Guiding Light

Guiding Light
Guiding Light final title card, circa 2008-09
Created by	Irna Phillips
Written by	Kimberly Hamilton Christopher Dunn David Kreizman Donna Swajeski Tita Bell Jill Lorie Hurst Rebecca Hanover David Rupel Lloyd Gold
Directed by	Bruce S. Barry Joe Cotugno Rob Decina Matthew Lagle Brian Mertes Adam Reist Robert Scinto Jo Anne Sedwick Susan Strickler Ellen Wheeler Karen Wilkens
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	15,762
Production
Executive producer(s)	Lucy Ferri Rittenberg (1952–75) Allen M. Potter (1976–82) Gail Kobe (1982–86) Joe Willmore (1986–87) Robert Calhoun (1987–91) Jill Farren Phelps (1991–95) Michael Laibson (1995–96) Paul Rauch (1996–2002) John Conboy (2002–04) Ellen Wheeler (2004–09)
Producer(s)	Producers: Alexandra Johnson-Gamsey Maria Macina Jan Conklin Christopher Cullen Janet Morrison Coordinating Producer: David Brandon Associate Producers: Jennifer Weeks Amanda Glattstein
Location(s)	Chicago, Illinois (1937–47) Los Angeles, California (1947–49) New York City, New York (1949–2009) Peapack, New Jersey (2007–09)
Running time	15 minutes (1937–68) 30 minutes (1968–77) 60 minutes (1977–2009)
Distributor	Procter & Gamble Productions, Inc. (1952–2008) TeleNext Media, Inc. (2008–09)
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC Radio (1937–46) CBS Radio (1947–52) CBS TV (1952–2009)
Original run	NBC/CBS Radio: January 25, 1937 – June 27, 1952 CBS Television June 30, 1952 – September 18, 2009
Chronology
Related shows	As the World Turns The Bold and the Beautiful The Young and the Restless

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Guiding Light (known as The Guiding Light before 1975, or simply GL) is an American daytime television drama that is listed in Guinness World Records as the longest running drama in television, running for 57 years from June 30, 1952 to September 18, 2009, following the 15-year radio run. At the time of its cancellation in 2009, it was the longest-running soap opera in production. It is also among the longest running broadcast programs in history of any kind, across radio media for 15 years, and then television media for 57 years, being first broadcast five days after President Franklin D. Roosevelt's second inauguration. It aired on radio from January 25, 1937, to June 29, 1956, and debuted on CBS Television on June 30, 1952 running for 57 years. The series was expanded from 15 minutes to a half hour in 1968, and then to a full hour on November 7, 1977. The 15,000th televised episode of Guiding Light aired on September 7, 2006.

Guiding Light was created by Irna Phillips, and began as an NBC Radio serial on January 25, 1937. In 1947 the show moved to CBS radio, before starting on television on June 30, 1952, on CBS television. The show's title refers to a lamp in the study of Reverend Dr. John Ruthledge, a major character when The Guiding Light debuted in 1937, that family and residents could see as a sign for them to find help when needed.

On March 3, 2008, exactly three days after airing a new production model episode, Guiding Light competed against Passionate Dreams in a matchup, but lastly, Guiding Light defeated Passionate Dreams in a 74-71 score.

On March 27, 2009, Guiding Light competed against Passionate Dreams in a matchup, but Guiding Light lost in a 74-60 score to Passionate Dreams.

On April 1, 2009, CBS announced that it canceled Guiding Light after 72 years (15 years on radio and 57 years on television) due to low ratings. The show taped its final Procter and Gamble scenes for CBS on August 11, 2009, and its final episode on the network aired on September 18, 2009. Reruns of The Price Is Right took over the Guiding Light time slot between September 21 and October 2, 2009 for two weeks. On October 5, 2009, CBS replaced Guiding Light with an hour-long revival of Let's Make a Deal, hosted by Wayne Brady.

On January 25, 2012, the now-canceled Guiding Light marked its 75th Anniversary, twelve days after ABC's soap opera One Life to Live ended on January 13, 2012 (the day General Hospital became ABC's last remaining soap opera) and four months after ABC's other soap opera All My Children ended on September 23, 2011.

