'All My Children' premiered Jan. 5 all the way back in 1970. The long-running soap had a star-studded cast over the years, so take a look at the notable alums then and now.
By:
Beth ShillidayReading Time: 3 minutes
January 5, 2021 8:45AM EST
All My Children is celebrating its 51st anniversary on Jan. 5. The soap opera was canceled by ABC after 41 years back in 2011 and had a short-lived revival before bidding farewell again in 2013. In this era of reboots and revivals, All My Children is getting the treatment once again. An All My Children sequel series, currently titled Pine Valley, is currently in the works, according to our sister site Deadline.
AMC alums Kelly Ripa, 50, and Mark Consuelos, 49, are set to executive produce the series. In the revival, a young journalist with “a secret agenda comes to expose the dark and murderous history of a town named Pine Valley only to become entangled in a feud between the Kane and Santos families.” Throughout All My Children’s 4-decade run, a number of stars have called Pine Valley home at one point over the years.
Actress Susan Lucci, 74, ruled the show from its inception all the way through 2011, playing Erica Kane. Susan was widely viewed as the first lady of daytime TV, earning over a million dollars a year by the early 1990s when the show was at its peak. Today, Susan does guest spots on TV but is focused on her Susan Lucci Collection of hair and skincare products, fragrances, and more. She revealed to HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY in Feb. 2020 that she would “absolutely” bring back Erica Kane if it were “in the right hands.”
Probably the most famous alum of AMC is Kelly Ripa. She landed the role of troubled but fun-loving Hayley Vaughan in 1990 and went on the play the character for 12 years. She concluded the part in 2002 after landing the seat next to the late Regis Philbin vacated by Kathie Lee Gifford, 67, on their syndicated ABC daytime talk show. When Regis retired in 2011, it became Kelly’s show. Her first co-host was former NY Giant Michael Strahan, 49, followed by current co-host Ryan Seacrest, 46, on Live! with Kelly and Ryan.
Kelly found love on the set of AMC, falling for co-star Mark Consuelos. He landed the part of Mateo Santos in 1995 and the couple began dating in secret, though they later became lovers on the show. Mark and Kelly eloped to Las Vegas in May 1996, and many of their co-stars didn’t learn about it until months after the fact that they were married. The couple went on to have three beautiful children. Mark and Kelly are still wildly in love after over two decades of marriage. Mark frequently fills in as Kelly’s guest co-host on Live!, and he currently plays Hiram Lodge on The CW’s Riverdale.
Cameron Mathison, 51,was the resident hunk on All My Children. He played Ryan Lavery from 1998 to 2011. After competing on Dancing with the Stars season 5 in 2007, his good looks and charm were on full display. That helped lead to a reporting gig with Good Morning America in 2009. He still does corresponding work for the ABC morning show. He’s also been the star of numerous Hallmark Channel movies and currently co-hosts the Hallmark Channel daytime talk show Home and Family. He told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY in June 2020 that he was “open” to an All My Children revival!
Sarah Michelle Gellar‘s big break came originating the role of Erica Kane’s daughter Kendall Hart on AMC in 1993. She went on to win a Daytime Emmy in 1995 for Best Younger Actress in a Drama Series. After that, SMG became a TV icon as Buffy Summers in Buffythe Vampire Slayer, which ran on the CW from 1997 until 2003. She’s been a mainstay in film and TV ever since. Her most recent series was the 2013-14 CBS sit-com The Crazy Ones opposite the late Robin Williams. These days, SMG is focused on the food empire she started in 2015 with Foodstirs, an e-commerce and retail business selling baking kits for families. She also authored the 2017 cookbook Stirring Up Fun with Food.
