Ranked: Greatest Male Soap Opera Stars Of 2021

Bonnie Byrne

December 17, 2021

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The Bold And The Beautiful (B&B), Days Of Our Lives (DOOL), General Hospital (GH) and The Young and The Restless (Y&R) have been graced with some inspirational actors throughout their histories and this year has been no exception. These men are the heart and soul of their respective sudsers and deserve kudos for their incomparable performances. The following is a list of twelve of the greatest male soap stars of 2021, ranked.

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**12. Wally Kurth – DOOL & GH**

Fans of soap actor Wally Kurth are lucky enough to watch him every day on two different soaps. Kurth has portrayed Justin Kiriakis on DOOL since 1987 and Ned Quartermaine on GH since 1991. And both characters have seen plenty of action during the past year. Justin became involved with his late wife’s doppelgänger, Bonnie, and married her. And Ned also had his share of drama in 2021, dealing with his troublemaker daughter, Brook Lynn, and facing a split with his wife, Olivia.

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11. John McCook – B&B

B&B original cast member John McCook took Eric Forrester to a whole new level this year, when he exploded after finding out his wife had an affair with the Forrester Creations COO, Carter. But when it was revealed that he was suffering from an embarrassing problem, McCook brought all the feels. He forgave his wife her indiscretion and confessed to Quinn that the reason he was unable to perform his husbandly duties was because he was diagnosed with erectile dysfunction.

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10. Eric Braeden – Y&R

Since joining Y&R as Victor Newman in 1980, Eric Braeden has been an integral part of the canvas, and 2021 was no exception. At the beginning of the year, he gave his son Adam a second, third, fourth, or fifth chance — we’ve lost count. And like a dog with a bone, Victor’s goal in the second half of the year was to protect his daughter, Victoria, and her husband-to-be Ashland, while at the same time taking down his nemesis “Billy Boy.”

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9. James Patrick Stuart – GH

Valentin Cassadine had his share of joy, heartbreak and adventure in 2021. He was thrilled earlier in the year when he became a father to Bailey. However, Brook Lynn recently ripped his heart to shreds when she told him Chase was Bailey’s father, not him. And James Patrick Stuart’s portrayal of Valentin’s emotional reaction to the news was astounding. Valentin was also trapped in a cabin with Anna and wounded in a gunfight at Victor’s compound. When he woke up, he saw Anna’s smiling face looking down at him. But will Valentin finally get together with his true love in 2022?

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8. Jay Kenneth Johnson – DOOL

Philip Kiriakis is a character not known for resting on his laurels, and this past year, Jay Kenneth Johnson’s Philip has been embroiled in several personal and business rivalries. He finally reunited with his high school sweetheart Chloe, but the romance recently turned sour when he overheard her conversation with Brady. Philip thought the two of them were having an affair, so he set up Brady to take the fall for his own murder. Once the truth is revealed, however, how will Philip dig himself out of this one?

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7. Donnell Turner – GH

Not only did Curtis Ashford have to deal with his meddling Aunt Stella this year, but he also split from his wife, Jordan, and became involved with his old flame, Portia. When Portia was being held captive by mob boss Cyrus, Curtis saved the day by rushing in and rescuing her. Later in the year, a mystery man started stalking him and when Curtis finally met Marshall face to face, he found out the man was his father.

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6. Bryton James – Y&R

Devon Hamilton also had a drama-filled year. Early on, he cheated on his new girlfriend, Amanda, with his ex-girlfriend, Elena. But Amanda forgave him, and they reunited. Then Devon volunteered to be a sperm donor for his best friend, not realizing he would become emotionally attached to the tot when Abby’s husband went missing. Now that Chance is home, Devon has had to take a back seat when it comes to raising his biological son. But will he be able to step away from his role as dad to baby Dominic?

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5. Paul Telfer – DOOL

Xander Cook had his fair share of ups and downs this year. He turned over a new leaf and was on the straight and narrow, about to marry his true love Sarah. But when she left him at the altar (of course it wasn’t really her, but rather Kristen in a Sarah mask), he threw his new lease on life out the window and turned back to a life of crime. Xander is currently involved with Gwen, who knows full well that Kristen is holding Sarah hostage. But what will Xander do when he finds out?

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4. Richard Burgi – Y&R

Y&R newcomer Richard Burgi jumped into the brand-new role of Ashland Locke with both feet, and he hasn’t looked back since. Dubbed “The Locke-ness Monster,” the character was known as a ruthless, take-no-prisoners businessman who would stop at nothing to get what he wants. However, he not only found out he had terminal cancer, but also fell in love with and married Victoria. Burgi is so adept at portraying Ashland, that viewers are still debating whether the character is really sick or not and if he’s been playing Victoria just to gain control of Newman Enterprises. Hopefully, they’ll get the answer to those burning questions sometime next year.

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3. Lawrence Saint Victor – B&B

After spending years relegated to the back-burner, only appearing to officiate weddings or file annulment papers, Lawrence Saint Victor’s alter ego Carter Walton finally got his chance to shine in 2021. Early in the year, his fiancé Zoe broke his heart when she pursued his friend, Zende. Then he began a sordid (but sizzling hot) affair with Eric’s wife, Quinn. But now that he and Quinn are through, what’s next for the Forrester COO? Perhaps a hot new romance with Katie, or even Paris.

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2. Maurice Benard – GH

Maurice Benard’s counterpart Sonny Corinthos had his fair share of drama in 2021. He started off the year with amnesia, appearing in Nixon Falls and calling himself Mike. Soon after, he was spotted by Nina, who got to know “Mike” and the two fell in love. But when Peter showed up in Nixon Falls, all heck broke loose. And thanks to an explosion, Sonny’s memories came flooding back. He blasted Nina and rushed back to Port Charles to be with his wife. However, his reunion with Carly wasn’t quite what he had pictured. He walked into their bedroom, only to find her with her new husband — Jason, his right-hand man. Sonny still hasn’t told Carly about his little romance with Nina in Nixon Falls. And when the truth finally comes out, because it always does, viewers can expect major fireworks.

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1. Jason Thompson – Y&R

Jason Thompson has been a powerhouse since arriving to Y&R in early 2016, which is why he’s at the top of our list. He took on the role of Billy Abbott, after the previous two actors who portrayed the character just didn’t catch on with fans. But Thompson took to the role like a duck to water and, in 2020, he won his first Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor. Since joining the sudser, he’s also had three standalone episodes. Billy is currently embroiled in a corporate war with Adam, Victor and Ashland. Sure, he lost the first round but he’s certainly not out. Billy’s about to fight back, so this war isn’t over by a long shot!

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.