The series finale of Guiding Light marked its 1st anniversary on September 18, 2010 (the day after the series finale of As the World Turns), the 2nd anniversary on September 18, 2011, the 3rd anniversary on September 18, 2012, the 4th anniversary on September 18, 2013, the 5th anniversary on September 18, 2014, and later its 6th anniversary on September 18, 2015. The series finale from September 18, 2009 marked its 7th anniversary on September 18, 2016.

On January 25, 2017, Guiding Light marked its 80th Anniversary overall. The Guiding Light series finale marked its 8th Anniversary on September 18, 2017.

On January 25, 2018, Guiding Light marked an 81st year, and its final episode from September 18, 2009 marked its 9th Anniversary on September 18, 2018. On January 25, 2019, Guiding Light marked an 82nd year, and its final episode from September 18, 2009 marked its 10th Anniversary known as one decade on September 18, 2019.

On January 25, 2020, Guiding Light marked an 83rd year, and its final episode from September 18, 2009 marked its 11th Anniversary on September 18, 2020.

On January 25, 2021, Guiding Light marked an 84th year, and its final episode from September 18, 2009 marked its 12th Anniversary on September 18, 2021.

On January 25, 2022, Guiding Light marked an 85th year (its 85th Anniversary), and its final episode from September 18, 2009 marked its 13th Anniversary on September 18, 2022.

On January 25, 2023, Guiding Light marked an 86th year, and its final episode from September 18, 2009 marked its 14th Anniversary on September 18, 2023.

On January 25, 2024, Guiding Light marked an 87th year, and the series finale from September 18, 2009 will soon mark its 15th Anniversary starting on September 18, 2024.

On January 25, 2025, Guiding Light will mark an 88th year, and the series finale from September 18, 2009 will soon mark its 16th Anniversary starting on September 18, 2025.

On January 25, 2026, Guiding Light will mark an 89th year, and the series finale from September 18, 2009 will soon mark its 17th Anniversary starting on September 18, 2026.

History

1950s

The Guiding Light was first broadcast by CBS Television on June 30, 1952, replacing the canceled soap opera The First Hundred Years. From June 30, 1952 to June 29, 1956, The Guiding Light ran on both CBS television and radio, with the actors performing, the same scenes but for different audiences, live twice each weekday. The live television performances were in the morning, and then in the afternoon the actors read for the live radio show. On July 2, 1956, The Guiding Light became a CBS television show, only, and the show no longer was heard on radio. Episodes continued at 15 minutes in length.

In 1953, CBS strongly persuaded Irna Phillips to let The Guiding Light experiment with television's first color broadcast. Phillips was not thrilled with the concept of color television, and thwarted the effort by CBS by having that day's episode take place entirely in a hospital setting with gray walls and white uniforms. The Guiding Light would remain broadcasting in black and white for the remainder of the decade.

In 1956, Phillips created As the World Turns, which first started airing on April 2, 1956 on CBS. When the workload of writing both that show and The Guiding Light became too much for her, Phillips handed the reins at The Guiding Light to her protégé Agnes Nixon. There is some indication that Procter & Gamble and CBS may have forced Phillips out of writing for The Guiding Light when on the March 31, 1958 episode, popular heroine Katherine "Kathy" Roberts Lang Grant Holden (played by the equally popular Susan Douglas Rubes) was killed off in a Phillips-created story. Kathy, confined to a wheelchair, was killed after being struck by a car. CBS was deluged with protest letters.

Prior to the launches of the half-hour shows As the World Turns, and The Edge of Night (both launched the same day), CBS and Procter & Gamble tried to convince Phillips to combine The Guiding Light and Search for Tomorrow into one single half hour show. Phillips declined.

1960s

Agnes Nixon relinquished her role as chief writer during 1965 to work for the series Another World. On March 13, 1967, The Guiding Light was first broadcast in color. On September 9, 1968, the program was expanded from 15 to 30 minutes.

The 1960s featured the introduction of African-American characters, and the main emphasis of the series shifted to Bill and Bert's children, Mike and Ed; the character of Bill Bauer was written out in July 1969, presumed dead after a plane crash.

A number of new characters were introduced during the mid-to-late-1960s, perhaps most notably Dr. Sara McIntyre, who remained a major character through the early 1980s.

