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GUIDING LIGHT

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— PGP

Grant Aleksander (ex-Phillip, GL)

The youngest of three brothers, Grant Aleksander grew up in a suburb of Baltimore, MD. He studied theater at Washington and Lee University, where he met his wife, Sherry Ramsey. After moving to New York, Aleksander briefly modeled and waited tables before landing GL in 1982. MORE

— JPI

Murray Bartlett (Cyrus, GL)

Murray Bartlett was born in Sydney and has one older brother, Richard. Bartlett first began attending speech and drama-type classes at a young age to help correct a speech impediment that was caused by a childhood accident and the loss of several teeth. MORE

— PGP

Rob Bogue (Mallet, GL)

Rob Bogue was born in Nebraska, but was raised in Kansas and Kentucky. While attending Colorado College, where he played basketball, he met director Sydney Pollack, the father of a classmate, and was intrigued by the idea of acting for a living. MORE

— JPI

Mandy Bruno (Marina, GL)

Mandy Bruno was born in Phoenix, but she grew up in Beaverton, Oregon. She began her acting career on the stage. One of the first roles she won was Jesus in her Catholic high school's production of Jesus Christ Superstar. When school officials demanded a male be recast in the lead role, Bruno's predicament sparked a national religious debate. MORE

— PGP

Orlagh Cassidy (Doris, GL)

Orlagh Cassidy developed a knack for speaking in dialects at a young age, which the Washington, D.C. native attributes to her Irish roots. She attended the acting conservatory at State University of New York (in Purchase) and immediately fell in love with the theater. MORE

— JPI

Beth Chamberlin (Beth, GL)

Originally from Danville, Vermont, Beth Chamberlin grew up with her three brothers. She got her first taste of acting while living in Vermont, but ballet soon became her great interest. Chamberlin's love of ballet led her to enroll at New York University to study dance, but she later changed her focus to acting. MORE

— PGP

Crystal Chappell (Olivia, GL)

Born the only girl and middle child to Don and Priscilla, Crystal Chappell had a semi-nomadic lifestyle growing up. Her family moved constantly, constructing houses wherever they went (the family often slept in the abodes before they were finished and sold). Shy and overweight, Chappell has confessed that she was often an outsider growing up. MORE

— PGP

Jordan Clarke (Billy, GL)

Born in Rochester, NY, Jordan Clarke was raised on a horse farm. After high school, he enrolled in Cornell University, where he double-majored in philosophy and government. At Cornell, he also participated in several plays and took arts courses, which prompted his post-graduate move to New York City. MORE

— PGP

Bradley Cole (Jeffrey, GL)

Los Angeles native Bradley Cole is one of five children. He went to Pepperdine University in Malibu with the intention of playing sports. An arm injury took him off the baseball field and introduced him to acting. MORE

— PGP

Daniel Cosgrove (Bill, GL)

Born the third of seven children, Daniel Cosgrove did not catch the acting bug until he was an adult. Painfully shy as a child and adolescent, Cosgrove excelled at sports, not public speaking, at his all-boys Catholic high school. He spent three semesters at a small Catholic college before taking time off. During that break, he became a bailiff at a local court. MORE

— PGP

Justin Deas (Buzz, GL)

Considered one of daytime's finest actors (if six Emmy wins are any indication), as well one of the most press shy, Justin Deas has carved a notable career in the medium. He was born in Connellsville, PA, but due to his father's travels, lived in such diverse places as Mexico City and Tehran, Iran. He got his undergraduate degree at The College of William and Mary and then studied drama under John Houseman at Juilliard. MORE

— JPI

Frank Dicopoulos (Frank Cooper, GL)

Frank Dicopoulos never imagined he'd be celebrating 20 years on daytime. In fact, he never thought he'd become an actor at all. Growing up in Akron, Ohio, in a large, close-knit Greek family, Frank was an all-star athlete. MORE

— PGP

Marj Dusay (Alexandra, GL)

Marj (Marjorie) Dusay never imagined a life in the spotlight. Growing up the second of six children in a large Irish/Bohemian family, she was more interested in academics and athletics than theatrics. MORE

— PGP

Maureen Garrett (Holly, GL)

One of four children born to an army officer and his artist wife, Maureen Garrett spent most of her childhood in Europe. Before landing GL in 1976, Garrett held jobs ranging from editor of an American newspaper in Germany to a freelance photographer to a Head Start teacher in Philadelphia. MORE

— PGP

Doug Hutchison (ex-Sebastian, GL)

Doug Hutchison grew up in Detroit and Minneapolis and eventually relocated to New York City, where he attended Juilliard for a brief period. After that he studied for two years with Sanford Meisner. Doug worked an assortment of odd jobs while working in regional and Off-Broadway stage work. MORE

— JOHN PASCHAL/JPI

Elizabeth Keifer (Blake, GL)

