When All My Children originally aired on television in January 1970, more than 50 years ago, it marked the beginning of a 41-year journey full of unending turns and turns. Susan Lucci’s Erica Kane, the show’s main character, “was unheard of at the time” because, as AMC’s former executive producer Julie Hanan Carruthers described to PEOPLE’s All My Children special edition, she was a teenager.
“She was the first of her kind. I needed to write a character who would say and do the things I wished I could. Women relate to her because she is speaking for them. And men love her because she’s feisty and beautiful,” Agnes Nixon, the creator of AMC, stated.
Discover the current whereabouts of Kelly Ripa, Lucci, and the other Pine Valley locals almost a decade after the show’s cancellation.
Alicia Minshew as Kendall Hart
After only a few years in the business, Alicia Minshew was cast as Erica Kane’s daughter Kendall Hart on All My Children in 2002, a role that would last over ten years. Minshew, like many of her co-stars, starred in other web series, including Beacon Hill, Tainted Dreams, and The Blacklist. According to IMDB, her most recent credit is from an Eltingville episode from 2021.
Willow, Minshew’s daughter, was born in 2009 alongside her spouse, Richie Herschenfeld.
Cady McClain as Dixie Cooney
Cady McClain began her TV career earlier in the decade with roles on St. Elsewhere, Cheers, and ABC Afterschool Specials before assuming the role of Dixie Cooney on All My Children in 1989. According to Entertainment Weekly, McClain’s character was finally killed off in 2007, but she later reappeared as a ghost before it was made public that she was still alive. McClain spent a number of years as an actress on As the World Turns in addition to her time on AMC.
Before getting a role on The Young and the Restless in 2014, McClain rejoined her former castmates in the relaunch in 2013. McClain made appearances on Days of Our Lives from 2020 to 2023, which was more current.
Cameron Mathison as Ryan Lavery
Cameron Mathison had only a few on-screen appearances to his credit when he joined the AMC family in 1998. When Ryan Lavery, played by Mathison, wed Gillian Andrassy of Esta TerBlanche in 2001, it was one of the show’s renownedly lavish weddings. Ryan also dated Kendall Hart played by Alicia Minshew and married Greenlee Smythe played by Rebecca Budig during the course of the program.
Following the conclusion of the sitcom, Mathison continued to land roles in TV movies and television shows like Drop Dead Diva, Hot in Cleveland, and Desperate Housewives. He was cast in another recurring soap opera on General Hospital in 2021.
The actor has a son named Lucas and a daughter named Leila. He is married to Vanessa Mathison. The actor had surgery in 2019 to combat kidney cancer. “After the procedure, I even got to keep 80% of my kidney and the tumor is gone 😊,” he posted on Instagram.
Darnell Williams as Jesse Hubbard
Darnell Williams played Jesse Hubbard, Morgan’s husband and lifelong love; this was one of Williams’ first on-screen roles when he joined the company in 1981. Williams performed a different role in The City and Loving than Morgan did, but he still made an appearance.
After “dying” in 1988 and coming back in 2008, Williams played Jess Hubbard again in the 2013 revival of the show. He also had an appearance as Sarge Wilder on The Young and the Restless from 2012 to 2013. According to IMDB, Williams’ most recent credit is from a 2022 episode of Our Kind of People.
David Canary as Adam and Stuart Chandler
David Canary was no stranger to television when he took on the parts of Adam and Stuart Chandler on All My Children in 1989. He made his Peyton Place debut in the late 1960s, and he went on to star in television shows including Bonanza, The Doctors, and Another World.
According to IMDB, his last billed appearance was in 2013, when the program was briefly relaunched as a web series. Canary spoke about his roles on AMC, for which he won five Daytime Emmys, saying, “It was hard work. I loved both of them very much. If there were long periods when Stuart wasn’t around, I missed him desperately.”
Canary passed away in 2015, The New York Times reported, at the age of 77.
Debbi Morgan as Angie Baxter
In the 1970s, Debbi Morgan started her career in film and television, appearing in shows including Good Times and What’s Happening!! and Next Generation Roots. In 1982, she was cast as Angie Baxter on All My Children and won a Daytime Emmy. For many years to come, Morgan would play the part in various soap operas, including The City and Loving.
With a strong resume, she was cast in shows such Generations, Port Charles, Charmed, For the People, The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless in the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s. Morgan starred in several big-screen films, including Coach Carter, She’s All That, The Hurricane, Eve’s Bayou, and Love & Basketball.
Following the AMC revival in 2013, Morgan returned to the role of Dr. Angie Baxter Hubbard and has remained in acting ever since. Her most recent television appearances were on Keyshia Cole: This Is My Story, Power Book II: Ghost, and Our Kind of People.
Eileen Herlie as Myrtle Fargate
In 1976, Eileen Herlie, like Mitchell, had decades of experience under her belt when she took on the part of Myrtle Fargate, which would lead to three nominations for Daytime Emmys. She starred opposite Laurence Olivier and Jean Simmons as Gertrude in 1948’s Hamlet, and during the 1950s and 1960s, she built a career for herself on Broadway and in movies. Herlie was nominated for a Tony Award in 1960 for her role in Take Me Along.