1970s

Much of the story during the first half of the 1970s was dominated by Stanley Norris' November 1971 murder and the ensuing trial, as well as the exploits of villainesses Charlotte Waring and Kit Vested. Charlotte (played by Victoria Wyndham and Melinda Fee) was murdered by Kit (Nancy Addison) on August 26, 1973, and then Kit herself was shot by Dr. Joe Werner (Anthony Call) in self-defense on April 24, 1974, after she had attempted to poison Dr. Sara McIntyre.) A pivotal character, off-and-on, until the spring of 1998, Roger Thorpe, was introduced on April 1, 1971. Although originally proposed to be blonde, fair-skinned preppy type who was dating his boss, Stanley Norris', daughter Holly -- Michael Zaslow, a darker hair, less preppy type actor was hired for the role instead in a brilliant move by long-time casting director, Betty Rea. Zaslow took Roger into being, at first, a seemingly less than caring, in it for himself but nice enough man to one who ended up being one of the more complicated and multi-faceted villains to be seen on daytime television.

Pressure by newer, more youth-oriented soap operas such as All My Children, Procter & Gamble hired head writers Bridget and Jerome Dobson during 1975, who started writing in November 1975. The Dobsons introduced a more nuanced, psychologically layered writing style, and included timely story lines, including a complex love/hate relationship between estranged spouses/step-siblings Roger and Holly. They also created a number of well-remembered characters, including Rita Stapleton, whose complex relationships with Roger and Ed propelled much of the story for the remainder of the decade, Alan Spaulding, and Ross Marler, who both remained major characters into the 2000s.

The decision was made during the Fall of 1977 to re-introduce the thought-dead character of Bill Bauer, in a major retcon. The other characters thought that he had died in an airplane crash in July 1969, but he was said to actually be alive. (Many viewers who had also paid attention to the show and story line back in September 1968, remembered that Bill was told he'd only have nine more years to live.) One of the problems with this return is that the Dobsons seemed not quite sure what to do with his return. Although it was shocking, at first, to many of the characters, Bill himself ended up being charged for a murder of a man in Vancouver (Mike got his father off for the crime, proving that it was an accident, rather quickly and by April 1978 Bill had left town, again. Although Bill returned briefly in November 1978, April 1980, and then again in July 1983 and in flashbacks in November 1983.) Bill's return introduced the audience and the Bauers to another character that stayed on the show until September 1984, Hillary Kincaid, R. N. (Bauer), Bill's daughter (and thus Ed and Mike's half-sister; Bill had accidentally killed the man that Hillary originally thought was her father, but was actually her step-father) and she becomes a nurse at Cedars and a major character.

Surprising many viewers, Jerome and Bridget Dobson killed the show's young heroine, Leslie Jackson Bauer Noris Bauer, R. N. in June 1976. Lynne Adams was reported at the time to want to leave the role. Despite wishes of the actress to leave, the character could have still been re-recast, but was not. Leslie was killed by a drunk driver. Leslie's father, Dr. Steve Jackson, was later written off the show (as were several older characters).

In November 1975, the name was changed in the show's opening and closing visuals from The Guiding Light to Guiding Light. With this in mind, ABC and CBS acted to give a contending chance to both General Hospital and Guiding Light by expanding them to an hour in length. CBS started first by expanding Guiding Light to an hour on November 7, 1977. This gained particular importance when ABC finally expanded both One Life to Live and General Hospital to an hour on January 16, 1978, so that Guiding Light straddled those two programs, as well as the first half of sister P&G show Another World on NBC. Despite that General Hospital surprising all observers by skyrocketing from near-cancellation to the top place in the ratings with the various storylines, Guiding Light held its own while in direct competition with General Hospital, still hit an upswing as the decade ended.

The series during the 1970s emphasized the Bauers and the Spauldings. Several notable characters were introduced.

