All My Children

All My Children is a US soap opera that has been broadcast Monday through Friday on the ABC TV network since January 5, 1970. Originally a half-hour in length, the show moved to an hour in 1977. AMC has taped over nine thousand episodes, with the 9,000th episode having aired on December 16, 2004. It is videotaped at ABC's television studio on West 66th Street in New York City. As of July 31 2006, the show has a filmed (as opposed to taped) appearance.

All My Children was created by Agnes Nixon. Although Nixon had previously created One Life to Live for ABC following her success with Another World and The Guiding Light, All My Children was her first love and first major creation. She set the show in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a small suburb of Philadelphia.The title of the show refers to the brotherhood of man. Nixon believed that it doesn't matter who one was, what one looked like, or where one was from — for every human being was a child of God. The poem at the start of the All My Children photo album reads: The Great and the Least, The Rich and the Poor, The Weak and the Strong, In Sickness and in Health, In Joy and Sorrow, In Tragedy and Triumph, You are ALL MY CHILDREN. The poem, which epitomizes the goal of All My Children's storytelling, was penned by Nixon herself.

With the death of core cast member Ruth Warrick in January 2005, two original cast members, Ray MacDonnell and Susan Lucci, remain.

At one time, the program was so popular that it was the most widely-recorded television show in the United States. The show ranked #1 in the daytime Nielsen ratings from 1978-1979. In the early 1980s, as well as the early to mid-1990s, All My Children was the #2 rated daytime soap on the air (behind CBS's The Young and the Restless). The show still enjoys a sizable fan following, usually ranking near the middle in the daytime ratings, with over three million people watching each day. In late 2004 the show's ratings picked up again, and it tied other soaps for second place for the first time since 1995. By mid 2005 it had then leveled back to its usual middle of the pack spot. Since the beginning of 2006 the ratings have steadily gone up and by April 2006 All My Children was placing as high as 3rd and beating out fellow ABC sudser General Hospital as the top rated soap on the network.

History

In the 1960s Agnes Nixon, then head writer for The Guiding Light, tried to sell a property called All My Children to NBC, then CBS, then NBC again through the auspices of sponsor Procter & Gamble. Despite her success and sponsor support, it was not until the start of 1970 that her brainchild finally aired.

Agnes Nixon strived to create a soap that was topical, and could illustrate social issues to the audience. She wanted all this while also injecting regular humor into the script, something that had not been tried by other soap writers before. To keep the action more real, she allowed the audience to locate her fictional "Pine Valley" on a map: situated just outside of Philadelphia, it was a mere hour-long train ride from New York City.

From 1970 and into the â€˜80s, the show was either written by Agnes Nixon herself or by her protÃ©gÃ©, Wisner Washam. He was groomed by Nixon to take the reins in the â€˜80s while she focused on other endeavors, like creating and launching Loving in 1983. Lorraine Broderick and Margaret DePriest also had brief stints as head writers in the â€˜80s.

The show's first action took place around several families and characters. Phoebe Tyler, who fashioned herself as "Queen of Pine Valley", was the definition of a rich snob. There was also single mother Mona Kane and her prima donna daughter, Erica. Contrasting this was the stable Martin Family, who have long been thought of as the symbolic foundation of All My Children.

If Phoebe was the "Queen of Pine Valley", then Susan Lucci's Erica Kane was definitely the "Princess". Erica Kane's first scene in Pine Valley will live in infamy. She riled out to her mother everything she was looking for in a husband, establishing her ambition and her knack for rich men. But deep inside, Erica was nursing the scars of her abandonment by her father, successful film director Eric Kane. At the same time, her father's life in Hollywood was the driving force for her longing to leave Pine Valley. Destined to break up the young romance of classmates Tara Martin (Karen Lynn Gorney) and Phil Brent (Richard Hatch), Erica found out that Phil was not Ruth's son, but the son of Amy (Rosemary Prinz). In a selfish attempt to break up Phil and Tara, she told everyone the truth.

All My Children's first success was its telling of young love. ABC wanted a soap opera that would bring in young viewers, and slowly the program was accomplishing just that.

The show's ratings did not start out strong, however. In its first year on the air, it ranked #17 out of 19 soaps. Despite this, its audience was building with each passing year, which kept both Agnes Nixon and ABC happy.

The show was unique for its use of the Vietnam War. Before All My Children debuted no show, let alone daytime soap, had discussed the war in any depth. There was the character of Phoebe, a conservative, and Amy, a free-spirited liberal, both butting heads over the war, with Amy often leading protests around Pine Valley. When the character of Amy left, Ruth took over as the anti-war voice. Her early â€˜70s protest speech won Mary Fickett the first ever Emmy Award given to a soap performer back in 1972.

In 1973 Erica made the decision to have an abortion. What made the abortion extra-controversial was Erica's reason for doing it. She wasn't having it done because her health was in jeopardy, but because she didn't want to gain weight and lose her modeling job. The abortion story got much media attention, especially since Roe v. Wade had been decided just a few months before the story began airing. Erica developed a potentially fatal infection after having the abortion, and the switch-boards at ABC lit up with calls from doctors and nurses, offering their medical opinions on how best to treat the character's case. The controversy didn't hurt ratings, which rose from 8.2 to 9.1.

