Meet 'The Young and the Restless' Cast Throughout the Years

Do you have any idea how long some of the actors from the soap opera "The Young and the Restless" have been on it? Well, some have actually been entertaining millions of viewers as the same character for more than 40 years, while others went on to become top Hollywood actors after a short stint on the show. Can you guess who?

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Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren Fenmore)

Then: A soap opera veteran

Germany-born actress Tracey E. Bregman started playing the role of fashion businesswoman Lauren Fenmore in "The Young and the Restless" in 1984. She was no stranger to soap operas at the time, as she had already appeared as the troubled teen Donna Temple Craig for two years on the soap "Days of Our Lives".

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Now: Still going strong as Lauren

In 2010, Tracey took on a double role on "The Young and The Restless" by appearing also as Sarah, Sheila Carter's sister. In 2013 she earned a nomination for Best Actress at the Los Angeles Underground Film Festival for the movie "Misogynist". She launched a yoga clothing line and a jewelry line and is still appearing on "The Young and The Restless" to this day.

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Joshua Morrow (Nicholas Newman)

Then: Former boy band performer

Actor Joshua Morrow started playing the role of the nightclub, coffeehouse, and magazine owner Nicholas Newman on "The Young and The Restless" in 1994. Before appearing on the show, Joshua used to do some modeling work and perform in a boy band called 3Deep with actor Eddie Cibrian. The band dismantled after releasing 2 albums.

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Now: Forever a soap opera star

Joshua is still playing Nicholas on "The Young and the Restless" after 26 years. In addition to being a soap opera star, the actor has also appeared in a few movies such as "Two Million Stupid Women", "A Killer Walks Among Us" and made guest appearances in shows such as "The Nanny" and "The Stafford Project".

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Doug Davidson (Paul Williams)

Then: Bad boy turned good

Actor Doug Davidson plays Genoa City's chief of police and private investigator Paul Williams on "The Young and The Restless". The bad boy turned good is one of the oldest cast members of the show, dating back to 1978. He had only one prior acting credit in the 1977 movie "Fraternity Row" where he played Collin.

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Now: Building a career on a soap

Davidson practically built his whole career on the soap opera, in which he is still appearing to this day, after 42 years. He's appeared in a couple of movies since, though, such as "Mr. Write" and "Dreaming of Joseph Lees", and guest-starred in a few shows including "I'll Take Manhattan" and "Diagnosis Murder". In 1994 he hosted "The Price is Right" for a year.

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Jess Walton (Jill Abbott)

Then: A successful replacement

Jess Walton has played the manicurist, businesswoman, and vixen Jill Abbott since 1987 when she was brought into the cast to replace Brenda Dickinson. Before becoming a soap opera star, Jess had appeared in several TV shows such as "Gunsmoke", "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "Capitol" and movies like "The Strawberry Statement" (1970) and "The Peace Killers" (1971).

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Now: Sticking to her role

Jess has been playing the Jill Abbott on "The Young and The Restless" since 1987, a role for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Lead Actress in 1997. Her last acting credit besides the soap opera was in the role of Jackie Haven in the 2018 TV movie "Christmas with a View".

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Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott)

Then: A soap opera star

Born in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in the 50s, actor Peter Bergman plays businessman Jack Abbot on "The Young and The Restless", Senator of Wisconsin and the head of the Abbott family, known for frequently butting heads with Victor Newman, his rival. Bergman first started playing the role back in 1989, after a 10-year role as Dr. Cliff Warner on the soap "All My Children".

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Now: Adding awards to his shelves

His role as Jack Abbott hasn't stopped him from appearing in other shows throughout the years such as "The Nanny", "The King of Queens" and two episodes of yet another soap opera "The Bold and The Beautiful". Throughout his career, Bergman received 4 Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor which makes him a soap opera legend.

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Sharon Case (Sharon Newman)

Then: From soap operas to another soap opera

Detroit-born actress Sharon Case has been playing the role of the kleptomaniac Sharon Newman on "The Young and the Restless" since 1994. She was known before for her roles as Dawn Winthrop in "General Hospital" and as Debbie Simon in "As the World Turns", which she played for 1 year each. She also made a guest appearance in "Beverly Hills 90210".

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Now: Designing jewelry

She hasn't let go of her role on "The Young and The Restless" ever since, but has managed to appear in other shows such "Time of Your Life" and "Poor Paul" as well as the TV movies "Breast Men" and "Dad's Home". In addition to her acting career, Case has also found time to create her own jewelry line called "Pomp".