1980s

Bridget and Jerome Dobson assumed the head writing duties of As the World Turns in late 1979. Former actor Douglas Marland, assumed the head writing reins of Guiding Light in 1979. He introduced many new characters, including the Reardon family. On February 4, 1980, CBS bumped Guiding Light down again, to 3:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m CT (same time as ABC's General Hospital), and its sister P&G soap As the World Turns to 2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m CT (same time as ABC's One Life to Live), in the midst of a major scheduling shuffle intended to give The Young and the Restless (itself now expanding to an hour length) a shot in the timeslot at 1:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m CT at beating ABC's All My Children. During May 1980, Guiding Light won its first Outstanding Drama Series Daytime Emmy. One of Marland’s most remembered storiesTemplate:According to whom featured the character of Carrie Todd Marler, played by Jane Elliot. Carrie was diagnosed with multiple personalities. Marland had barely delved into her psychosis when Elliot's contract was abruptly terminated by Executive Producer Allen M. Potter in 1982. As a result, Marland resigned in protest.Template:Citation needed

During the early 1980s, the show began to emphasize younger characters more, as an attempt to compete with the younger-skewing ABC serials. A number of longtime characters were eliminated during this time, including Ben and Eve McFarren, Diane Ballard, Dr. Sara McIntyre, Adam Thorpe, Barbara Norris Thorpe, Justin Marler and Steve Jackson. Actress Lenore Kasdorf quit the show in 1981, and producers decided not to recast the role of Rita Stapleton Bauer, given how popular Kasdorf had been. The Bauer family matriarch, Bertha 'Bert' Bauer, died in March 1986, following the real-life death of Charita Bauer in 1985. The character was said initially to be visiting Meta Bauer for several months, until a tribute episode could be constructed where the characters could mourn Bert's passing on screen.

An ever more complicated storyline emphasized the Bauer, Spaulding, Reardon, and Raines families. Pam Long, actress and writer for NBC's Texas from 1981 to 1982, became head writer during 1983 and reemphasized the series on Freddy Bauer Phillip Spaulding, Mindy Lewis, and Beth Raines. She also introduced characters Alexandra Spaulding, performed by actress Beverlee McKinsey, of Another World and Texas fame; and Reva Shayne, played by Kim Zimmer. The ratings in the mid- to late 1980s were solid and healthy. Pamela K. Long returned for a second head writer stint from 1987 to 1990.

The characters of Roger Thorpe and Holly Norris returned to the series during the late 1980s. Maureen Garrett reprised her role of Holly #2 in 1988, followed by Michael Zaslow as Roger in 1989.

1990s

With the new decade, the series' storytelling transitioned from Long's homespun style to a more realistic style with a new group of chief writers. The Bauer, Spaulding, Lewis, and Cooper families had been established as core families, and most major plot developments concerned them. The show generally held on in the middle of the pack as far as ratings went throughout the decade.

The show suffered major character losses mid-decade, including the car accident death of Maureen Bauer and the exit of Alexandra Spaulding from the story. As the decade progressed, the program developed a series of outlandish plot twists seemingly to compete with the serials Passions and Days of Our Lives.

In an attempt to revive the series, the character Reva Shayne was brought back to Springfield during April 1995. She'd been presumed dead for the previous five years, after having driven her car off of a bridge and into the water off the Florida Keys. Later that July, antiheroine Tangie Hill (played by Marcy Walker, who declined to renew her contract) was eliminated after nearly two years with the show in favor of the full-time return of fan favorite Nola Chamberlain, played by Lisa Brown.

During January 1996, soap opera veteran Mary Stuart joined the cast as Meta Bauer (though referred to many times over the years, the long-running character originally played by Ellen Demming had not been seen onscreen since 1974); the character remained on the show until Stuart's death during 2002.

January 1998, Bethany Joy Lenz came to the show as "Teenage Reva Clone". Producers were so impressed with her acting and attitude during her three-week role as "Teenage Reva Clone" on the show that she was re-hired later that year in the contract role of "Michelle Bauer Santos" on the daytime serial. From 1999-2000.

2000s

The 2000s began with the division of the show into two locales: Springfield and the fictional island nation of San Cristobel. In Springfield, the Santos mob dynasty created much of the drama. Meanwhile, the royal Winslow family had their own series of intrigues with which to deal. During 2002, however, San Cristobel was eliminated from the series and the mob's influence in the story was subsequently diminished and, with the departure of character Danny Santos during 2005, eliminated altogether. Also, Guiding Light celebrated its 50th Anniversary as a television show on June 30, 2002.

During 2004, former director and actress Ellen Wheeler (Emmy Award winner as an actress for the series All My Children and Another World) took over as executive producer of Guiding Light. She and writer David Kreizman made numerous changes to the sets, stories, and the cast. Several veteran actors were eliminated, mainly because of budget decreases. Because of the lack of veteran influence, Wheeler reemphasized the youth of Springfield, especially the controversial pairing of cousins Jonathan and Tammy.