Phoebe's husband Charles had gotten close to Mona Kane (Frances Heflin), Erica's mother and his secretary at the hospital. The two fell in love and Charles divorced Phoebe, even though she tried to blackmail Mona and even faked paralysis. In the end, Phoebe was left a drunken divorcÃ©e and Mona Kane became the new Mrs. Tyler. This ordeal started the longtime Phoebe/Mona rivalry.

When Eileen Letchworth, who played Margo Flax, was contemplating a facelift, she talked it over with Agnes Nixon. Not only was Letchwoth going to need time off, she was going to look significantly different when she returned to the show. Nixon approved and worked the facelift into a storyline. Margo wanted to impress the somewhat younger Paul Martin (William Mooney). Margo's facelift in 1974 was one of the first major storylines on television discussing cosmetic surgery and it's psychological effects.

In 1976 the character of Brooke showed up on her Aunt Phoebe's doorstep and soon after clashed with Erica over Tom Cudahy. Since then, Brooke has feasted on many of Erica's left-over men. Also, in 1976 was the introduction of fan favorite Myrtle Lum Fargate (Eileen Herlie).

By the late â€˜70s the show had risen to the top of the ratings.A new addition in 1979 was the arrival of aristocratic Palmer Cortlandt, his somewhat creepy housekeeper Myra, and his overprotected daughter Nina, who, to Palmer's chagrin, caught the fancy of Dr. Cliff Warner. Palmer did everything in his power to break up the couple, included telling Nina she was going blind due to her diabetes. Palmer teamed up with Cliff's past flame, nurse Sybil Thorne, who confronted Cliff about fathering her son on the day of his first wedding to Nina. But this was temporary, because Sybil was murdered by Sean Cudahy. During the murder trial, Nina was astonished to learn that her mother, Daisy Cortlandt, whom she believed to be dead, was in fact alive and living in Pine Valley as â€˜Monique Jonville'. To complete everyone's shock, Myra acknowledged that Daisy was her daughter.

During this time supercouples, like Cliff and Nina, dominated the screen. The show also found memorable villains in Billy Clyde Tuggle and Ray Gardner.

The early '80s is considered by many to have been a golden period for the show. Younger characters, such as Jenny and Greg (Kim Delaney and Laurence Lau), Liza (Marcy Walker), Liza's best friend Amanda Cousins (Amanda Bearse), Jesse and Angie (Darnell Williams and Debbi Morgan) and a now-grown-up Tad Martin (Michael E. Knight), who was now legally Ruth and Joe's son, entered the scene and drew large followings.

The storyline involving Liza plotting to win Greg back after he left her for Jenny was a huge fan favorite, as was the Jenny/Greg supercouple. The aforementioned Jesse and Angie made history as daytime's first African-American supercouple. Last but not least the legend of "Tad the Cad" was born when Tad Martin took Liza Colby's virginity, then simultaneously began having sex with her mother, socialite Marian Colby.Jenny and Jesse's summer in New York City is considered a classic. The story was so well received that it allowed the program to reach #1 in the ratings for 10 weeks during the summer of 1982, beating out General Hospital.

On the not-so-younger side, Jenny and Tad's birthmother Opal (Dorothy Lyman) was also added to the canvas, where she opened the Glamorama salon and spa. Opal greatly showcased All My Children's attempt, and what many feel as a success, at humor and satire. Powerful businessman Adam Chandler (David Canary) and his twin brother Stuart arrived in town and became frontburner characters.

The character of Erica began to take on a larger-than-life role by the '80s. This was evident with her writing an autobiography, "Raising Kane", and turning it into a motion picture. When her presumed half-sister accused her of murdering Kent Bogard, her former lover and boss, she went on the run fleeing to the Hollywood Hills. She did this all while posing as a nun. Many remember her forest encounter with a grizzly bear after she escaped a kidnapping attempt made by Adam. The character would go on to marry over 10 times (with her most recent wedding taking place in June 2005).

The show made their first attempt at tackling the taboo topic of homosexuality in 1983. Tricia Pursley played the confused Devon McFadden who believed she was falling in love with her psychiatrist, Lynn Carson (played by Donna Pescow). Lynn admitted to being a lesbian, and Devon admitted her crush. Other soaps and television shows had done stories hinting at bisexuality, but never homosexuality, much less with women.

The show intelligently tackled the issue of drug use when Mark LaMura's character, Mark Dalton, became addicted to cocaine after years of casual use. His sister, Erica staged an intervention with his friends to have him confront his problems. They practiced a "tough love" policy that had Mark admit to the addiction. The informative episode showed how to hold an intervention, and the stages to go through for a successful confrontation.

