Famous alumni of 'One Life to Live'

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Famous alumni of 'One Life to Live'

Which stars got their start on daytime soap opera "One Life to Live?" You may be surprised.

As "One Life To Live," an ABC daytime staple since 1968, says goodbye, we look at actors who started on OLTL and hit it big, starting with JUDITH LIGHT (Karen Wolek, 1977-83) - Light's portrayal of the housewife-turned-hooker made her a fan favorite, netting her two daytime Emmys. After OLTL, she starred in the ABC comedy "Who's The Boss?"

MARCIA CROSS (Kate Sanders, 1985-86) - Cross' first soap role was on "The Edge of Night," but as Kate on OLTL she was married to the hunky Cord Roberts. Of course, it was ruled invalid, but still. Cross fared better than Kate, going on to star in "Melrose Place" and "Desperate Housewives."

TOMMY LEE JONES (Dr. Mark Toland, 1973) - The Oscar winner (for "The Fugitive") is among Hollywood's best-known and most prolific actors but one of his earliest roles was as a conniving physician on OLTL. (Are there any other kind on soaps?)

RAINN WILSON (Casey Keegan, 1997) - If you blinked, you likely missed Wilson's turn as Casey on OLTL. (We know we did.) It's pretty tough to overlook him as Dwight on "The Office," though.

LAURENCE FISHBURNE (Dr. Josh Hall) - He's a household name now, thanks to roles like Morpheus in "The Matrix" and Dr. Raymond Langston on TV's "CSI," but one of Fishburne's earliest gigs was playing Dr. Joshua "Josh" Hall (No. 1) on "One Life to Live" in the mid-70s.

YASMINE BLEETH (Lee Ann Demarest Buchanan) - Before she became a "Baywatch" babe, Yasmine Bleeth did a two-year stint on 'OLTL' in the early 90s, playing Lee Ann Demarest Buchanan.

RYAN PHILLIPPE (Billy Douglas) - Ryan Phillipe's role on "One Life to Live" marked a first for the show and network TV as a whole. Phillipe's Billy Douglas became TV's first gay highschooler. Who knows if "Glee's" Kurt Hummel would be on TV today if it wasn't for Billy Douglas? Ryan was on the show from 1992-1993.

BRANDON ROUTH (Seth Anderson) - Though the handsome, young star is most well known for his role as Superman in 2006's "Superman Returns," Brandon Routh had humble beginnings on "One Life to Live," playing Seth Anderson a tough kid from the wrong side of the tracks.

HAYDEN PANETTIERE (Sarah Roberts) - She didn't look like the Hayden Panettiere you know from "Heroes" on OLTL... because she was a kid.

TOM BERENGER (Tim Siegel, 1975-76) - Berenger, shown here in "Junction Boys," became a household name after his 1986 performance in "Platoon." OLTL fans knew him much earlier as Tim, the doomed husband of Jenny Wolek. Tim died the classic soap death, falling down stairs after being pushed during a fight when Jenny gave up being - wait for it - a nun. Got all that?

ESTHER ROLLE (Sadie Gray, 1971) - Prior to her star-making role as Florida Evans, first on "Maude" and then on "Good Times," Rolle played long-suffering Sadie, mother of Carla Gray, on OLTL in the soap's early days.

NATHAN FILLION (Joey Buchanan, 1994-97) - The "Castle" star was a hit as Viki's youngest son, earning a daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series. Fillion's lengthy resume includes the sitcom "Two Guys & A Girl," the sci-fi series "Firefly" and "Desperate Housewives."

FAITH FORD (Muffy Critchlow) - Ford went on to star in the sitcoms "Murphy Brown" and "Hope & Faith," the latter with former ABC soap star Kelly Ripa, who played Hayley Vaughn on "All My Children."

PHYLICIA RASHAD (Courtney Wright) - After her OLTL stint, Rashad gained mega-stardom as everyone's favorite '80s TV mom, Claire Huxtable, on "The Cosby Show."

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As "One Life To Live," an ABC daytime staple since 1968, says goodbye, we look at actors who started on OLTL and hit it big, starting with JUDITH LIGHT (Karen Wolek, 1977-83) - Light's portrayal of the housewife-turned-hooker made her a fan favorite, netting her two daytime Emmys. After OLTL, she starred in the ABC comedy "Who's The Boss?"

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