During 2006, an episode featured character Harley Cooper gaining heroic abilities. The episode was semi-continued in an 8-page story in select Marvel Comics productions.

The series had its 70th broadcast anniversary during 2007. The anniversary was commemorated with the initiation of website FindYourLight.net and a program of outreach, representing Irna Phillips' original message. There was also a special episode during January 2007, with current cast members playing Phillips and some of the earlier cast members. The series also introduced special beginning credits commemorating the anniversary.

Despite low ratings, the show won 2007 Daytime Emmy Awards for Best Writing and Best Show (sharing Best Show with The Young and the Restless).

Starting in January 2008, Guiding Light moved from the traditional multi-camera style of filming to hand-held digital cameras. All of the show's traditional sets were scuttled and new four-wall sets were erected in their place, as well as two new permanent outdoor filming locations in New Jersey. Executive producer Ellen Wheeler was quoted in the New York Post as saying that the show didn't feel real, and that the show's new production style would have a completely different and more realistic look. The production team chose to shoot with handheld Canon XH-G1 HDV camcorders, which allowed producers to choose as many locations as they wished. On February 29, 2008, a 2008 opening of Guiding Light replaced the 70th Anniversary opening and included the town of Peapack and Gladstone, New Jersey, and lastly, the logo saying "GUIDINGLIGHT".

End

On April 1, 2009, CBS announced that it would not renew Guiding Light, and the last broadcast date would be September 18, 2009. Procter & Gamble initially announced that they would attempt to find another outlet to distribute the series, but later admitted that they had been unsuccessful in doing so, and that on September 18, 2009, after 57 years on television (preceded by 15 years on radio for a total broadcast history of 72 years), Guiding Light would end its broadcast history on CBS.

During the final weeks of the series, numerous characters from the series' past passed through Springfield one last time, culminating with Ed and Holly, who impulsively embarked on an unspecified journey together. Alan Spaulding suffered fatal heart failure during the final week, but not before resolving conflicts with many former adversaries, including Jonathan. Alan's death brought the characters together in a way that could not have happened while he was still alive. Alexandra is especially distraught about Alan's death, but was pleased when Fletcher Reade came to the Spaulding Mansion after Alan's service, and convinced her to accompany him to Europe. Beth and Phillip have grown closer and decided to remarry; Mindy Lewis returned to Springfield for good, and she and Rick also became fonder of each other. Reva and Josh had a discussion, and agreed that they each had their respective problems that they need to solve. Josh told Reva that he was leaving Springfield for a job for the next year, but proposes that he return one year from that date and, if by that time, she wants to reunite with him, she should meet him at the lighthouse and, if she is not there, he will assume she is not interested.

The final episode is pleasant, featuring many of the characters gathering in the park for a large picnic. Toward the end of the episode, it jumps forward one year, by which time, Phillip and Beth have reunited, as have Rick and Mindy. Olivia and Natalia, happy with their new baby, pick Raphael up, as he returns from the army. The episode concludes with Josh arriving at the lighthouse, as promised, and finding Reva there. They declare their undying love. James, Ashlee, and Daisy leave Springfield and relocate to Santa Barbara, California. Josh asks if Reva is packed, to go on an adventure. The two grab the luggage, and with Reva's young son, they climb into Josh's pick-up truck. Josh says to Reva, "You ready?" She replies "Always." As the truck drives away with the lighthouse in the background, "The End" appears on the screen before a final fadeout. The song heard playing in the background during the final scene was Michelle Branch’s "Together".

The final episode also included the original tag line, with some revision, printed on the screen with the words "There is a destiny that makes us FAMILY" (replacing the word 'brothers'), as well as quick film clips of each of the show's title cards and announcers during the six decades it was on television, leading to the show's former long-time beginning announcement: "And now, The Guiding Light".

2010s

Guiding Light celebrated its 75th Anniversary on January 25, 2012, after All My Children ended September 23, 2011 after 41 years and after One Life to Live ended January 13, 2012 after 43 years. The soap opera, after having debuted on radio on January 25, 1937 and having moved to television on June 30, 1952 and having ended September 18, 2009, lost its former executive producer Paul Rauch, who died in December 2012, before Passionate Dreams (which started on radio on January 15, 1940 and moved to television on June 25, 1951) ended December 21, 2012.

