Ranked: Greatest Female Soap Opera Stars Of 2021

Bonnie Byrne

December 17, 2021

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Female characters on The Bold And The Beautiful (B&B), Days Of Our Lives (DOOL), General Hospital (GH) and The Young and The Restless (Y&R) have enjoyed their fair share of romance, intrigue and heartbreak during the past year. Plus, their portrayers have also put in some amazing performances. The following is a list of the twelve greatest female soap stars of 2021, ranked.

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12. Camryn Grimes – Y&R

Mariah Copeland has had her fair share of emotional ups and downs this past year and Camryn Grimes has been more than up to the task. Early in 2021, Mariah struggled with whether to become Abby’s surrogate and when she finally made the decision, everything went smoothly. That is, until she was kidnapped by Stitch and held hostage in a room for weeks! And her obsession with baby Dominic, since she gave birth to him, has brought her character, and her girlfriend Tessa, to the Y&R forefront.

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11. Eileen Davidson – DOOL & Y&R

Eileen Davidson not only returned to Y&R this year as Ashley Abbott, but she also returned as Kristen DiMera on DOOL. And the veteran soap actress has managed the double duty expertly. Of course, Ashley is a calm, cool and collected businesswoman who runs her own company, the opposite of the villainous Kristen, which just goes to show how talented Davidson truly is.

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10. Brook Kerr – GH

Brook Kerr joined the GH cast on March 5, 2020, taking on the brand-new role of Dr. Portia Robinson. She impressed viewers from her very first scene, at her ex-husband Taggert’s memorial. Portia is a tough, no-nonsense doctor who not only withstood Cyrus holding her at gunpoint but also treated his injuries. Plus, now that Jordan is out of the picture, she’s also been free to rekindle her romance with Curtis.

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9. Rena Sofer – B&B

Quinn Forrester has had her fair share of exciting and contentious moments during the past year. At the beginning of 2021, she struggled to win back her husband Eric’s affections and found herself starved for attention. But she wasn’t hungry for long and ended up filling her sensual appetites when she fell into bed with Carter. Sofer then got the opportunity to flex her acting chops when Eric took her back but revealed he was suffering from erectile dysfunction issues.

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8. Amelia Heinle – Y&R

Victoria Newman finally got over her ex-husband, Billy, by moving on with and marrying the very complicated and mysterious Ashland. She even forgave and defended Ashland for not telling her the truth about his criminal past. This year, Victoria has engaged in battles with her father Victor, her half-brother Adam and even her brother Nicholas. and she’s generally come out on top.

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7. Laura Wright – GH

Carly Corinthos had quite the tumultuous year. Early in 2021, her husband Sonny was missing and everyone in Port Charles presumed he’d passed away. After grieving for Sonny, she teamed up with her best friend, Jason, by marrying him to protect her family from the mob forces threatening them. Now that Sonny has returned and she’s mourning the passing of Jason, she’ll be forced to deal with another crisis when she finds out Sonny and Nina were romantically involved in Nixon Falls.

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6. Mishael Morgan – Y&R

Amanda Sinclair not only found her birth mother and half-sister in 2021, but she also discovered her grandfather had done away with her father. But instead of wallowing in self-pity over what might have been, Amanda sought justice for the father she never knew. When Sutton was charged with murder, she testified against him and put him away for years. In terms of her personal life, she just moved in with Devon and is starting a brand-new career chapter, teaming up with her sister, Imani, to start a new law firm. Amanda’s future is so bright, she’s going to have to wear shades!

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5. Annika Noelle – B&B

Hope Spencer left her husband Liam when she found out he cheated on her with Steffy. Then, she reunited with him and even rescued Thomas from a cage that Justin had locked him in. She also managed to convince Deputy Chief Baker to free Liam from prison, when it was revealed that Vinny stepped in front of the car Liam was driving on purpose. And all of that was just during the first six months of 2021! In the latter half of the year, Hope joyfully reunited with her father Deacon, but she’s engaged in an uphill battle with her stepfather, Ridge. He won’t accept her wish to have a relationship with her father, but Hope is not going to give up without a fight.

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4. Victoria Konefal – DOOL

Viewers were thrilled when DOOL brought Victoria Konefal back to Salem this year. The popular actress left the show in 2020 and Ciara Brady was thought to have passed away. But when her husband Ben realized she was still alive and being held captive, he rescued her. Unfortunately, Ciara had amnesia and thought of her husband as the necktie killer. Ben, however, wouldn’t give up on her. And in an emotionally charged scene, her memories of Ben came rushing back to her.

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3. Finola Hughes – GH

Finola Hughes always seems to be blessed with great storylines to sink her teeth into, and 2021 has been no exception. In just the past year alone, Anna Devane chased her nephew Peter around the world, was left at the altar by Finn, and is slowly, but cautiously, pondering a romance with Valentin.

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2. Michelle Stafford – Y&R

Michelle Stafford is a soap opera vet, having played Phyllis Summers on Y&R since 1994. And there’s no doubt 2021 was a banner year for the character. The feisty redhead had her fair share of romance, heartbreak and run-ins with adversaries. Not only did she prove that Tara and Sally had driven her daughter Summer out of Genoa City, but she also broke up with Nick and is currently considering reuniting with Jack. Plus, Phyllis finally got her own much-deserved standalone episode this year.

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1. Jacqueline MacInnes Wood – B&B

Jacqueline MacInnes Wood’s run as the ever-popular Steffy Forrester began in 1999 and since then, Wood has won two Daytime Emmy Awards – her latest just this year, which is why she’s made the top of this list. Each Emmy was awarded shortly after she gave birth to her two children. This year, Steffy married her new love interest, Finn, and gave birth to their son, Hayes. Of course, a wrench was also thrown in the works to bring the drama, when she found out on their wedding day that Sheila was her new husband’s birth mother. But what does the future have in store for the Canadian actress? Why, baby number three, and who knows – maybe even Emmy number three!

Bonnie Byrne

Bonnie is a freelance writer who has a passion for Stephen King novels, Outlander, sci-fi movies and soap operas, especially the Bold And The Beautiful and the Young And The Restless. Her favorite pastime is getting together with a good friend and having a laugh.