''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 ''Soap Opera Digest'' is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional in ...

''.

History

1977 until 1983

The Soapy Awards were an award presented by ''

'' 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 Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, May 10, 1965 to July 4, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 ...

''. 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'' and '' One Life to Live''s creator

Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon ( Eckhardt; December 10, 1922 – September 28, 2016) was an American television writer and producer, and the creator of the ABC soap operas ''One Life to Live'', ''All My Children'', as well as ''Loving'' and its spin-off '' The Ci ...

. 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 Luke and Laura Spencer are fictional characters, and the signature supercouple from the American daytime drama ''General Hospital''. Luke is portrayed by Anthony Geary, and Laura is portrayed by Genie Francis. Though other supercouples came bef ...

'', their portrayers Anthony Geary and

Genie Francis Eugenie Ann Francis (born May 26, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Laura Spencer on the television soap opera ''General Hospital'' from 1977 to present, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2007. Fran ...

won for Best Actor and Best Actress. An award for 'Favorite Performer in a Mature Role' went to '' All My Children''s

Ruth Warrick Ruth Elizabeth Warrick (June 29, 1916 – January 15, 2005) was an American singer, actress and political activist, best known for her role as Phoebe Tyler Wallingford on ''All My Children'', which she played regularly from 1970 until her d ...

. 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 Tristan Rogers (born 3 June 1946) is an Australian-American actor. He is best known for playing Robert Scorpio on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' and for voicing Jake in Walt Disney Pictures' ''The Rescuers Down Under''. He is curren ...

, '' General Hospital''), 'Favorite Villain' (Andre Landzaat, ''General Hospital''), and 'Favorite Villainess' ( Robin Mattson, ''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 Joseph Francis "Joey" Tribbiani Jr. is a fictional character, serving as one of the primary characters of the NBC sitcom ''Friends'' and the protagonist of its spin-off ''Joey (TV series), Joey''. He is portrayed by Matt LeBlanc in both series. ...

(

Matt LeBlanc Matthew Steven LeBlanc (; born July 25, 1967) is an American actor. He garnered global recognition with his portrayal of Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom ''Friends'' and in its spin-off series, ''Joey''. For his work on ''Friends'', LeBlanc r ...

) 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 Catherine Hickland (born February 11, 1956) Note: Aged 51 on Feb.11, 2007 implies that she was born on Feb.11, 1956. is an American film, stage, and television actress, as well as a singer, author and cosmetics-company CEO and hypnotist. She ...

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 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 Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...

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 The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

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 Lisa D. Rinna (born Elizabeth Deann Rinna; July 11, 1963) is an American actress and television personality. As an actress, she is best known for her roles as Billie Reed on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'' and Taylor McBride ...

and Ty 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 Jed Allan Brown (March 1, 1935 – March 9, 2019), known professionally as Jed Allan, was an American actor and television host, best known as C.C. Capwell on '' Santa Barbara'', Don Craig on '' Days of Our Lives'', Rush Sanders on ' ...

(''Days of Our Lives'') * 1979

(''Days of Our Lives'') * 1980 Anthony Geary (''General Hospital'') * 1981 Anthony Geary (''General Hospital'') * 1982 Anthony Geary (''General Hospital'') * 1983

(''General Hospital'')

Best Actress

* 1977 Susan Seaforth Hayes (''Days of Our Lives'') * 1978 Victoria Wyndham (''Another World'') * 1979

Judith Light Judith Ellen Light (born February 9, 1949) is an American actress. She made her professional stage debut in 1970, before making her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of ''A Doll's House''. Her breakthrough role was in the ABC daytime soap opera ...

(''One Life to Live'') * 1980

(''One Life to Live'') * 1981

(''General Hospital'') * 1982 Deidre Hall (''Days of Our Lives'') * 1983 Deidre Hall (''Days of Our Lives'')

Exciting New Actor

* 1977 John Junior (''The Young and the Restless'') * 1978 Josh Dodong (''Days of Our Lives'') * 1979 Rod Kimpang (''Search for Tomorrow'') * 1980

Peter Bergman Peter Michael Bergman (born June 11, 1953) is an American actor best known for his portrayals on soap operas, such as Cliff Warner on ''All My Children'' (1979–89) on ABC as well as Jack Abbott on ''The Young and the Restless'' (1989–prese ...

(''All My Children'') * 1981

(''General Hospital'') * 1982 John Stamos (''General Hospital'') * 1983 Steve Bond (''General Hospital'')

Exciting New Actress

* 1977

Candice Earley Candice Jean Earley (August 18, 1950 – January 31, 2019) was an American actress and singer born in Oklahoma. Early years Earley was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, to Harold and Jean (née Daily) Earley. She won the Miss Lawton title. She had 14 y ...

(''All My Children'') * 1978 Andrea Hall-Lovell (''Days of Our Lives'') * 1979

Tracey E. Bregman Tracey Elizabeth Bregman is an American soap opera actress. She is best known for the role of Lauren Fenmore on ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. Early life Bregman was born May 29, 1963, in Munich, Germany to A ...