Controversy hit in 1987 with the arrival of Cindy Parker (Ellen Wheeler), who would later fall in love with Stuart Chandler (David Canary). The character was revealed to have AIDS. Through visits by Dr. Angie Hubbard, the show educated the public on how the disease was spread and how to prevent it. Cindy had contracted HIV from her husband, Fred, who contracted it from sharing needles for drug use. Cindy would be attacked by a vigilante hate group led by her niece Skye Chandler (Robin Christopher). The tragedy of the attack showed the extremes of violence that was occurring everyday to victims of the disease.

By 1989, ABC wanted changes at All My Children. The show wasn't a disaster, still pulling in respectable ratings, but many felt that the program had lost its unique sense of humor. Agnes Nixon and Wisner Washam, who had both written the show since the '70s, were faced with a merry-go-round of executive producers, starting in the mid-'80s when producer Jacqueline Babbin left. Battles for creative control often ensued, many times leading to an uneven product. Efforts were made to bring the show back to the glory days of the late â€˜70s and early â€˜80s. This would mean adding a mixture of both social issues and also the intelligent satire that the show had been known for.

ABC hired Felicia Minei Behr as the new executive producer in early 1989. Having been a producer on Ryan's Hope, Behr was familiar with All My Children, having been a crew member dating back to 1970. Behr welcomed the input of both Nixon and Washam. In the eyes of Agnes Nixon, the show finally had a stable executive producer. She put Michael E. Knight, who had recently returned to the show after a leave of 3 years, on the frontburner. Behr worked with Nixon and Washam, crafting a baby storyline involving the characters of Adam, Brooke, Tad, and Dixie (who was introduced in late 1988). The tale provided an unexpected love story between the characters of Tad and Dixie (Cady McClain), with whom Behr saw much chemistry between.

All My Children received the 'Best Show of 1989' honor from Soap Opera Digest, with the Chandler baby tale being voted as 'Most Intriguing Story'.

By this time the show also found a hit couple in Cecily and Nico (played by Rosa Nevin and Maurice Benard).
ABC was pleased with Behr; Agnes Nixon was as well, and decided her creation was safe in the hands of the new producer. The program was faced with many actor defections during this time, including longtime favorites such as Peter Bergman, Taylor Miller, and Debbi Morgan, but Behr countered his by bringing back other favorite characters from the past -- Opal (this time played by Jill Larson) and Billy Clyde Tuggle (the former pimp who first made his big splash in the '70s). Behr also helped craft a story re-exploring Erica's father, Eric. It was revealed he had faked his own death. In a comical twist, Erica found him working as a clown in a traveling circus.

At the time of Behr's hiring in early 1989, the show usually ranked around #4 in the ratings, by 1990 the show had inched up to the #3 spot. Around this time Nixon decided she could go into semi-retirment. She continued to be with All My Children, but wanted to take a step back from the grueling day-to-day task of being a head writer. After Washam followed suit soon after, it was decided that a new head writer was needed. Longtime associate writer Lorraine Broderick had occasionally stepped in to head write for the show, but had recently left the show to co-head write CBS's Guiding Light. ABC chose Megan McTavish, who had been on the writing team since 1987. She was promoted to head writer in 1992, with Nixon serving as Executive Head Writer.

McTavish and Behr proved to be a powerful duo, crafting stories that received praise from both the soap magazines and from fans. The numbers began to inch up even more, and by the 1991-1992 season, All My Children had regained the #2 position in the ratings.

Stories such as Molly's leukemia, Ceara Connor (Genie Francis)'s incest, Mona's lung cancer, and Deconstruction (a story about racism), were all praised in the soap magazines for their social conscience. Other storylines included the 'Who Killed Will?' mystery, Willow Lake Acres (a both humorous and serious tale about the plight of the elderly in a fraudulent nursing home), and a tornado that rocked Pine Valley. Kendall (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who was revealed to be the product of a rape that happened to Erica on her fourteenth birthday, was a major rewrite, but still a popular story in the eyes of many. The Santos, Frye, and Keefer families were introduced during this time as well.

Kendall came to Pine Valley in 1993 and soon left in 1995 (then portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar), but came back 7 years later in 2002 (freshly portrayed by Alicia Minshew). Kendall recently welcomed her son, Spike into the world in 2006.

Tad, who had fallen from an exploding bridge in 1990, was last seen hitching a ride out of town. The people of Pine Valley thought he was dead, but the audience knew he'd be back. In fact, Tad and Dixie were now so popular that their near encounter in early 1993 allowed the show to beat the #1 rated The Young and the Restless during the 1:00-1:30PM timeslot. For the week, the show scored an 8.7 rating, nearly reaching #1. The show had other couples with large followings during this time: Erica and Dimitri (Michael Nader), Trevor (James Kiberd) and Natalie (Kate Collins), and Hayley (Kelly Ripa) and Brian (Matt Borlenghi) (just to name a few).

Many fans consider the early '90s to have been a second golden period for the show, often comparing it to the late '70s and early '80s.

However, by the early-mid-90's, some of McTavish's storytelling received criticism for being gimmick-driven (i.e. multiple dual roles, bomb plots). Reports soon surfaced that Behr and McTavish were having conflicts about storylines and the direction the show would take. After the O.J. Simpson trial pre-empted daytime television programs throughout late 1994 and into 1995, many soaps saw their ratings decline, and All My Children was no different. When Megan McTavish was fired from her head writing post in the spring, former associate head writer Lorraine Broderick was tapped by Behr as the new head writer.