According to The New York Times, the actress performed on AMC until 2008; her last appearance was a few months before she passed away at the age of 90.
Eva LaRue as Maria Santos Grey
Actress Eva LaRue began her career in the late 1980s, landing a recurring role on Santa Barbara before taking on the role of Dr. Maria Santos Grey, Zach Slater’s one-time love interest, in 1993. Throughout the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, LaRue made appearances in a number of productions, including George Lopez, Soul Food, and Head Over Heels episodes. She started her seven-season role on CSI: Miami in 2005 as Natalia Boa Vista. LaRue had appearances on Finding Love in Quarantine and The Young and the Restless more recently.
LaRue wed John Callahan, her costar from AMC who portrayed her husband in the television series, in 1996. Kaya, their daughter, was born in 2001, and the couple remained wed until 2004. Callahan, who had episodes on AMC from 1992 to 2005, passed away in 2020 from a stroke at the age of 66.
Jacob Young as J.R. Chandler
Prior to being cast in J.R. Prior to joining Chandler in 2001, Jacob Young had dabbled in the soap opera industry as Lucky Spencer on General Hospital throughout the early 2000s and Rick Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful from 1997 to 2018.
Since then, Young has acted in TV films and appeared in series including The Walking Dead, Beacon Hill, and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. According to IMDB, he appeared in the 2022 short film Prepare for Launch as his most recent cinematic credit.
James Mitchell as Palmer Cortlandt
When James Mitchell took on the part of affluent businessman Palmer Cortlandt in 1979, he already had a decades-long career in theater, cinema, and television. He had acted in a number of movies, including The Toast of New Orleans (1950), Colorado Territory (1949), The Band Wagon (1953), and several others, before starting his 30-year stint on the soap opera in what would be his final role.
Reportedly, Mitchell passed away in 2010 at the age of 89. Times, a few weeks after making an appearance on the 40th anniversary episode of the show.
Jill Larson as Opal Cortlandt
Jill Larson began her career in the entertainment business in the early 1970s and played Opal on All My Children until the conclusion of the show in 1989. Larson obtained other roles during her tenure on the show, such as those in Shutter Island and Were the World Mine.
In addition to reprising her part in the 2013 adaptation, Larson made appearances in movies including The Taking of Deborah Logan, Forever, Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane, and most recently, A Holiday I Do, and television shows like Hunters, Vinyl, and The Young and the Restless.
Julia Barr as Brooke English
Following her appearances on multiple episodes of Ryan’s Hope in 1976, Julia Barr made her All My Children debut in 1978 as Brooke English, a role she would carry out for many years. The Daytime Emmy winner was one of the actresses that returned to their roles in the 2013 revival, which marked her final on-screen appearance, after the show concluded in 2011.
Kathleen Noone as Ellen Shepherd
As Ellen Shepherd, Kathleen Noone originally came to Pine Valley in 1978 and played the part for over ten years. Over the years, Noone has had a number of parts, such as a recurring position on Knots Landing in the early 1990s, a role on Sunset Beach later in the decade, and a role on Passions in the early aughts.
Since then, Noone has made sporadic guest appearances on television programs including Dexter and United States of Tara; her most recent film credit is from the 2017 film A Neighbor’s Deception.
Kelly Ripa as Hayley Vaughan
When Kelly Ripa was cast as Hayley Vaughan in 1990, she got her big break and went on to play the part for 20 years. Ripa secured parts outside of the show at that period, such as that of Hope & Faith’s lead character from 2003 to 2006.
Since All My Children, Ripa has made numerous cameos on TV shows, including Hannah Montana, 30 Rock, Broad City, and Nashville, frequently portraying herself. She even appeared with her spouse in a guest appearance on Riverdale in 2019. Naturally, hosting morning shows on Live has been her longest-running job outside of AMC. with Kelly and Regis beginning in 2001. Live with Kelly and Ryan evolved from the gig to Live with Kelly and Mark.
Kim Delaney as Jenny Gardner
Early in the 1980s, Kim Delaney made her television debut as Jenny Gardner on All My Children. Sadly, Jenny Gardner’s character passed away a few years later.
Delaney started her multi-year stint on NYPD Blue in 1995; at that time, she was nominated for an Emmy in 1997. Delaney obtained numerous other roles throughout the years, such as those on The O.C. and Philly. and from 2007 to 2012, a prominent part on Army Wives. Delaney recently went back to her soap opera origins as she joined the General Hospital cast in 2020. According to IMDB, her most recent paid job was in Chicago Fire in 2022.
Mark Consuelos as Mateo Santos Jr.
In 1995, Mark Consuelos went to the All My Children casting call and departed with more than just a role—he met his future wife! Consuelos was cast as Mateo Santos Jr., Kelly Ripa’s Hayley Vaughan’s love interest, and he played the part for over ten years. He continued to appear on the show while taking on roles in other programs, including Hope & Faith, 1-800-Missing, and an episode of Ugly Betty.