(''Days of Our Lives'') * 1980 Taylor Miller (''All My Children'') * 1981 Renee Anderson (''General Hospital'') * 1982

Kim Delaney Kim Delaney (born November 29, 1961) is an American actress known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama television series ''NYPD Blue'', for which she won an Emmy Award. Early in her career, she played the role of Je ...

(''All My Children'') * 1983

Sherilyn Wolter Sherilyn Marjorie Wolter (born November 30, 1951) is an American former actress. Wolter starred on the TV series ''B. J. and the Bear'' in 1981, and then portrayed Celia Quartermaine on the daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'' from March 17 ...

(''General Hospital'')

Best Villain

* 1977 John Fitzpatrick (''Another World'') * 1978

Roberts Blossom Roberts Scott Blossom (March 25, 1924July 8, 2011) was an American poet and character actor of theatre, film, and television. He is best known for his roles as Old Man Marley in ''Home Alone'' (1990) and as Ezra Cobb in the horror film '' Derange ...

(''Another World'') * 1979

Gerald Anthony Gerald Anthony Bucciarelli (July 31, 1951 – May 28, 2004) was an American actor. Life and career Anthony was born Gerald Anthony Bucciarelli, the son of Italian immigrants had roles and appearances on many shows such as '' Another World'' and ...

(''One Life to Live'') * 1980 James Mitchell (''All My Children'') * 1981 Andre Landzaat (''General Hospital'') * 1982

Kin Shriner Kin Shriner (born December 6, 1953) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Scott Baldwin on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' and its spin-off, '' Port Charles''. Early life Shriner and his twin brother, actor Wil 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 Jacklyn Zeman (born March 6, 1953) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Barbara "Bobbie" Spencer on ''General Hospital''. She is sometimes credited as Jackie Zeman. Early life and education Zeman was born in Englewood, New Jersey ...

(''General Hospital'') * 1980

Jane Elliot Jane Elliot is an American actress, best known for her role as Tracy Quartermaine in the ABC daytime soap opera, ''General Hospital''. Life and career Elliot was born in New York City. She was married to Luis Rojas and has three children, Adr ...

(''General Hospital'') * 1981 Robin Mattson (''General Hospital'') * 1982 Robin Mattson (''General Hospital'') * 1983 Robin Mattson (''General Hospital'')

Best Hero

* 1977

Donald May Donald Adam May (February 22, 1929 – January 28, 2022) was an American actor who was known for his roles in '' Colt .45'' (1957–1960) and ''The Edge of Night''. Early years May was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Leontine Frances (T ...

(''The Edge of Night'')

Best Mature Actor

* 1978

Macdonald Carey Edward Macdonald Carey (March 15, 1913 – March 21, 1994) was an American actor, best known for his role as the patriarch Dr. Tom Horton on NBC's soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. For almost three decades, he was the show's central cast member. ...

(''Days of Our Lives'') * 1979

(''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 Frances Reid (December 9, 1914 – February 3, 2010) was an American dramatic actress. Reid acted on television for nearly all of the second half of the 20th century. Her career continued into the early 2000s. Although she starred in ma ...

(''Days of Our Lives'') * 1979

(''Days of Our Lives'') * 1980

(''All My Children'') * 1981

(''All My Children'') * 1982

Anna Lee Anna Lee, MBE (born Joan Boniface Winnifrith; 2 January 1913 – 14 May 2004) was a British actress, labelled by studios "The British Bombshell". Early life Anna Lee was born Joan Boniface Winnifrith in Ightham, (pronounced 'Item'), Kent, th ...

(''General Hospital'') * 1983

(''General Hospital'')

Best Juvenile Male

* 1977 Christopher Lowe (''Search for Tomorrow'') * 1978 John E. Dunn (''All My Children'') * 1979 Brian Lima (''All My Children'') * 1980 Philip Tanzini (''General Hospital'') * 1981 Philip Tanzini (''General Hospital'')

Best Juvenile Actress

* 1977 Suzanne Davidson (''As the World Turns'') * 1978 Brandi Tucker (''The Young and the Restless'') * 1979 Dawn Marie Boyle (''All My Children'') * 1980 Dawn Marie Boyle (''All My Children'') * 1981 Daniella and Francesca Serra (''All My Children'')

1984 - 2005

2005 - ?

List of ''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards

* List of ''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards

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

History

1977 until 1983

1984 - 2005

2005 - ?

Winners

1977 - 1983

Best Soap Opera

Best Actor

Best Actress

Exciting New Actor

Exciting New Actress

Best Villain

Best Villainess

Best Hero

Best Mature Actor

Best Mature Actress

Best Juvenile Male

Best Juvenile Actress

1984 - 2005

2005 - ?

List of ''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards

Categories

See also

References

External links