Broderick's tenure under Behr was popular among critics and fans for returning AMC to its socially relevant, character-driven roots. Her biggest successes, in the opinion of many, were Erica's drug addiction story (with the character receiving treatment at the Betty Ford Center), and also the story of a homophobia over a gay high school boy and a history teacher. But with the ratings still stagnant, ABC fired longtime executive producer Felicia Minei Behr, and brought in Francesca James (who had previously acted on the show as twins Kitty and Kelly). The storylines now included a voodoo arc with the popular Noah and Julia (Keith Hamilton Cobb and Sydney Penny), a fantasy story for Myrtle featuring the "real" Santa Claus, and finally a baby kidnapping story involving Erica. The kidnapping story, while emotional and well-exectuted, proved to be controversial among fans and critics alike. AMC's ratings - as with most other soaps - were still slipping.

Despite winning three consecutive Daytime Emmys for writing during her tenure on AMC, Broderick was replaced in December of 1997 by her predecessor, McTavish. The first major story McTavish tackled was ironically one created by Broderick, Bianca Montgomery's anorexia. The character of Bianca, Erica's young daughter, was checked into a facility to treat the disease. Apart from the anorexia story, McTavish's tales were plot-driven and made severe, implausible alterations to the show's history (such as the resurrection of Erica's lifetime-love, Mike Roy). These gimmicks were extremely unpopular with fans and critics. Some speculated that Felicia Minei Behr was responsible for most of the early '90s success. In 1998 the show, yet again, got a new executive producer. Jean Dadario Burke was hired, taking over from Francesca James. She would become known to many speculating fans as a weak producer with little vision. Cady McClain, who had left the show as Dixie in 1996, returned to the delight of her fans, but other storylines were all busts. By the start of 1999, with All My Children being voted as the 'Worst of 1998' by Soap Opera Digest magazine, McTavish was once again fired.

As ratings began to fall in the late '90s ABC convinced Agnes Nixon to make a brief return. Many long-running actors, such as Michael Nader, James Kiberd, and Robin Mattson, left their roles, arguably leaving huge gaps in the show's landscape. Nixon decided to write a story that would breathe new life into the show and be socially relevant at the same time. This resulted in the revelation that Erica Kane's daughter Bianca was a lesbian. She admitted the truth to her mother in December 2000. Despite the many flaws during this period, the show found mild success in the pairings of newcomers, Ryan (Cameron Mathison) and Gillian (Esta TerBlanche), as well as Leo (Josh Duhamel) and Greenlee (Rebecca Budig).

Alexa Havins (Babe) and Eden Riegel (Bianca), seen here on the October 12, 2004 cover of ABC Soaps In Depth, were involved in the 'babyswitch' storyline of 2004-2005. (photo by Robert Milazzo)

After even more staff turnover in recent years, Megan McTavish, who wrote the show for most of the '90s, again returned. Her storylines began airing in July 2003, which included the rape of Bianca. The story was controversial, but was hailed by many soap columnists as the return of character-driven storytelling, which had been ignored under the tenures of Jean Passanante, Richard Culliton, Gordon Rayfield and Anna Cascio.

Gone upon McTavish's latest return was Jean Dadario Burke as executive producer, being replaced with Julie Hanan Carruthers (of Port Charles fame).

Recently, the show wrapped up a year-long 'babyswitch' storyline. The story crossed over to another ABC soap, One Life to Live as characters from that show were incorporated into the drama. Many disliked the story, but it still proved a ratings success. In late 2004 the show rose to the #2 position in the ratings â€" the first time that's happened since September 1995.

McTavish's latest stint as head writer has currently left many fans divided, as critics have found her writing again drifting toward plot-driven gimmicks and sacrifices of the show's history. As ratings bounced from the middle of the pack and the bottom, McTavish resorted to quick thinking and stunt casting to lure back long-time viewers. Various characters returned to the show after long absences, including Julia Santos (Sydney Penny) and Janet Green (Kate Collins, who was originally slated to return for a brief stint and was eventually given a contract). The most notable, however, was the long-kept secret of Cady McClain's return as the iconic Dixie Cooney Martin. The news of her return was spread just two weeks before she appeared on viewers' screens again.

With these returns, and several storyline directions, many fans claim that McTavish has run out of ideas and is simply trying to repeat the success she and the show had in the early 1990s. Some view this as a bad thing; others view it as a nod to history. No matter what, however, All My Children continues to be one of the most popular soap operas in the history of television.

Starting in July, 2006, there's a growing speculation that Megan McTavish might be out as head writer and that she will be replaced with Jeff Beldner and Amanda L. Beall.

Title sequences

The All My Children opening title in January 1970. Although always shot in color, the show's early episodes only survive on black and white kinescopes.

Other than Rosemary Prinz, no other faces would be seen in this opening. After her departure, the book was opened to a page with the title and some flowers appeared in the top right corner.

