''The Soap Opera Digest Awards'', originally known as ''The Soapy Awards'' when introduced in 1977, is an awards show held by the daytime television magazine ''
Soap Opera Digest''.
History
1977 until 1983
The Soapy Awards were an award presented by ''
Soap Opera Digest'' magazine to the best work on American soap operas from 1977 until 1983. Unlike their successors, the ''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards, this accolade lacked a great deal of glamour. The statue itself was a tall geometric crystal and were presented during a television show after winners were announced in the magazine. The original award was designed by the magazine's art director Janis Rogak.
The magazine's editor Ruth J. Gordon, who was founding editor made the very first presentation on ''
The Merv Griffin Show''.
The first awards were presented during the ''Merv Griffin Show'' to Best Actor
Bill Hayes and Best Actress
Susan Seaforth Hayes from ''
Days of Our Lives'' (which also won for 'Favorite Show'). This first award also included a special award for 'Outstanding Achievement in the World of Daytime Drama' to ''
All My Children
''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...
'' and ''
One Life to Live''s creator
Agnes Nixon.
The 1978 award were presented live during ''
America Live'' from both
New York and
Hollywood. The 1979 show was presented on the Thursday Dec. 27, 1979 episode of ''
Dinah and Friends''.
In 1980, during the height of ''
Luke and Laura'', their portrayers
Anthony Geary and
Genie Francis won for Best Actor and Best Actress. An award for 'Favorite Performer in a Mature Role' went to ''
All My Children
''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...
''s
Ruth Warrick.
The 1981 show incorporated many of the categories which would become a hallmark of the ''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards, such as 'Most Exciting New Actor' (
Tristan Rogers, ''
General Hospital''), 'Favorite Villain' (Andre Landzaat, ''General Hospital''), and 'Favorite Villainess' (
Robin Mattson
Robin Mattson is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the daytime soap operas ''General Hospital'', '' Santa Barbara'', and ''All My Children''.
Career
Daytime television
Mattson made her daytime debut as troubled teen Hope B ...
, ''General Hospital''). That year, the awards were swept by ''
General Hospital''.
In 1984, the awards were replaced by the ''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards.
In 2001, the award was featured in the episode "
The One with Joey's Award" for the show ''
Friends'', in which
Joey Tribbiani (
Matt LeBlanc) was nominated for a Soapy for his fictional role in ''Days of Our Lives'' but does not win. In the episode, Joey says the awards began in 1998, so it's likely not meant to be the same award, but rather a homage.
1984 - 2005
In 1984, the awards evolved into ''The'' ''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards, to replace the less-lavish ''Soapy Award''. ''The'' ''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards were meant to promote excellence in the
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 ...
genre and were decided by the fans who read the magazine. The statue itself was made of crystal and in the shape of a heart.
The first ''Soap Opera Digest'' Award show aired in 1984, and was featured on national syndicated television and hosted by then husband and wife
Catherine Hickland and
David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on ''The You ...
. One of the reasons for the move up was the new-found audience of both Daytime and
Prime time
Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
soap operas. That year for the first time awards were given to prime time soap operas as well as daytime soaps. This practice was phased out in the 1990s as primetime soap operas began to lose the large appeal they once had.
For the first two years, fans themselves voted on the nominees list as well as the winners.
Ballot stuffing and a
voting bloc A voting bloc is a group of voters that are strongly motivated by a specific common concern or group of concerns to the point that such specific concerns tend to dominate their voting patterns, causing them to vote together in elections. For exampl ...
for the 1985 awards led to the side effect where ''
Days of Our Lives'' swept almost every category. The third awards were changed so that the editors of the magazine chose the nominees and each reader was allowed only one ballot to vote for their favorites. This allowed other shows such as ''
Santa Barbara'' and ''
Another World'' to take home trophies. A change in award season from the end of the year to the beginning meant that there was no show in 1987.
In 1992 the awards were broadcast live for the first time; in addition, the award statue (previously a flat crystal heart) was redesigned to be an inch taller.