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Eric Braeden (Victor Newman)

Then: An unexpected central character

When he first appeared on "The Young and the Restless" back in 1980 as Victor Newman, Eric Braeden was only supposed to play a short term character. Suddenly he became one of the show's central characters. The German-born actor had been appearing on TV since the 60s with roles on shows such as "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and "Hawaii Five-0".

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Now: A career beyond soap operas

In 2020, Eric celebrated his 40th anniversary as Victor Newman on "The Young and The Restless". The role hasn't stopped him from making appearances in several other shows such as "Murder, She Wrote", "The Nanny" and "How I Met Your Mother" as well as movies such as "Titanic" and "Den of Thieves".

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Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman)

Then: A former child-actor

Actress Melody Scott first became known as Nikki Newman, Victor Newman's ex-stripper wife, in 1979, when she came in to replace Erica Hope. Scott had been acting since her early childhood years, landing her first role in the movie "Marnie" at only 8 years old. She went on to appear in several TV shows such as "Charlie's Angels" before becoming a soap opera star.

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Now: One of the oldest cast members

Although she is still playing Nikki Newman to this day, Melody has also lent her talent to other shows throughout the years such as "Hotel", "Castle" and "The King of Queens", where she reprised her role of Nikki. The 64-year-old actress married "The Young and the Restless" executive producer Edward J. Scott in 1985.

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Camryn Grimes (Mariah Copeland, Cassie Newman)

Then: Breaking award records

Camryn was only 7 years old when she began playing the role of Cassie Newman on "The Young and The Restless". This marked the beginning of her career. In 2010 she became the youngest actress to have ever won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Younger Actress. In 2014 she began playing a new role in the show, as Mariah Copeland, Cassie's twin sister.

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Now: Building a TV career

Although she is still on "The Young and the Restless", Camryn appeared in the 2001 movie "Swordfish", starring Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, and John Travolta. She also guest-starred in several other shows throughout the years such as "Medium", "JAG" and "ER". Her latest TV appearance outside of the soap opera was on the show "NCIS" back in 2018.

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Kristof St. John (Neil Winters)

Then: The role of a lifetime

Actor Kristof St. John joined the cast of "The Young and the Restless" as businessman and Indigo jazz club owner Neil Winters in 1991, after playing his first major soap opera role as Adam Marshall on "Generations" for 2 years. His career started at the young age of 10 with a featuring role in the NBC comedy "Big John, Little John".

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Now: An early goodbye

Kristof played Neil Winters for 28 years. During his time on the show, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor and several other nominations. Sadly, he died in February 2019 from heart failure at 52 years old. The show aired a special tribute episode a few months later where fellow cast members shared their memories of the late actor.

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Paul Walker (Brandon Collins)

Then: Getting on Hollywood's A-list

When actor Paul Walker first appeared on "The Young and the Restless" as Brandon Collins, Victoria Newman's friend, in 1992, he was just a small-time actor looking for his big break. After appearing in only 23 episodes, Walker received a Youth in Film Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor. This was the beginning of his path as an A-list Hollywood actor.

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Now: Success and misery through cars

But it wasn't until his roles in the teen films "She's All That" (1999) and "Varsity Blues" (1999) that his career really started taking off. In 2001 he landed the role of a lifetime as Brian O'Conner in the hit action-packed movie "Fast and Furious", which he ended up playing 6 more times. Sadly, the promising actor passed away in 2013 in a car crash.

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David Hasselhoff (Dr. William ‘Snapper’ Foster)

Then: One of his first roles

Yes, that's right, once upon a time actor David Hasselhoff was a cast member on "The Young and The Restless". From 1975 to 1982, Hasselhoff played the role of Dr. William "Snapper" Foster, the Foster's oldest son, who tended to snap at people who disagreed with him.

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Now: Becoming a popular lifeguard

David left "The Young and the Restless" to play Michael Knight in "The Knight Rider". In 1989, he landed the role of Mitch Buchannon on the hit TV show "Baywatch", which he would end up playing for more than a decade. He has since entered the Guinness World of Records as the most-watched man on TV. More recently he appeared as himself in the TV show "SpongeBob Squarepants".

Isn't it incredible how long some of these actors have remained on "The Young and the Restless"? They truly have become a part of American TV history. What is (or was) your favorite character on the soap opera? Let us know all about it in the comments section and don't forget to share the article!

Sources: IMDB, USA Today