Best Actresses

We Love Soaps is doing a Best Actresses in Daytime list.

Some of us started putting together our own lists and I thought I would share mine.

Let me preface my list by saying first that the list is in no particular order and that I started watching soaps back in the late 70s. I have seen a little of Days over the years and more recently Bold and the Beautiful so you will note my list only reflects shows I actually watched.

Erika Slezak
Genie Francis
Robin Strasser
Tamara Braun
Sarah Brown
Ilene Kristen
Catherine hickland
Sarah Michelle Geller
Kassie DePaiva
Kelly Monaco
Leslie Charleson
Robin Mattson
Helen Gallagher
Judith Light
Marcy Walker
Finola Hughes
Susan Haskill
Jane Elliot
Debbi Morgan
Nancy Lee Grahn
Laura Wright
Marj Dusay
Christine Tudor
Nancy Addison
Susan Flannery

Okay, here's my list. In alphabetical order by first name. **though if we're going to combine our lists to make one definitive list, we should think about putting them in order of greatness (lol)

This was SOOO hard:

Anna Stuart (AW, AMC)
Colleen Zenk Pinter (ATWT)
Crystal Chappell (DAYS, OLTL, GL)
Cynthia Watros (GL)
Debbie Morgan (AMC, The City/Loving, Generations)
Eileen Davidson (Y&R, SB, DAYS(
Elizabeth Hubbard (ATWT, The Doctors)
Erika Slezak (OLTL)
Fiona Hutchison (OLTL, GL)
Helen Gallagher (RH, OLTL)
Ilene Kristen (RH, OLTL)
Jeanne Cooper (Y&R)
Judi Evans (GL, DAYS, AW)
Kelly Monaco (PC, GH)
Kim Zimmer (GL, SB)
Laura Wright (Loving/The City, GL, GH)
Marj Dusay (Capitol, GL, SB, AMC)
Mary Stuart (SFT)
Maureen Garrett (RH, GL)
Nancy Addison (RH, The City/Loving)
Robin Strasser (AW, OLTL)
Sarah J Brown (GH, ATWT, B&B)
Susan Flannery (DAYS, B&B)
Tamara Braun (GH, DAYS, AMC)
Victoria Rowell (Y&R)

btw, Mary Stuart made it onto the WLS list - woohoo!! very happy about that

I tried to put these in order. These are the actresses that made the biggest impression on me in watching soaps. I was a CBSer until a few years ago which is why this is mainly CBS actresses. I watched Days in the late 70s which is why Frances Reid, Suzanne Rogers, and Dierdre Hall is on here.

Charita Bauer
Beverly McKinsey
Kim Zimmer
Jeanne Cooper
Susan Flannery
Elizabeth Hubbard
Frances Reid
Laura Wright
Marj Dusay
Maureen Garrett
Lisa Brown
Melodie Thomas Scott
Cynthia Watros
Mauve Kincaid
Deirdre Hall
Martha Byrne
Michelle Stafford
Victoria Rowell
Jane Elliott
Kathryn Hayes
Eileen Fulton
Colleen Zink-Pinter
Helen Wagner
Beth Ehlers
Suzanne Rogers

The problem I am having with ranking is that I know some of the newer actors are benefiting from being fresher in my mind vs. someone that I havent seen in 20 years like Nancy Addison (probably why sharon gabot didnt make the list) and while I am happy with my choices I will have to say that on any given day my mind might totally change as to which one is better than the other. I also have to say I had a hard time know what to do with Susan Flannery. I can tell she is amazing but I havent seen enough of a real meaty story to put her higher on the list

But Daisy wants them ranked so here goes prepare to be shocked and to argue with me at will.

Robin Strasser
Catherine Hickland
Judith Light
Erika Slezak
Tamara Braun
Sarah Brown
Ilene Kristen
Jane Elliot
Nancy Lee Grahn
Sarah Michelle Geller
Kelly Monaco
Genie Francis
Debbi Morgan
Robin Mattson
Laura Wright
Kassie DePaiva
Susan Flannery
Leslie Charleson
Finola Hughes
Susan Haskill
Christine Tudor
Marj Dusay
Helen Gallagher
Marcy Walker
Nancy Addison

Oh one more question...

lets say that Actress A is on two lists at number one but Actress B is on 3 lists at 25 would Actress A get a better ranking or would Actress B.

Well we don't have to rank them... EET, you make me sound like the Greatest Actress list Dictator, lol!!!

As to your question: if we do it by a point system, then actress A would be higher than Actress B. Because being #1 would get you 25 points, so 2 #1s would be 50 points. While Actress B would only get 3 points (because she's last on 3 people's lists). I see what you're saying, that might not be very fair, but being last on a 25 greatest list isn't bad, lol.

I don't know...can you think of a better way? I know you mentioned the tier system, but that would mean Laura Wright would definitely get first place, and you know I'll have a hard time handling that!