NBC had aired the event ever since it made its way to network television, but the show would no longer be seen on the network after the airing of the 2000 awards. The year 2001 marked the first time that there was no awards ceremony and voting was done entirely online. In 2003 the cable channel
SOAPnet broadcast the awards which were hosted by
Lisa Rinna and
Ty Treadway
Tyrus Richard Treadway (born February 11, 1967) is an American game show host, actor, and talk show host. Treadway co-hosted ''Soap Talk'' with Lisa Rinna.
Biography
Ty was born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey, to Richard and Mary Lou Treadway. ...
.
No awards were given out in 2002 or 2004. The 2005 awards were done entirely through the magazine. Fans could find a ballot in a November issue of ''Soap Opera Digest'' and then mail it to the editors. Only one ballot per person was counted. The awards were announced in the magazine in February 2005.
2005 - ?
Winners
1977 - 1983
Best Soap Opera
* 1977 ''
Days of Our Lives''
* 1978 ''
Days of Our Lives''
* 1979 ''
Days of Our Lives''
* 1980 ''
General Hospital''
* 1981 ''
General Hospital''
* 1982 ''
General Hospital''
* 1983 ''
General Hospital''
Best Actor
* 1977
Bill Hayes (''Days of Our Lives'')
* 1978
Jed Allan (''Days of Our Lives'')
* 1979
Jed Allan (''Days of Our Lives'')
* 1980
Anthony Geary (''General Hospital'')
* 1981
Anthony Geary (''General Hospital'')
* 1982
Anthony Geary (''General Hospital'')
* 1983
Tristan Rogers (''General Hospital'')
Best Actress
* 1977
Susan Seaforth Hayes (''Days of Our Lives'')
* 1978
Victoria Wyndham (''Another World'')
* 1979
Judith Light (''One Life to Live'')
* 1980
Judith Light (''One Life to Live'')
* 1981
Genie Francis (''General Hospital'')
* 1982
Deidre Hall
Deidre Ann Hall is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Marlena Evans on NBC's daytime drama ''Days of Our Lives'', whom she has played for over 45 years.
Hall has won many awards for her portrayal of Marlena, including ...
(''Days of Our Lives'')
* 1983
Deidre Hall
Deidre Ann Hall is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Marlena Evans on NBC's daytime drama ''Days of Our Lives'', whom she has played for over 45 years.
Hall has won many awards for her portrayal of Marlena, including ...
(''Days of Our Lives'')
Exciting New Actor
* 1977
John Junior (''The Young and the Restless'')
* 1978
Josh Dodong
Josh is a masculine given name, frequently a diminutive (hypocorism) of the given names Joshua or Joseph, though since the 1970s, it has increasingly become a full name on its own. It may refer to:
People A–J
* "Josh", an early pseudonym of S ...
(''Days of Our Lives'')
* 1979
Rod Kimpang (''Search for Tomorrow'')
* 1980
Peter Bergman (''All My Children'')
* 1981
Tristan Rogers (''General Hospital'')
* 1982
John Stamos (''General Hospital'')
* 1983
Steve Bond (''General Hospital'')
Exciting New Actress
* 1977
Candice Earley (''All My Children'')
* 1978
Andrea Hall-Lovell
Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew.
Origin of the name
The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ref ...
(''Days of Our Lives'')
* 1979
Tracey E. Bregman (''Days of Our Lives'')
* 1980
Taylor Miller (''All My Children'')
* 1981
Renee Anderson (''General Hospital'')
* 1982
Kim Delaney (''All My Children'')
* 1983
Sherilyn Wolter (''General Hospital'')
Best Villain
* 1977
John Fitzpatrick (''Another World'')
* 1978
Roberts Blossom (''Another World'')
* 1979
Gerald Anthony (''One Life to Live'')
* 1980
James Mitchell (''All My Children'')
* 1981
Andre Landzaat (''General Hospital'')
* 1982
Kin Shriner (''General Hospital'')
* 1983
Quinn Redeker (''Days of Our Lives'')
Best Villainess
* 1977
Beverlee McKinsey (''Another World'')
* 1978
Beverlee McKinsey (''Another World'')
* 1979
Jacklyn Zeman (''General Hospital'')
* 1980
Jane Elliot (''General Hospital'')
* 1981
Robin Mattson
Robin Mattson is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the daytime soap operas ''General Hospital'', '' Santa Barbara'', and ''All My Children''.