Elizabeth Keifer is one of five children. She began performing at a very young age and eventually followed in the theatrical footsteps of her older sister, Mary, by auditioning for every school play. MORE

— Sean Smith/JPI

Maeve Kinkead (Vanessa, GL)

Maeve Kinkead never imagined she'd become an actor. Born in New York City, her parents were celebrated writers for New Yorker magazine. MORE

— PGP

Jessica Leccia (Natalia, GL)

Jessica Leccia was born and raised in New York City. After receiving her BA from Bloomsburg University, Leccia guest-starred on shows such as AS THE WORLD TURNS, LAW AND ORDER: TRIAL BY JURY and RESCUE ME. MORE

— PGP

David Andrew Macdonald (ex-Edmund, GL)

In retrospect, it seems fitting that David Andrew Macdonald hails from Washington, D.C. His political acumen and fervor for debates are often mentioned by colleagues as some of his more endearing traits. Of course, this isn't to say that Macdonald is all business and academia. He may have an extensive vocabulary, but never takes himself too seriously. MORE

— JPI

Robert Newman (Josh, GL)

The youngest of seven children, Robert Newman received a bachelor's degree in theater from California State University at Northridge. MORE

— PGP

Michael O'Leary (Rick, GL)

Raised in Diamond Barr, CA with his sister and two brothers, sports-driven Michael O'Leary intended to be a broadcast announcer. After landing a McDonald's commercial in college, O'Leary switched to acting. MORE

— PGP

Ron Raines (Alan, GL)

Ron Raines' love for singing came at an early age. Growing up in Texas, he was the oldest of three children. His father was a judge and minister, his mother a newspaper employee. Raines sang in the church choir and glee club — probably before he could talk. MORE

— PGP

Marcy Rylan (Lizzie, GL)

Marcy Rylan grew up in rural Pennsylvania, where she pursued her first love — dance — from an early age. "My mom put me in ballet shoes as soon as I could stand up, and I started doing commercial and print modeling when I was in junior high," she recalled to Soap Opera Weekly. MORE

— JPI

Tom Pelphrey (ex-Jonathan, GL)

Tom Pelphrey exploded onto the soap scene in the summer of 2004 and instantly charmed viewers and snakes alike. (His own boa constrictor, Mitch, played Jonathan's on-screen pet, Lou.) MORE

— GEORGE DE SOTA/JPI

Tina Sloan (Lillian, GL)

Tina Sloan was born and raised in Bronxville, NY, a posh New York City suburb. She's the daughter of a Harvard-educated lawyer and spent most of her childhood within the protective confines of her conservative upbringing. MORE

— JOHN PASCHAL/JPI

Nicole Forester (Cassie, GL)

Forester, who was born Nicole Theresa Schmidt, grew up in the sleepy suburbs of Michigan. After graduating from a performance arts high school outside of Detroit, the aspiring actress set her sights on the stage. She spent a year studying musical theater at Western Michigan University before packing her bags to finish her degree at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. MORE

— PGP

Lawrence Saint-Victor (Remy, GL)

Lawrence Saint-Victor was born in Rockland County, N.Y., and grew up in Spring Valley, N.Y. He attended the Conservatory of Theatre Arts and Film at SUNY Purchase, where he received his B.F.A. in acting. As a student, he played in Six Degrees of Separation and Shakespeare's A Winter’s Tale. MORE

— PGP

Nancy St. Alban (ex-Michelle, GL)

A GENERAL HOSPITAL and ONE LIFE TO LIVE fan from childhood, Nancy St. Alban immediately thought about acting on soaps when a friend mentioned that she had found a small, private school that specialized in actin. MORE

— PGP

Paul Anthony Stewart (ex-Danny, GL)

Paul Anthony Stewart ventured into acting out of sibling rivalry. He was raised in Philadelphia by his mother and stepfather, and has two brothers. One of his mother's favorite stories involves Stewart jumping on tables, demanding his parents' attention. MORE

— PGP

Gina Tognoni (Dinah, GL)

Gina Tognoni was raised in Syracuse, NY and in Rhode Island. She attended a Catholic high school and was intent on pursuing a degree at Emerson College when she won Miss Teen Rhode Island, her first pageant. MORE

— JPI

Yvonna Wright (Mel, GL)

Born in England to a Polish father and West Indian mother, Yvonna Wright née Kopacz immigrated with her parents as a child and grew up in central California, where she attended a performing arts high school. MORE

— ROBIN PLATZER/TWIN IMAGES

Caitlin Van Zandt (Ashlee, GL)

Caitlin Van Zandt was born and raised in New York City. She spent much of her childhood growing up in the wings of Radio City Music Hall, where her mother is a wardrobe supervisor. ("It was quite an interesting upbringing, an interesting playground," Van Zandt muses.) MORE

— PGP

Kim Zimmer (Reva, GL)

Born in Grand Rapids, Mich., Kim Zimmer studied acting at nearby Hope College and continued her training at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. MORE

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