LOL not at all

And besides I am the one that keeps telling you to come up with a solution. I just feel guilty about some of my rankings and I'm passing thebuck LOL

After everyone posts their list in some sort of order, I will take it and post a "definitive" list. Once we get the women done, we will move on to the men.

Here's my list, which is a little different from the list I emailed out the other day. The difference is that I took out Kathy Brier and put in Melissa Archer instead. Ranking them wasn't so easy to do.

Erika Slezak
Suzanne Rogers
Robin Strasser
Eileen Davidson
Kassie DePaiva
Florencia Lozano
Kelly Monaco
Kimberly McCullough
Julie Pinson
Deidre Hall
Hillary B. Smith
Allison Sweeny
Carolyn Hennessy
Ilene Kristen
Laura Wright
Susan Lucci
Kristian Alfonso
Ariane Zuker
Lauren Koslow
Bree Williamson
Melissa Archer
Martha Madison
Farah Fatch
Susan Haskell
Jane Elliott

I don't think I'll attempt this one guys!! But interesting lists so far

Okay, I'll try and put my list in some kind of order, lol. It's not going to be easy!

Yea, not going to even attempt this, but good list!

well even if you don't want to make your own lists you can tell us who we foolishly left off of ours, lol!!!

I found that the first 15 were easy, but then after that it was hard because there are so many who were neck and neck. It killed me to leave off Hillary B Smith, Catherine Hickland, Jane Elliot, Jess Walton, Jonelle Allen (from Generations), Robin Mattson, Nancy Lee Grahn, Kate Collins, Patsy Pease etc...

Plus there were those women who I know were/are brilliant but who I never saw (Beverlee McKinsey for instance)

Ok, I'll post my list in order soon...

Well here is one that no one added (and I am absolutely 'shocked' ....okay not so much, more by it not being on MELS though!)

Gemma Bissix (Hollyoaks/EastEnders - Clare)

Gemma was an AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGG baddie! She is the best soap-villain i think i have ever seen.

Mel,
It definitely isn't easy to rank our best actresses. I ended up taking off one actress (Kathy Brier) and put anothere (Melissa Archer) in her spot. Then right before I posted my final list, I ended moving a few people around, who I thought should have been higher and who I thought should be lower.

If we do a best actor list, we should rank them right off the bat, instead of listing them first and then ranking them later.

BTW, I saw the 100 best actress list you emailed out. What I thought you should have done, to make it shorter, was instead of listing the actress more than once, you could list the actress and then everyone who had that one on her list next to it. For example, instead of listing Laura Wright three times and with a name next to each of the three, you could just put Laura Wright down once and then the all the names of those who had her on their lists. Did I lose you at all?

John, the list was hard enough without including actresses from non-US soaps, lol! Believe me, I'm sooo tempted to put Larry Lamb (Archie, EE) on my list of Best Actors, lol

Nicole, that's definitely the way I should have done it...would have made it much shorter, lol. And yeah, I keep going back and forth with my list...

Mel, I should warn you, I'm still having problems with the men's list. Still at 19...

I still have my list of 41, lol!! Do you want me to send it to you? You probably won't know most of them, but it might jog your memory.

Or we could start a Best Actor Suggestion thread -- see who other people come up with?

Please do! It could help.

I finished mine but I didnt rank them.

EricasEvilTwin wrote:I finished mine but I didnt rank them.

Could you send me your list so I can get a few ideas? Mel sent me hers. I already have 15 of hers on my list now. I want to see if yours can add to mine.

I didn't know we were starting on our best actors list. I'll start a new thread with the topic best actors.

Okay, here's my list in order -- So Freakin' Hard!! lol

1. Susan Flannery (DAYS, B&B)
2. Elizabeth Hubbard (ATWT, Doctors)
3. Mary Stuart (SFT)
4. Colleen Zenk Pinter (ATWT)
5. Helen Gallagher (RH, OLTL)
6. Nancy Addison (RH, The City/Loving)
7. Jeanne Cooper (Y&R)
8. Kim Zimmer (GL, SB)
9. Erika Slezak (OLTL)
10. Victoria Rowell (Y&R)
11. Ilene Kristen (RH, OLTL)
12. Marj Dusay (Capitol, GL, SB, AMC)
13. Fiona Hutchison (OLTL, GL)
14. Eileen Davidson (Y&R, SB, DAYS)
15. Judi Evans (GL, AW, DAYS)
16. Debbie Morgan (AMC, Loving/The City)
17. Kelly Monaco (PC, GH)
18. Sarah J Brown (GH, ATWT, B&B)
19. Maureen Garrett (RH, GL)
20. Cynthia Watros (GL)
21. Anna Stuart (AW, AMC)
22. Tamara Braun (GH, DAYS, AMC)
23. Robin Strasser (AW, OLTL)
24. Crystal Chappell (DAYS, OLTL, GL)
25. Laura Wright (Loving/The City, GL, GH)

*glares @ M*

I guess the old "There are soaps outside of the US?????????" philosophy works here? LOL

Where is the list from our resident Soap Goddess???