The All My Children photo album, debuting in January 1990.

The bumper that was seen in the middle of the show from January 1990 to December 1995.

The All My Children photo album on a white background, first seen in the opening sequence for the show's 25th anniversary week, airing on January 5, 1995.

Something that All My Children is known for throughout the soap world is its opening title sequences. Ever since the debut in 1970, the show's opener has included a photo album/scrapbook in some kind of form.

With the premiere, the opening was simple: a camera slowly zooms in on a leather-bound photo album as a female hand (it is Agnes Nixon's) enters the shot to open the album. On the first page of the album, the title is shown in calligraphic type. Until at least June 1970, the hand turned to a second page, crediting Rosemary Prinz as a "Special Guest Star". Prinz, at the time, was the cast member with the most soap opera experience, and crediting her in the beginning was used a way to coax her fans to tune in. She left after six months on the show, and the second page was eliminated from the sequence.

This set ran until December 1989, making it one of the longest-running packages in soap history. The theme music used with this version was written by Dina Dore and her daughter Carlina Paul. It went through several arrangements, as in the beginning it was a soft lullaby-type tune, but as time progressed, it was more sweeping and cheery.

The show's most popular sequence debuted during the week of the 20th anniversary in January 1990. The new opening kept the photo album theme, of course, but expanded on it. It began with the camera panning across a desk featuring framed pictures of longtime cast members. This dissolved into a series of animations in which still pictures of each cast member hovered into piles on the desk. It ended with a portrait of lead actress Susan Lucci slowly sliding onto a page in the photo album, as it closed to reveal the title in an Old English type on the cover. Occasionally, the title would disappear from the cover and a sponsor's logo would be in its place, with the announcer doing an ad for the sponsor. Felicia Minei Behr (who was All My Children's executive producer from 1989-1996) was responsible for this opening, and thought a change was desperately needed to bring the show into the '90s.

As popular as the opening was (it was a genius idea in that the set-up allowed everyone from contract cast members to recurring cast members to be included), the theme music was even more popular. Written by legendary television composers Robert Israel and Billy Barber, it began with a perky melody led by piano, which gave way to a stylish saxophone leading the tune. The theme song was identified with the show's glory years of the early '90s.

For the 25th anniversary, a new opening made its debut. It featured stills (later live action video) of each cast member fading in and out of a white background while various images, including galloping horses, house exteriors, pearl necklaces, and pink roses, crossfaded throughout the headshots. Susan Lucci was again given a nod as her picture was always first and was the only one in the sequence to be framed (with a silver picture frame). At the end, Agnes Nixon's hand-written epigram for the show crossfaded in the background just as the photo album did. The music that accompanied this opening was composed by David Benoit and went through several versions, including a memorable version led prominently by piano.

In 2002, after seven and a half years of the "white opening," a new opening made its debut. Of course, it featured the photo album, but unlike the other openings, the photo album was constantly seen throughout. It began with a closeup of the album (with the title on the cover) as it opened. The Agnes Nixon epigram is seen on the front page, but the screen fades into the montage of cast member headshots, all done in live action. The photos were already on their pages in the album and as each face was shown, the name of the character was scrawled on their page in the book, similar to what many people do with their own family scrapbooks. Yet again, Susan Lucci is paid homage by being at the end of both versions of this opening. This time, however, she shared that honor with David Canary, as he was in both openings as well, as Adam Chandler in one and Stuart in the other. The music for this opening was a much-loved update of the 1990-1994 theme by Robert Israel and Billy Barber.

The show reportedly had difficulty when attempting to update this opening; for the first six months it was in use there were no updates despite many cast changes. Several cast members, such as Kelly Ripa and J. Eddie Peck, left the show and remained in the opening for months---in fact, when Peck returned for a guest appearance several months after his departure, his opening image remained! When the opening finally was updated to feature new stars such as William Devry and Marc Menard, their images were blurry and of very poor quality.

After barely a year and a half of the previous opening, the show debuted another on May 31, 2004. This opening was styled after the commercial break bumpers that were present on all of ABC's soaps at the time. One Life to Live and General Hospital's openings were done in similar ways to the AMC opening.

The new opening generated mixed opinions from fans. The pros of it were that many pictures from the show's past, including montages of classic Susan Lucci and Ruth Warrick headshots and a wedding portrait from Edmund and Maria (John Callahan and Eva LaRue)'s 1994 wedding, was seen at the beginning. Also in favor was the updated update of the classic early '90s theme song. Cons, however, were that Cameron Mathison's Ryan Lavery was pictured directly after Susan Lucci's Erica Kane, a spot that many fans believed belonged to Alicia Minshew's Kendall Hart. Another thing against the opening was that all cast members (which is usually more than 30 people) were included in one sequence, making it seem that many characters were only flashes in the pan. A thing that grew on many fans was the new style of the title on the front of the photo album. For the first 34 years, the title was written vertically, with each word on a line, but the new logo had the entire title written horizontally. Nevertheless, fans became used to the new and current opening. As of October 2005, headshots of Erin Lavery (Connie Fletcher), Julia Santos (Sydney Penny), Del Henry (Alec Musser), Greg Madden (Ian Buchanan), and Josh Madden (Colin Egglesfield) were added to the opening sequence.