2020s

In January 2020, Guiding Light lost Marj Dusay who died almost 11 years after the soap opera ended.

Guiding Light celebrated its 85th Anniversary on January 25, 2022.

Production and locales

Guiding Light was broadcast from three locations: Chicago (where creator Irna Phillips resided), from 1937 until 1946; Hollywood, from 1947 until 1949; and New York City starting during 1949. It was relocated from Chicago to Hollywood (despite objections of both Phillips and Arthur Peterson) to take advantage of the talent pool. Production was subsequently relocated to New York City, where the majority of soap operas were produced during the 1950s, 1960s and much of the 1970s; it remained based in New York City until the show's conclusion. Its final taping location was the CBS studios in midtown Manhattan. From the 1970s to the 1990s it was filmed at the Chelsea Studios. From soon before February 29, 2008, outdoor scenes were filmed on location in Peapack, New Jersey. The location filming coincided with another significant production change, as the series became the first American weekday soap opera to be recorded digitally. The production team chose to film with Canon XH-G1 HDV camcorders. Unlike the old production model with pedestal-style cameras and traditional three-sided sets, handheld cameras allowed producers to choose as many locations as they wished.

Final CBS seasons

During the daytime drama's 57th season on television and 72nd overall season, the series had changed its look to a more realistic experience in an attempt to compete with the growing popularity of reality television. The new look of Guiding Light included free-hand camera work and less action shown on traditional studio sets. Producer Ellen Wheeler introduced a "shaky-cam" style, present in a number of movies, featuring extreme-closeups and frequent cuts, including those that "broke the axis" (which proved disorienting to viewers accustomed to shows with the traditional "soap opera look"). Also new was the filming of outdoor scenes in actual outdoor settings. Even many indoor scenes had more of an "on location" feel, repurposing real locations, such as Guiding Light's production offices, to be motel rooms, nail salons, quick-mart and other businesses or locations. Thereby, the series had numerous sets without the cost of numerous separate locations. CBS and the show's producers had hoped that the new look would increase ratings, but the plan was ultimately unsuccessful.

In April 2009, the series was canceled by CBS Television after 57 years, and on September 18, 2009, the series finale aired.

Production summary

Production summary

Start date	End date	Time slot (ET/CT)	Run time (minutes)	Network	Filming location	Notes
January 25, 1937	October 13, 1939	—	15	NBC Red Radio	Chicago	Canceled by Procter & Gamble, resulting in 75,000 protest letters.
January 22, 1940	March 15, 1942			NBC Blue Radio		Sponsored by Procter & Gamble
March 16, 1942	November 29, 1946			NBC Red Radio		Canceled by General Mills.
June 2, 1947	1949	12:45 pm/11:45 am		CBS Radio	Hollywood	Sponsored by Procter & Gamble
1949	June 29, 1956			CBS	New York City
July 2, 1956	September 6, 1968			CBS Television
September 9, 1968	September 1, 1972	2:30 pm/1:30 pm	30			—
September 4, 1972	November 28, 1975	2:00 pm/1:00 pm
December 1, 1975	November 4, 1977	2:30 pm/1:30 pm
November 7, 1977	February 1, 1980	2:30 pm/1:30 pm	60
February 4, 1980	September 18, 2009	3:00 pm/2:00 pm				As early as 1993, some affiliates began airing the show at 9 AM, 10 AM, or noon local time in favor of local programming airing at 3 pm on some CBS affiliates.

The action has also been set in three different locales – it was based in the fictional towns of Five Points and Selby Flats before its final locale of Springfield.

