When She Was On:
1985-1988
Who she played:
Long lost sisters Frannie Hughes and Sabrina Fullerton, who were portrayed by a number of actresses throughout their tenure on the show.
How the World Turned Out:
The show helped Moore kick off her career as an award show regular, and she earned a 1988 daytime Emmy for the dual role. Not long after she made the transition into film, she starred in a number of critical successes such as
Boogie Nights,
The End of the Affair,
The Hours, and
Far From Heaven, and the cult classic
The Big Lebowski. Moore is currently starring in Tom Ford’s directorial debut,
A Single Man.
When He Was On:
1966
Who he played:
Dr. Jerry Turner
How the World Turned Out:
In 1966 Jones played a doctor on both
As The World Turns and
Guiding Light. Soon after Jones began appearing in a string of classic films and plays, becoming the most recognizable voice in America, and well, Darth Vader.
When She Was On:
1982-1984
Who She Played:
Betsy Stewart, most famous for her relationship with Frank Runyeon’s character Steve Andropoulos, whose 1984 TV wedding drew in 20 million viewers.
How The World Turned Out:
Ryan’s role on the show foreshadowed her future as the reigning queen of romantic comedies, and she most famously melted hearts (and faked an orgasm) in
When Harry Met Sally and
Sleepless in Seattle. Ryan’s current film
Serious Moonlight is something of a departure from her typical fare, and features her character duct-taping her cheating husband to a toilet.
When She Was On:
1981
Who She Played:
Hayley Wilson Hollister, the daughter of a famed archaeologist who died mysteriously in a cave-in. She eventually married on-again-off-again boyfriend Eric Hollister.
How The World Turned Out:
Delany went on to nighttime success with
China Beach in the late 1980s and has worked steadily in television ever since. She reportedly turned down the role of Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City in 1998, but went on to have a long-running stint as Katharine Mayfair on
Desperate Housewives.
When He Was On:
1966-1967
Who He Played:
Tom Hughes, whose mother turned him against his father in the midst of a bitter divorce. Hughes later spent time as a soldier in Vietnam, was charged with (and acquitted of) murder, and dated his stepsister, among other things.
How The World Turned Out:
After leaving
As The World Turns, Thomas became famous for his portrayal of John-Boy on The Waltons, and went on to do a great deal of television work including recent guest spots on
Law and Order. In the past decade Thomas has spent much of his acting time on stage, and is currently on Broadway in David Mamet’s newest play,
Race.
When She Was On:
1984
Who She Played:
Marcy Thompson, who married Lord Stewart Cushing after accusing Tom Hughes of sexual harassment, then moved to England to become Lady Cushing.
How The World Turned out:
Tomei went straight from
As The World Turns to a role on The Cosby Show spinoff
A Different World, but soon after transitioned to film. In 1992, she took home an Oscar for her performace in
My Cousin Vinny, and most recently filmed
Cyrus with co-stars John C. Reilly, Catherine Keener, and Jonah Hill.
When She Was On:
1995 - 1998
Who She Played:
Mischievous Nikki Munson, who once spiked another character’s coffee with birth control pills.
How The World Turned Out:
Brewster is best known for her role in The Fast and The Furious, and though she earned a degree from Yale in 2003, she became as famous for gracing the covers of men’s magazines and dating Derek Jeter as she is for her roles on the big screen. She married producer Andrew Form in 2007, and appeared on the sitcom
Chuck from 2007-2009.
When She Was On:
2000 - 2001
Who She Played:
Rich kid Lucinda Marie Montgomery
How The World Turned Out:
After breaking through alongside Lindsay Lohan in
Mean Girls, Seyfied gravitated toward eerie TVplotlines, appearing on
Law & Order: SVU,
CSI, and as a murdered teen in
Veronica Mars. She currently plays one of Bill Paxton’s multiple wives on Big Love, and found onscreen and off in
Mamma Mia—Seyfried has been dating her costar Dominic Cooper since 2007.
When She Was On:
1991-1992
Who She Played:
Troubled teen Tess Shelby.
How The World Turned Out:
After wrapping up her work on the soap, Posey’s career did a 180-degree turn, and she became known for her comic roles in Christopher Guest’s
Best In Show and
Waiting for Guffman. Posey is also a presence in the world of fashion thanks to her offbeat clothing choices, and has appeared as a guest judge on
Project Runway.
When He Was On:
1994-1995
Who He Played:
Pete Wendall, son of former Little Miss Seattle Julie Wendall Snyder.
How The World Turned Out:
During his time on the show Biggs was nominated for Best Younger Actor Daytime Emmy, and will forever be best known for getting a little too friendly with a pastry in
American Pie in 1999.
When He Was On:
1995
Who He Played:
Stephen Anderson, son of absentee father and
ATWT mainstay Kirk Anderson.
How The World Turned Out:
Van Der Beek has bounced between television and film roles as a teen heartthrob, and earned himself a permanent spot in the hearts and minds of teen girls everywhere in the 1990s with his title role as Dawson Leery on
Dawson’s Creek.
When She Was On:
1956 - 1960
Who She Played:
Warrick appeared with the original cast as Edith Hughes Frey, centerpiece of the sizeable Hughes family.
How The World Turned Out:
Though her screen debut was in none other than Citizen Kane, Warrick stuck mostly to television, and left her mark on a number of other classic shows including Perry Mason, Peyton Place, and of course as the matriarch of
All My Children, Phoebe Tyler. Warrick passed away in 2005.
When He Was On:
1988
Who He Played:
Douglas Prescott
How The World Turned Out:
O’Hurley appeared intermittently as Elaine’s overbearing and over-dramatic boss J. Peterman on Seinfeld, which eventually led the actor to invest in the actual chain of J. Peterman stores. He’s been playing similarly outlandish characters since then, but showed off some unexpected moves (and regained national popularity) with a run on
Dancing With The Stars in 2005, on which he was the runner-up.
When He Was On:
1965-1970
Who He Played:
Jack Davis
How The World Turned Out:
Sheen launched a long-running career and has worked steadily on television and in film, as has his son Charlie Sheen, with whom he appeared on an episode of Two and a Half Men. Over the past decade Sheen became beloved by audiences for playing everyone’s favorite fake president on Josiah Bartlet on
The West Wing, a role that earned him six Emmys, a Golden Globe award, and two SAG awards.