In June 2006, headshots of Ethan Cambias (James Scott), Anita Santos (Natalia Cigliuti), Livia Frye (Tonya Pinkins), and Opal (Jill Larson) were removed and a headshot of Dixie Cooney (Cady McClain) was added.

Cast

Current cast members

*Julia Barr (Brooke English)
*Jeff Branson (Jonathan Lavery)
*Alexa Bruening (Babe Carey Chandler)
*Justin Bruening (Jamie Martin)
*David Canary (Adam Chandler/Stuart Chandler)
*Ambyr Childers (Colby Chandler)
*Bobbie Eakes (Krystal Carey Chandler)
*Melissa Claire Egan (Annie McDermott)
*Colin Egglesfield (Josh Madden)
*Connie Fletcher (Erin Lavery)
*Kelli Giddish (Di Henry)
*Eileen Herlie (Myrtle Fargate)
*Vincent Irizarry (Dr. David Hayward)
*Terri Ivens (Simone Torres)
*John James (Dr. Jeff Martin)
*Michael B. Jordan (Reggie Montgomery)
*Thorsten Kaye (Zach Slater)
*Michael E. Knight (Tad Martin)
*Susan Lucci (Erica Kane)
*Tanisha Lynn (Danielle Frye)
*Ray MacDonnell (Dr. Joe Martin)
*Cameron Mathison (Ryan Lavery)
*Cady McClain (Dixie Cooney)
*Alicia Minshew (Kendall Hart Slater)
*James Mitchell (Palmer Cortlandt)
*Alec Musser (Del Henry)
*Marcus Patrick (Jamal Cudahy)
*Sydney Penny (Julia Santos Keefer)
*Leven Rambin (Lily Montgomery)
*Chrishell Stause (Amanda Dillon)
*Aiden Turner (Aidan Devane)
*Walt Willey (Jackson Montgomery)
*Jacob Young (J.R. Chandler)

Recurring cast members

*Jennifer Bassey (Marian Colby Chandler)
*John Bolton (D.A. John Summerhill)
*Joel Fabini (Barry Shire)
*Taylor Gildersleeve (Sydney)
*Bob Heitman (Dr. Stanley Clader)
*Cheryl Hulteen (Winifred)
*Marc Kudisch (Steve Lasko)
*Jill Larson (Opal)
*Carolyn MacCormack (Martha Leighton)
*Michael Malone (Val)
*Michael McKenzie (William Emerson)
*Lee Meriwether (Ruth Martin)
*Charles Parnell (Derek Frye)
*Tonya Pinkins (Livia Frye Cudahy)
*Jarred Sturman (Adam Chandler III)
*Matthew R. Walton (Terry McDermott)

Coming and going cast members

*Brent Weber (Sean Montgomery) (Debuts August 15th)
*Jesse McCartney (himself) (special guest star; September 8th & 12th)
*Jordan Pruitt (herself) (special guest star; September 8th & 12th)

Deceased cast members

*Philip Amelio (Scott Chandler #1), 2005
*Kay Campbell (Kate Martin #3), 1985
*RaÃºl DÃ¡vila (Hector Santos), 2006
*Louis Edmonds (Langley Wallingford), 2001
*Hugh Franklin (Dr. Charles Tyler), Original cast member, 1986
*Paul Gleason (Dr. David Thornton), 2006
*Frances Heflin (Mona Kane Tyler), Original cast member, 1994
*Ken Rabat (Paul Martin #1)
*Ruth Warrick (Phoebe Tyler Wallingford), Original cast member, 2005

Before they were stars

*Mischa Barton (Lily Montgomery #2), 1995
*Kathy Bates (Belle Bodelle), 1984
*Lacey Chabert (Bianca Montgomery #3), 1993
*Mark Consuelos (Mateo Santos), 1995-2002
*Kim Delaney (Jenny Gardner Nelson), 1981-1984
*Josh Duhamel (Leo DuPres), 1999-2002
*Sarah Michelle Gellar (Kendall Hart #1), 1993-1995
*Lauren Holly (Julie Chandler), 1986-1989
*Jesse McCartney (Adam "J.R." Chandler, Jr. #3), 1998-2001
*Debbi Morgan (Angie Baxter Hubbard), 1982-1990
*Kelly Ripa (Hayley Vaughan Santos), 1990-2002
*Mathew St. Patrick (Adrian Sword), 1998-2000
*Michelle Trachtenberg (Lily Montgomery #1), 1993-1995

