In 1979, Jerry verDorn debuted as Ross Marler on Guiding Light. An ambitious attorney, Ross’s first case was defending Roger Thorpe, who had been arrested for marital rape after sexually assaulting his wife, Holly Norris Thorpe. The actor went on to win two Daytime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category and remained with the show until 2005, by which time he was the show’s longest-running current cast member. VerDorn passed away from cancer in 2002 at the age of 72.
In 1990, “Duke Lavery” (later revealed to be an impostor) died in Anna Devane’s (Finola Hughes) arms on General Hospital after being shot by Julian Jerome. The character, who was introduced as Jonathan Paget (Duke with a new face and a new name) was played by Gregory Beecroft. When Duke’s original portrayer, Ian Buchanan, returned to the show in 2012, it was explained that Paget was not, in fact, the real Duke, who had been held captive for decades. The real Duke wound up dying in 2015 after being shot by Carlos Rivera on orders from Julian.
In 1990, General Hospital introduced Anders Hove as Cesar Faison, one of its most notorious villains. Finola Hughes (Anna), whose alter ego was the target of Faison’s obsession, told Soap Opera Digest in 2020 of working alongside Hove, “I mean, talk about creating something strange and dangerous! He pushes the envelope the same way that Tony [Geary. ex-Luke] pushes the envelope. Anders is even more dangerous; he just wants to see how far he can take the weirdness. You kind of go on a trip. He gives you permission, always, to just go as far as you want to, and I need that sometimes, because maybe I play in an area that doesn’t always go there.”
In 1997, Camryn Grimes made her Young and Restless debut as Cassie Newman, Sharon’s (Sharon Case) daughter, who was eventually adopted by Nick (Joshua Morrow). Grimes, who won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Younger Actress in 2000 (setting a record for the youngest performer to be victorious in the category; she was 10 at the time), exited the show in 2005, when Cassie succumbed to injuries sustained in a tragic car accident. She subsequently returned to the show in 2014 as Cassie’s surprise twin, Mariah Copeland. In 2023, Grimes reflected on her early years working alongside Case and Morrow in an interview with Soap Opera Digest, enthusing, “We just had so much fun. I don’t think I ever once felt like they treated me like a kid or they didn’t enjoy having me around. I always felt like one of the adults, and I was taken seriously. It was a dreamlike childhood, to be perfectly honest.”
In 2004, All My Children’s Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel, l.) gave birth to her first child, Miranda. Bianca and her equally pregnant pal, Babe Chandler (Alexa Havins), had gotten stranded during a terrible storm and sought shelter in a remote cabin. When Bianca went into labor, Babe had no choice but to deliver the little girl herself. Bianca was overwhelmed with love as she cradled her daughter in her arms. Babe went to look for help, and Bianca lost consciousness. This paved the way for Babe’s ex, Paul, to switch Bianca’s newborn daughter with the son Babe gave birth to. He took the boy to Llanview (in a crossover event with One Life to Live), told Babe that Bianca’s daughter was her child, and Bianca was told that her baby died. It took months for the truth to unravel.
