16 actors who paid their dues on soap operas before finding fame

Everybody has to start somewhere, and for many celebrities "somewhere" is the set of a daytime soap opera. It's a genre that doesn't get a lot of respect in the industry despite the grueling work schedule and reputation as an actors' boot camp.

"There seems to be some bristling at the implication that soaps are a training ground, but they are," Soap Opera Digest editor Stephanie Sloane told Variety in 2007. "They do up to 40 pages of dialogue a day, so as far as volume there's no comparison to what they do in primetime or film."

Many of the most popular soaps have run for decades and have consistently been a launching pad for many Hollywood careers.

Here are 16 stars who got their start on soap operas.

Demi Moore

Demi Moore's career has been full of memorable movies including "Ghost,""St. Elmo's Fire," and "G.I. Jane," but her career began on television. Moore got her start in showbiz by playing an investigative reporter named Jackie Templeton on "General Hospital" from 1982 to 1984.

Justin Hartley

No one can say Justin Hartley hasn't paid his dues. Before starring on "This Is Us," the actor kicked off his career by playing Fox Crane on "Passions" — the extremely weird soap that included orangutan, an actual witch, and an enchanted doll among its characters — from 2002 to 2006.

Hartley, who also had a regular role on "The Young and the Restless" later in his career, told Glamour he isn't insulted if people think of him as a "soap opera actor." 

"I don't get upset about it. It comes with the territory, and there are worse things," he said. "I love acting, and so whenever I get the opportunity to act, I'm happy."

John Stamos

He's always going to be best known as Uncle Jesse on "Full House," but John Stamos' career began with a lengthy run on "General Hospital" as a "street kid" named Blackie Parrish from 1982 to 1984. Stamos, who earned a Daytime Emmy nomination in his last year on the show, recently sparked reports he might return to the show when he shared a photo from a visit to the set on Instagram.