Celebrity guests

Over the years All My Children has had numerous celebrity guests on the show. The following is a list of some :
*Warren Buffett (Himself) (mid 1990's)
*BBMak (Themselves) (1999)
*Elizabeth Taylor (Tom Cudahy's maid) (1984)
*Carol Burnett (Mrs. Johnson) (1976)/(Verla Grubbs) (1983, 1995, 2005)
*Regis Philbin (Himself) (2005)
*Clay Aiken (Himself) (2005)
*Montel Williams (Judge Pearson) (2002)
*Tony Danza (Erica's wedding planner) (2005)
*Brian McKnight (Himself) (1998)
*Al Leiter (Himself) (2005)
*Agnes Nixon (Agnes Eckhardt) (2005)
*Jamie-Lynn Sigler (herself) (2003)
*Stevie Wonder (himself) (1986)
*Mary-Kate Olsen & Ashley Olsen (themselves) (1998)
*Rosie O'Donnell (Naomi, Adam Chandler's maid) (1996)
*Debra Jo Rupp (Sheila) (1980)/(Victoria) (2005)
*Martha Stewart (herself) (2006)
*Rihanna (herself) (2006)

Awards

Through its 35+ year run All My Children has won numerous Awards.

Daytime Emmy Awards

Show

*2005 "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series"
*2005 "Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Drama Series"
*2005 "Outstanding Achievement in Live & Director to Tape Sound Mixing for a Drama Series"
*2004 "Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Drama Series"
*2004 "Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control for a Drama Series"
*2003 "Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design for a Drama Series"
*2003 "Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Drama Series"
*2003 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series"
*2003 "Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Drama Series"
*2003 "Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction for a Drama Series"
*2003 "Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Drama Series"
*2003 "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series"
*2003 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
*2002 "Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Drama Series"
*2002 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series"
*2002 "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series"
*2002 "Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control for a Drama Series"
*2001 "Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Drama Series"
*2001 "Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing for a Drama Series"
*2000 "Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design for a Drama Series"
*2000 "Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Drama Series"
*1999 "Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series"
*1998 "Outstanding Achievement in Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects for a Drama Series"
*1998 "Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Drama Series"
*1998 "Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing for a Drama Series"
*1998 "Outstanding Drama Series"
*1998 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
*1997 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team" TIED with The Young and the Restless
*1996 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
*1995 "Outstanding Direction for a Drama Series"
*1994 "Outstanding Drama Series"
*1992 "Outstanding Drama Seres"
*1988 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"

Individuals

*2005 "Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series Eden Riegel
*2004 "Lifetime Achievement Award" Ray MacDonnell
*2004 "Lifetime Achievement Award" Ruth Warrick
*2002 "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Josh Duhamel
*2001 "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Michael E. Knight
*2001 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" David Canary
*1999 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Susan Lucci
*1998 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" Julia Barr
*1995 "Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series" Sarah Michelle Gellar
*1993 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" David Canary
*1990 "Outstanding Ingenue in a Daytime Drama Series" Cady McClain
*1990 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series" Julia Barr
*1989 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series" Debbie Morgan TIED with Nancy Lee Grahn of Santa Barbara
*1989 "Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series" David Canary
*1988 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series" Ellen Wheeler
*1988 "Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series" David Canary
*1987 "Outstanding Young Man in a Daytime Drama Series" Michael E. Knight
*1987 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series" Kathleen Noone
*1986 "Outstanding Young Man in a Daytime Drama Series" Michael E. Knight
*1986 "Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series" David Canary
*1985 "Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series" Darnell Williams
*1983 "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series" Darnell Williams
*1983 "Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series" Dorothy Lyman
*1982 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series" Dorothy Lyman
*1980 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series" Francesca James
*1980 "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series" Warren Burton
**Prior to the creation of the Daytime Emmy Awards in 1974 the Primetime Emmy Awards administed by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recognised Excellence in Daytime Television from 1971-1973. In this time All My Children received multiple nominations ,winning one Emmy :
*1973 "Outstanding Achievement by Individuals in Daytime Drama" Mary Fickett

Soap Opera Digest Awards

*2005 "Outstanding Male Newcomer" Justin Bruening
*2005 "Outstanding Younger Lead Actress" Eden Riegel
*2003 "SOAPnet Diamond Award" Susan Lucci
*2003 "Outstanding Younger Lead Actress" Rebecca Budig
*2001 "Outstanding Female Newcomer" Eden Riegel
*2000 "Favorite Return" Finola Hughes
*2000 "Outstanding Female Newcomer" Abigail Spencer
*2000 "Outstanding Younger Lead Actor" Mark Consuelos
*2000 "Outstanding Younger Lead Actress" Kelly Ripa
*1999 "Favorite Couple" David Canary & Jennifer Bassey for Stuart and Marion
*1999 "Favorite Return" Cady McClain
*1999 "Outstanding Male Newcomer" Cameron Mathison
*1999 "Outstanding Villain" Vincent Irizarry
*1998 "Hottest Romance" Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa for "Mateo and Hayley"
*1998 "Outstanding Female Scene Stealer" Jennifer Bassey
*1998 "Outstanding Lead Actor" John Callahan
*1998 "Outstanding Supporting Actor" Michael E. Knight
*1997 "Outstanding Female Newcomer" T.C. Warner
*1997 "Outstanding Supporting Actress" Marcy Walker
*1996 "Editor's Choice" Agnes Nixon
*1996 "Hottest Romance" Keith Hamilton Cobb, Sydney Penny for "Noah" and "Julia"
*1996 "Outstanding Female Scene Stealer" Robin Mattson
*1996 "Outstanding Male Newcomer" Mark Consuelos
*1996 "Outstanding Younger Leading Actress" Kelly Ripa
*1995 "Outstanding Male Newcomer" Keith Hamilton Cobb
*1995 "Outstanding Male Scene Stealer" Michael E. Knight
*1993 "Outstanding Lead Actress" Susan Lucci
*1993 "Outstanding Younger Leading Actor" Matt Borlenghi
*1992 "Outstanding Lead Actor: Daytime" David Canary
*1991 "Outstanding Heroine: Daytime" Cady McClain
*1991 "Outstanding Supporting Actress: Daytime" Julia Barr
*1990 "Outstanding Supporting Actor: Daytime" Robert Gentry
*1990 "Outstanding Villain: Daytime" David Canary
*1988 "Editor's Choice" Susan Lucci

