Taye Diggs
Taye Diggs already had found Broadway fame with Rent and Chicago but he made his TV debut with Guiding Light in 1997.
Lacey Chabert
Pre-Mean Girls, Lacey Chabert was a famed child star in Party of Five and soap opera All My Children.
Colin Egglesfield
He may have wooed both Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin in Something Borrowed, but Colin Egglesfield was well-known to soap opera fans long before the hit 2011 romantic comedy. Egglesfield played Joshua Madden in All My Children from 2005 to 2009.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
During her time at All My Children, Sarah Michelle Gellar played Erica Kane's long-lost daughter, Kendall Hart. Now, Kendall had anger issues because she was the product of rape and pissed that her mom left her, so she was all about vengeance—locking her little sister in a crypt and trying to seduce her stepfather. In 1995, Gellar left along—with her Daytime Emmy.
Morgan Freeman
The iconic film star began his career in TV, with soap operas Ryan's Hope and Another World.
Ted Danson
Mr. Mayor found his Good Place on soap operas! Ted Danson wowed on Somerset and The Doctors for years.
Kyra Sedgwick
Call Your Mother lead actress Kyra Sedgwick made her screen debut in one season of Another World in 1982.
Jordana Brewster
The Fast & Furious star played Anita Santos in a single episode of All My Children in 1995, launching her six-year long soap opera career on As the World Turns.
Lauryn Hill
Songstress Lauryn Hill first made her screen debut in As the World Turns.
Lori Loughlin
From Full House to living out her own soap opera dramas, Lori Loughlin was in The Edge of Night from 1980 to 1984.
Brittany Snow
The Pitch Perfect singer-actress got her start on Guiding Light way back in 1999 as Susan Lemay.
Melissa Leo
Melissa Leo transformed into Linda Warner for All My Children back in 1984.
Anne Heche
The late Anne Heche was in Another World from 1984 to 1992.
Paul Wesley
Before being a blood-sucking Vampire Diaries heartthrob, Paul Wesley was on both Guiding Light and Another World in 1999.
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate made her television debut at a very young age. The Dead to Me actress was first in front of the camera at just three months old alongside her mother Nancy Priddy on Days of Our Lives before appearing on Married...With Children.
Shemar Moore
Shemar Moore's Criminal Minds career kicked off following his long-running stint on The Young and the Restless, concluding in 2005. Moore even returned in 2014 for a guest appearance on the famed soap!
David Hasselhoff
"The Hoff" is most beloved for Baywatch and Knight Rider, but soap opera lovers know him as Dr. William "Snapper" Foster from The Young and the Restless.
Meg Ryan
Remember when Meg Ryan was America's Sweetheart? That all started with As the World Turns, where she played Betsy Stewart from 1982 to 1984. Her character's wedding was a pretty big deal (20 million viewers!).
Kevin Bacon
Footloose icon Kevin Bacon found his Guiding Light on the soap opera in the 1980s.
Amber Tamblyn
Former child star Amber Tamblyn wowed in Joan of Arcadia and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants but only after portraying Emily Quartermaine on General Hospital for six years until 2001.
Ricky Martin
The singer appeared in one episode of General Hospital in 1995 before going on to appear in TV series like American Crime Story.
Alison Sweeney
The Hallmark Christmas movie queen has played Sami Brady since 1987 on Days of Our Lives.
Marisa Tomei
Another As the World Turns alumni, Marisa took on the role of Marcy Thompson from 1983 to 1985.
Mark Hamill
Pre-Star Wars fame, Mark Hamill portrayed Dr. Kent Murphy on General Hospital from 1972 to 1973.