Career
Daytime television
Mattson made her daytime debut as troubled teen Hope B ...
(''General Hospital'')
* 1982
Robin Mattson
Robin Mattson is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the daytime soap operas ''General Hospital'', '' Santa Barbara'', and ''All My Children''.
Career
Daytime television
Mattson made her daytime debut as troubled teen Hope B ...
(''General Hospital'')
* 1983
Robin Mattson
Robin Mattson is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the daytime soap operas ''General Hospital'', '' Santa Barbara'', and ''All My Children''.
Career
Daytime television
Mattson made her daytime debut as troubled teen Hope B ...
(''General Hospital'')
Best Hero
* 1977
Donald May (''The Edge of Night'')
Best Mature Actor
* 1978
Macdonald Carey (''Days of Our Lives'')
* 1979
Macdonald Carey (''Days of Our Lives'')
* 1980
David Lewis (''General Hospital'')
* 1981
David Lewis (''General Hospital'')
* 1982
David Lewis (''General Hospital'')
* 1983
David Lewis (''General Hospital'')
Best Mature Actress
* 1978
Frances Reid (''Days of Our Lives'')
* 1979
Frances Reid (''Days of Our Lives'')
* 1980
Ruth Warrick (''All My Children'')
* 1981
Ruth Warrick (''All My Children'')
* 1982
Anna Lee (''General Hospital'')
* 1983
Anna Lee (''General Hospital'')
Best Juvenile Male
* 1977 Christopher Lowe (''Search for Tomorrow'')
* 1978
John E. Dunn
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
(''All My Children'')
* 1979
Brian Lima (''All My Children'')
* 1980
Philip Tanzini
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
(''General Hospital'')
* 1981
Philip Tanzini
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
(''General Hospital'')
Best Juvenile Actress
* 1977
Suzanne Davidson
Suzanne may refer to:
People
* Suzanne (given name), a feminine given name (including a list of people with the name)
* S. U. Zanne, pen name of August Vandekerkhove (1838–1923), Belgian writer and inventor
* Suzanne, pen name of Renée Méndez ...
(''As the World Turns'')
* 1978
Brandi Tucker (''The Young and the Restless'')
* 1979
Dawn Marie Boyle
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...
(''All My Children'')
* 1980
Dawn Marie Boyle
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...
(''All My Children'')
* 1981
Daniella and Francesca Serra
Danielle is a modern French language, French female variant of the male name Daniel, meaning "God is my judge" in the Hebrew language.
Variants
*Dana – Czech language, Czech, German language, German, Romanian language, Romanian Polish language, ...
(''All My Children'')
1984 - 2005
2005 - ?
List of ''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards
*
List of ''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards
Categories
*
Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Female Star
The Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Female Star has been given every year since the 9th Soap Opera Digest Award in 1993 until 1999.
In the lists below, the winner of the award for each year is shown first, followed by the other nominees.
Rec ...
*
Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Male Star
The Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Male Star has been given every year since the ninth Soap Opera Digest Award in 1993 until 1999.
In the lists below, the winner of the award for each year is shown first, followed by the other nominees.
Winn ...
*
*
Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Villainess in a Drama Series – Daytime
See also
*
List of American television awards
*
Friends (season 7)#ep164"The One with Joey's Award"
References
External links
''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards(archived 2011, ends with 2005 awards)
''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards {{! Where it All Began(archived 2011, ends with 2003 awards)
Soap opera awards
American television awards