Soapy Awards

*1983 "Exciting New Actress" Kim Delaney
*1980 "Favorite Performer in a Mature Role" Ruth Warrick
*1978 "Favorite Juvenile" John E. Dunn
*1977 "Outstanding Achievement in the World of Daytime Drama" Agnes Nixon

GLAAD Media Awards

*2004 "Favorite OUT image of the year award" Eden Riegel
*2004 "Outstanding Daily Drama"
*2002 "Outstanding Daily Drama"
*2001 "Outstanding Daily Drama"
*1998 "Outstanding Daytime Drama Series"
*1997 "Outstanding Daytime Drama Series"
*1996 "Outstanding Daytime Television"

Gracie Allen Awards

*2005 "Outstanding Female Lead in a Daytime Drama" Susan Lucci
*2004 "Individual Achievement for Best Female Lead - Daytime Drama" Eva LaRue

ALMA Awards

*1999 "Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Soap Opera" Mark Consuelos
*1999 "Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Soap Opera" Socorro Santiago
*1998 "Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Soap Opera" Mark Consuelos
*1998 "Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Soap Opera" Eva LaRue

Writers Guild of America Awards

*In the 1990's the WGA began recognising achievement in daytime television writing. These are the years the WGA award for "Daytime Serials" went to All My Children
*2004 "Daytime Serials"
*2002 "Daytime Serials"
*2001 "Daytime Serials"
*1999 "Daytime Serials"
*1997 "Daytime Serials"

Young Artist Awards

*2002 "Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Supporting Young Actor" Jesse McCartney
*2001 "Best Performance in a Daytime TV Series - Young Actor" Jesse McCartney
*1994 "Best Youth Actor in a Soap Opera" Tommy J. Michaels

Ratings history

After a slow start, All My Children rose rapidly to the point it became ABC's highest-rated soap for most of the 1970s. In 1978-79 it dethroned long-time leader As The World Turns as the #1 rated soap. Although this was not repeated, it remained a consistent top four performer until the mid-1990s and held #2 spot (and ABC's highest rating soap for the period) in the years 1990-1995.

Since 1995, in common with all other soaps, All My Children has seen a decline in ratings with more pronounced slides in 1998, and again since 2005.

Because of its airtime, 1 PM (ET)/12 Noon (CT) and conflicts with local newscasts in the Central time zone, a few stations run All My Children on a day-behind basis. These include WFAA Dallas/Ft. Worth, KSAT San Antonio, KOCO Oklahoma City, WFRV Green Bay, Wisconsin, and "ABC33/40" (WCFT and WJSU) Birmingham, AL.

Spoofs

*This show is spoofed in Matt Groening's series Futurama as a huge robot soap opera called All My Circuits, starring Calculon.
*The soap opera featured in the film Soap Dish was called All My Trials.
*This show was spoofed in an episode of Spin City called "My Life is a Soap Opera" which also featured John Callahan as Edmund Grey and Esta TerBlanche as Gillian Andrassy Lavery.
*On the television series Clarissa Explains It All, Clarissa once narrated the family's collective drama as a faux soap opera called All My Darlings.
*On the cartoon television series The Fairly OddParents, the hottest show in Fairy World is called All My Biceps. Fairy World has been waiting for 18 years for Wanda's twin (but slightly more attractive) sister Blonda to kiss Dr. Poof Everwish.
*In an episode called, Arthur's TV Free Week from the PBS Kids show Arthur, D.W. stops her mom from watching a soap opera titled All My Chickens.
*In an episode of Martin, when Gina was fired off from her job because of Martin, she took comfort in her favorite soap opera named All My Youngins starring her favorite character Jawakatima.
*In an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, characters were seen watching a soap opera called All My Fault.
*In an episode of Friends, Gunther says that he played Bryce, an All My Children character who was killed by an avalanche.
*In another episode of "Friends", Joey tries out for the part of Nick the Boxer. During the episode, Joey refers to Susan Lucci as the "First Lady of Daytime Television".
*The show was spoofed in the 2006 film Over the Hedge while R.J. was flipping the channels on the HDTV set concoted by the other animals (Hammy, Heather, Ozzie, etc.) in the forest.

All My Children: Encyclopedia BETA

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