York and didn’t really know what a soap opera was, but had met the network for their talent development program, which Emma [Samms, Holly] had been a part of. That was how I was first introduced to ABC and I did a tape that [then-Executive Producer] Gloria Monty saw, and she flew me out to L.A. to test with the lovely and talented Miss Finola Hughes, and that was it! Then they moved me, lock, stock and barrel, from New York to Hollywood.” Buchanan left the show in 1989, but reprised Duke from 2012-15.

In 1990, Hunter Tylo made her Bold and Beautiful debut as Dr. Taylor Hayes, the future wife of Ridge Forrester (Ronn Moss). A doctor, one of Taylor's patients was Ridge's wife, Caroline Spencer Forrester, who was terminally ill. Tylo had previously appeared on All My Children in the role of Robin McCall and on Days of Our Lives as Marina Toscano. After coming and going from the show many times over the years, Tylo last appeared as Taylor in 2019, and the role was recast first with Krista Allen, then with Rebecca Budig.

In 2002, Aiden Turner made his All My Children debut as Aidan Devane, the nephew of twins Anna and Alexandra Devane. In a 2003 interview with Soaps In Depth, Turner credited co-star Finola Hughes (Anna) with helping him adjust his performance. "I learned to ad- lib and make it real from Finola," he explained. "She told me not to always just go with the lines.” The actor remained with the show until 2009.

 

In 2003 on Days of Our Lives, Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney) was unconscious after life-saving surgery that was required after she went through glass doors at the DiMera mansion. Doctors warned her parents, Roman Brady and Marlena Evans, that she had sustained significant damage to her vocal chords and might lose the ability to speak. "Thank God," snapped Nicole when she heard the news. Unfortunately for Nicole, Sami did make a full recovery.

In 2022 on General Hospital, Marshall Ashford (Robert Gossett) finally confessed to his son, Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner), that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia — a secret he had been harboring for decades and the reason he had abandoned his family years prior. Reflecting on this major moment in his character's storyline, Robert Gossett shared in an interview with Soap Opera Digest, “I think he’s gotten to a crossroads in his life and he had to decide what was more important. This secret, this shame? I thought about that as I’ve been doing the part. Mental illness, even today, is something a lot of people hide. Would I want someone to know I’m schizophrenic or would I just keep it quiet? People have their own ideas about what that is, and you wind up holding it close to your vest. So, that moment for Marshall was, ‘I’m just going to put it out there and hope you can still love me.’ So, Marshall does that, and thank God, Curtis says, ‘You’re my dad and I still love you now that I know the truth.’ ”