|
Guiding Light (1990–1999)
The ''Guiding Light'' (TGL) is the longest-running American television soap opera. __TOC__ Show development Pam Long, headwriter from 1983 to 1985 and again beginning in 1987, left the show in early 1991 and was replaced by a triumvirate of writers, Nancy Curlee, Stephen Demorest and James Reilly, the latter who went on to write ''Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...'' and create ''Passions'' for ''NBC''. The realism of the early 1990s was in stark contrast to the mid-1980s, when self-described "Slut of Springfield", Reva Shayne (played by Kim Zimmer) was ''Guiding Lights central character and storylines tended to be more campy. In fact, executive producer Jill Farren Phelps believed the show was so good without her she didn't approach Zimmer t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soap Opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored by soap manufacturers.Bowles, p. 118. The term was preceded by "horse opera", a derogatory term for low-budget Westerns. BBC Radio's ''The Archers'', first broadcast in 1950, is the world's longest-running radio soap opera. The longest-running current television soap is '' Coronation Street'', which was first broadcast on ITV in 1960, with the record for the longest running soap opera in history being held by '' Guiding Light'', which began on radio in 1937, transitioned to television in 1952, and ended in 2009. A crucial element that defines the soap opera is the open-ended serial nature of the narrative, with stories spanning several episodes. One of the defining features that makes a television program a soap opera, according to Alber ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bethany Joy Lenz
Bethany Joy Lenz (born April 2, 1981) is an American actress, singer-songwriter and filmmaker. She is known for her portrayal of Haley James Scott on The WB / The CW television drama ''One Tree Hill'' (2003–2012). She also starred as Michelle Bauer Santos on the CBS Daytime soap opera '' Guiding Light'' (1998-2000), and is recognized for her music as a solo artist and as a member of the band Everly. Career Acting While on a trip to Los Angeles, Lenz landed her first professional job in a commercial for dolls from the teen drama series '' Swans Crossing''. Lenz eventually went on to appear in commercials for Eggo Waffles, Dr Pepper and others. She continued to find work steadily as an actress, and by her second year in high school she landed the role of Linda Halleck in Stephen King's '' Thinner''. She appeared in various pilots, commercials and films, and performed regional theatre until she was eventually cast as a series regular on '' Guiding Light''. At the age of sev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beth Chamberlin
Beth Chamberlin (born October 1, 1963) is an American actress, known for her role as Beth Raines on the CBS soap opera, ''Guiding Light''. Early life Chamberlin was born in Danville, Vermont. She studied ballet with the American Ballet Theatre before enrolling at New York University as a dance/theater major. Chamberlin has a number of regional theater credits, include ''The Taming of the Shrew'', ''Godspell'', ''Flowers for Algernon'' and '' You Can't Take It with You''. Career Chamberlin is best known for her portrayal of Beth Raines Spaulding LeMay Winslow Spaulding Bauer Spaulding on the CBS daytime soap opera ''Guiding Light''. She was the second actress to portray the role and initially portrayed Beth for a two-year stint from 1989 to 1991. She returned to the role in November 1997 full-time and remained with the show until its cancellation in 2009. She also played the role of Lorelei Hills, Beth's dissociative identity disorder personality, from 2001 to 2002. She was nomin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beth Raines
Beth Raines is a fictional character from the long-running American soap opera, ''Guiding Light''. Beth is the stepdaughter of the late Bradley Raines and daughter of Lillian Raines. She is the mother of Lizzie, James, and Peyton Spaulding and is known for her tumultuous relationship with her husband Phillip Spaulding. The character was originally portrayed by actress Judi Evans from her introduction in 1983 until 1986 and then by Beth Chamberlin who portrayed the character on and off from her re-introduction in 1989 until the finale in 2009. Background The character of Beth Raines has been half of two supercouples: Beth and Lujack Luvonaczek (Vincent Irizarry) and Beth and Philip Spaulding (Grant Aleksander). Beth has also been married to Philip's father, Alan Spaulding (Ron Raines) and Philip's best friend Rick Bauer ( Michael O'Leary). Beth, Philip, Rick and Mindy Lewis (Krista Tesreau) called themselves "The Four Musketeers" in the 1980s. Together they were four best friend ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Dietz
Michael Dietz (born February 10, 1971) is an American actor and producer. Career He was an executive producer for GSN'S ''The Line'' and a co-executive producer for SyFy's ''Geeks Who Drink''. Other producing credits include ''Celebrity Apprentice'', ''Stars Earn Stripes'', Tru TV's ''Killer Karaoke'', ''Minute To Win It'', Discovery Channel's ''One Man Army'', ''Chefs vs City'', and '' Great American Road Trip'', as well as a challenge consultant for ABC'S '' Wipeout'' and a challenge producer for season ten of '' Big Brother''. He produced the feature film ''Born'' which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and was released by Lionsgate. As an actor, he had guest stints on prime time shows ''Wasteland'', ''Charmed'', ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', ''The Drew Carey Show'', ''House'', '' CSI'', and ''Baywatch'', as well as starring roles on ''Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rick Hearst
Rick Hearst (born January 4, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for roles in American soap operas. Early life Hearst was born Richard Charles Herbst on January 4, 1965, in Howard Beach, New York and raised in Dallas, Texas. Personal life Hearst has been married to wife Donna Smoot since June 9, 1990; they have two sons. soap-passion.com; accessed April 24, 2015. Career His first film was '''', directed by . He has appeared in '' |
Alan-Michael Spaulding