Consuelos has been acting since the end of the program. He has had guest appearances on Riverdale, where he recurred from 2017 to 2023, American Horror Story, Alpha House, Pitch, The Night Shift, Only Murders in the Building, and as Selena Gomez’s father.
Consuelos took over Ryan Seacrest’s position as cohost of Live with Kelly and Ryan in 2023. Currently, he cohosts Live with Kelly and Mark with Ripa, his wife of over 27 years. Michael, Lola, and Joaquin are the three children raised by the two.
Michael E. Knight as Tad Martin
One of actor Michael E. Knight’s first on-screen roles following acting school was in the television series All My Children as Tad Martin. Before returning to the role in 2013 for a brief All My Children revival, Knight played the part for decades and won three Daytime Emmys in the process. Despite the conclusion of his time in the AMC universe, he continued to appear in soap operas, most recently General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless.
Nick Benedict as as Phil Brent,
Following an extensive on-screen career that began in the 1950s, mostly in television, Nick Benedict became a part of the All My Children universe in the 1970s, playing Phil Brent, one of Erica Kane’s eight husbands. The actor was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 1979 for his performance. He continued to work in soap operas in the 1980s and 1990s, making appearances as Curtis Reed on Days of Our Lives, Santa Barbara, and The Young and the Restless.
Benedict passed away early in 2023 at the age of 76. According to IMDB, he had not been in the public eye much since the early 2000s.
Peter Bergman as Cliff Warner
Dr. Cliff Warner on All My Children was one of Peter Bergman’s very first jobs, which he landed in 1979. Even when his time on the show was finished, he continued to work in soap operas for approximately ten years. The actor has received over 20 Daytime Emmy nominations and three wins for his portrayal of Jack Abbott on The Young and the Restless, which he started in 1989 and has continued for decades.
Rebecca Budig as Greenlee Smythe
Rebecca Budig started her role as Michelle Bauer on Guiding Light a few years before she started her lengthy run as Greenlee Smythe on All My Children in the late 1990s.
Budig’s career in soap operas continued. She was cast as Hayden Barnes on General Hospital in 2014, a role she would hold until 2021. Fit for Christmas, which starred Amanda Kloots in 2022, was her most recent feature film credit.
Richard Hatch as Phil Brent
Richard Hatch’s first on-screen character in the early 1970s was Phil Brent on All My Children, before Nick Benedict took over the part. Following that, Hatch enjoyed a thriving career in both television and movies, making many appearances on the original Battlestar Galactica as well as multiple appearances on The Rookies, Hawaii 5-0, The Streets of San Francisco, Dynasty, and Santa Barbara.
Though the actor passed away in 2017 at the age of 71, Hatch’s most recent roles were in the 2018 films Diminuendo and the television series Personal Space, according to Variety.
Ruth Warrick as Phoebe Tyler
After making her on-screen debut in 1941’s Citizen Kane, Ruth Warrick went on to star in a number of other motion pictures until turning to television in the 1950s and Broadway in 1957. She continued to gain momentum when she was cast as Phoebe Tyler in All My Children in 1970. She played Phoebe until she passed away in 2005, not long after the show’s 35th anniversary was celebrated, according to The New York Times, despite her appearances in other television programs and motion pictures throughout her time on AMC.
Susan Lucci as Erica Kane
Throughout the 41 years that All My Children ran, a lot of characters came and departed, but Susan Lucci’s Erica Kane remained a constant. Actually, it was on this show in 1970 that the actress got her big break!
As reported in PEOPLE’s All My Children special edition issue, Lucci remarked of her legendary part, “I loved Erica Kane from the moment I read my first audition scene, and I will always love her. She made me feel like I can fly.”
Although portraying Erica was her primary job until the show’s 2011 finale, which brought her 21 Daytime Emmy nominations and one win, she also landed other roles throughout the years, such as a few Dallas appearances, an episode of That’s So Raven, and a 1998 Broadway run of Annie Get Your Gun. Lucci has kept up her acting career since the conclusion of the show, making appearances on Army Wives, Hot in Cleveland, and all four seasons of Devious Maids. Lucci finished sixth on Dancing with the Stars in 2008.
Her marriage to her late husband Helmut Huber, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 84, lasted even longer than her tenure on All My Children. In addition to being a proud grandmother, Lucci is the mother of two grown children, Andreas and Liza Huber.
Thorsten Kaye as Zach Slater
Thorsten Kaye has played in TV shows and films before taking on the role of Zach Slater on All My Children. He appeared in a few episodes of One Life to Live in the late 1990s and had a recurrent role on Port Charles in the early aughts. In addition to making multiple appearances on AMC, Kaye returned to the show in its 2013 relaunch.
In addition to playing Ridge Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful from 2012 until 2023, he had appearances in the first two seasons of Smash.
With his spouse, Susan Haskell, an actress from One Live to Live, Kaye is parent to two kids.
Walt Willey as Jackson Montgomery
As Jackson Montgomery, Walt Wiley joined the AMC cast in 1987 and became a staple for the duration of the program. After the show, Wiley kept acting, making guest appearances on Tainted Dreams from 2014 to 2017 and, most recently, returning to General Hospital in 2023 as Montgomery.