Opening Title Cards

Cast List

Complete cast members

Actor	Character	Duration
Grant Aleksander	Phillip Spaulding	1982–1984, 1986–1991, 1996–2004, 2009
Murray Bartlett	Cyrus Foley	2007–2009
Robert Bogue	A.C. Mallet	2005–2009
BethAnn Bonner	Natasha	2009
Jeff Branson	Shayne Lewis	2008-2009
Lisa Brown	Nola Reardon Chamberlain	1980-1985, 1995-1998, 2009
Mandy Bruno	Marina Cooper Camaletti	2004–2009
Beth Chamberlin	Beth Raines Spaulding	1989–1991, 1997–2009
Crystal Chappell	Olivia Spencer	1999–2009
Jordan Clarke	Dr. Tim Ryan Billy Lewis	1974-1976 1983–1986, 1989–1993, 1996–1998, 1999–2009
Bradley Cole	Richard Winslow Jeffrey O'Neill	1999-2002, 2006 2003-2009
Daniel Cosgrove	Bill Lewis	2002-2005, 2007-2009
Bonnie Dennison	Daisy Lemay	2007–2009
Justin Deas	Buzz Cooper	1993–2009
Frank Dicopoulos	Frank Cooper	1987–2009
Marj Dusay	Alexandra Spaulding	1993–1997, 1998–1999, 2002–2009
Morgan Englund	Dylan Lewis (#1)	1989-1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2009
Maureen Garrett	Holly Norris	1976–1980, 1988–2006, 2009
Elizabeth Keifer	Christina "Blake" Thorpe Marler	1992–2009
Jay Hammer	Fletcher Reade	1984-1998, 1999, 2009
Melissa Hayden	Bridget Reardon Lewis	1991-1997, 2009
Fiona Hutchison	Jenna Bradshaw	1992-1994, 1996-1998, 2006, 2008-2009
Jessica Leccia	Natalia Rivera	2007–2009
Karla Mosley	Christina Moore Boudreau	2008–2009
Robert Newman	Joshua Lewis	1981–1984, 1986–1991, 1993–2009
Michael O'Leary	Dr. Rick Bauer	1983–1986, 1987–1991, 1995–2009
Tom Pelphrey	Jonathan Randall	2004–2007, 2008, 2009
Ron Raines	Alan Spaulding	1994–2009
Marcy Rylan	Lizzie Spaulding	2006–2009
Lawrence Saint-Victor	Remy Boudreau	2006–2009
Nancy St. Alban	Michelle Bauer Santos	2000–2005, 2009
Peter Simon	Dr. William "Ed" Bauer Jr.	1981–1984, 1986–1996, 2002-2004, 2009
Paul Anthony Stewart	Danny Santos	1998–2005, 2009
Krista Tesreau	Mindy Lewis	1983–1989, 2004, 2009
Gina Tognoni	Dinah Marler	2004–2009
Caitlin Van Zandt	Ashlee Wolfe	2006–2009
Kim Zimmer	Reva Shayne O'Neill	1983–1990, 1995–2009
Jennifer Roszell	Eleni Andros Cooper	1995-2000, 2001-2002, 2006, 2009

Recurring cast members

Actor	Character	Duration
George Alvarez	Ray Santos	1999-2007, 2008-2009
Nicholas Reese Art	Zach Spaulding	2002–2009
Kim Brockington	Dr. Felicia Boudreau	2002–2009
Orlagh Cassidy	Doris Wolfe	1999–2009
Tyra Colar	Leah Bauer	2009
Jeanne Cooper	Cecilia	2009
Carey Cromelin	Wanda Hite	2009
Robert Danza Jr.	Jude Bauer
Olivia Dicopoulos	Maureen Reardon	2009
Arielle Fleischer	Clarissa Marler	2006–2009
Peter Francis James	Clayton Boudreau	2003–2009
Robert Gentry	Ed Bauer	1966–1969*, 1997–1998
Patrick Gilbert	Robert "Robbie" Santos(#2)	2009
Kathryn Hall	Emma Spaulding	2004–2008
Alexa Kaplan	Sarah Elizabeth Randall	2009
Maeve Kinkead	Vanessa Chamberlain Lewis Reardon	1980–1987, 1989–2000, 2002, 2005, 2006–2009, 2009
Kurt McKinney	Matt Reardon	1994–2000, 2005, 2006–2009
Naelee Rae	Clarissa Marler	2009
Arielle Renwart	Leah Bauer	2006–2009
Gil Rogers	Hawk Shayne	2009
Tina Sloan	Lillian Raines	1983–2009
Cally & Brooke Tarleton	Hope Santos	2009
Jacqueline Tsirkin	Emma Spencer-Spaulding	2008–2009
Miles Williams	R.J. Winslow	2004–2009
Yvonna Kopacz-Wright	Dr. Melissande Boudreau	2001–2009

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