Alan-Michael Spaulding is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera ''Guiding Light''. The character is the son of wealthy businessman, Alan Spaulding, and his former wife, Hope Bauer. Alan-Michael was born on-screen on September 23, 1981, but this was subsequently revised to 1970 when he turned 17 years old and then later to 1965 or 1966 during his brief dalliance with Marina Cooper in 2006. Four actors have regularly portrayed the character, the most recent being Michael Dempsey from November 2005 to May 2007. Rick Hearst was the actor who portrayed him the longest, and is arguably the best known for the role. He was nominated for four Daytime Emmy Awards, winning his first in 1991. The child who played him at birth was a baby girl named Jessica Zutterman. Carl T. Evans introduced the teenage character on July 4, 1987, when Alan-Michael literally parachuted onto the annual Bauer barbecue. He played Alan-Michael until 1990 when Rick Hearst took over the character, playing him ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grant Aleksander
Grant Aleksander Kunkowski (born August 6, 1960), better known as Grant Aleksander, is an American actor. Early life Aleksander was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and was the youngest of three brothers. He was well known at McDonogh School as both a football player and a thespian. He attended Washington and Lee University, but left to pursue his acting career. He eventually returned to the school and earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre in 2012. Career The bulk of Aleksander's TV work has been in daytime dramas (soap operas). Aleksander is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Phillip Spaulding on the daytime drama ''Guiding Light''. Aleksander played Phillip in several stints over a span of almost 30 years. His initial run was from 1982 to 1984. When Aleksander left the role, it was recast with actor John Bolger. Aleksander returned to ''Guiding Light'' in late 1986, leaving again in 1991, citing exhaustion from being front-burner five days a week for five years, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phillip Spaulding
Phillip Granville Spaulding is a fictional character from the CBS soap opera ''Guiding Light''. Phillip has been portrayed by three different actors, most notably by Grant Aleksander. The character is the adopted son of business mogul, Alan Spaulding, and his first ex-wife, Elizabeth. The role was originated in 1977 by Jarrod Ross, who departed the series in 1981. Aleksander first appeared on December 22, 1982, and left in 1984. From 1985 to 1986, John Bolger played the role of Phillip. Aleksander then returned and played the role from 1986 to February 25, 1991. Five years later, in 1996, he returned again, playing Phillip until November 2004, when the character of Phillip was shot onscreen and presumed to be dead. In July 2005, Phillip was revealed to be alive (but not shown onscreen) when he was visited by Alan. In February 2009, the character of Phillip returned to Springfield, and remained on the canvas until the series finale on September 18, 2009. Grant Aleksander has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ron Raines
Ron Raines (born December 2, 1949) is an American actor. He is known for the role of Alan Spaulding on the television soap opera '' Guiding Light''. Raines also performs in musical theatre and in concert with symphony orchestras. Career Early years Raines was born in Texas City, Texas. His father was a Church of the Nazarene minister, and Raines became interested in music through the church. He was once in a band called Renaissance. He graduated from Nacogdoches High School in Nacogdoches, Texas, graduated from Oklahoma City University and later attended Juilliard. He decided to pursue a career in performing after he finished Juilliard. Oklahoma City University, where he received his undergraduate degree, awarded him an honorary Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2021. Television Raines joined '' Guiding Light'' in 1994 in his first television role. He is the third actor to play the part of the sinister, nefarious Alan Spaulding, a role which has earned him three Emmy nominations ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Spaulding
Alan Spaulding is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera ''Guiding Light''. He was played by Christopher Bernau from the time of the character's introduction in 1977 until 1984, and from 1986 to June 1988, when Bernau left the role due to health problems. David Bailey briefly portrayed the role in 1979. Daniel Pilon stepped into the role from 1988 until the character was sent to prison in 1990. From 1994 to the series 2009 conclusion, the character was played by Ron Raines. Jeff Branson briefly played a young Alan in a flashback scene during Carrie Carruther's murder investigation. Storylines Alan Spaulding resides in Chicago with his wealthy family prior to his move to Springfield. At the time, he is married to Elizabeth, and they are the adoptive parents of Phillip Spaulding (though Elizabeth believes Phillip to be her biological son). Shortly after the Spauldings' arrival in Springfield, Alan has an affair with Phillip's governess, Diane Ballard; When Elizabeth sense ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marj Dusay
Marjorie Ellen Mahoney Dusay (; née Mahoney; February 20, 1936 – January 28, 2020) was an American actress known for her roles on American soap operas. She was especially known for her role as Alexandra Spaulding on ''Guiding Light'', a role she played on and off from 1993 through the show's 2009 cancellation, as well as the wife of Douglas MacArthur in the 1977 movie '' MacArthur''. Career In 1967, Dusay was a member of the Session, an improvisational comedy group in Los Angeles. Her dramatic debut occurred December 21, 1967, in an episode of television's ''Cimarron Strip''. She appeared in the film '' Sweet November'' (1968). Dusay started her career with a small role as a waitress alongside Elvis Presley in the film ''Clambake'' in 1967. In 1968, Dusay played a special agent in the TV series ''Hawaii Five-O'', in an episode titled "Twenty-Four Karat Kill". In 1969, Dusay played a woman who agrees to testify against a mobster in "The Singapore File", as well as appearing thr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
