Soap Opera Stars and Producers Who Identify as LGBTQ

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Soap operas are long-running television shows that portray the lives of many individuals through their daily, usually emotionally intense, interactions. They usually are shown during the daytime, though there are some notable evening soap operas. This genre of television show got its name from the sponsorship of soap companies in its early days. They are known as telenovas in Spanish-speaking countries. Soap operas attract millions of dedicated viewers.

There have been many prominent actors in soap operas that are LGBTQ. Producers and directors of these shows who are LGBTQ include the creators of Britain's most popular soap opera 'Coronation Street', Derek Granger and Tony Warren; the producer of 'Hollyoaks' and 'EastEnders' Bryan Kirkwood; and soap opera scriptwriters Jonathan Harvey and Jane Chambers.

In terms of the content of soap operas, it is only relatively recently that the story lines have included LGBTQ characters. The American soap opera 'Soap' was the first to include a gay character in 1977 (the character Jodie Dallas), while the first openly gay character in Great Britain's soaps was the show 'Brookside' in 1982 (the character Gordon Collins).

Transgender characters have only recently been prominent in soap operas. Though Britain's 'Coronation Street' introduced the first transgender character, Hayley Cropper, in 1998, most recent additions have included Ash Palmisciano in Emmerdale, and Annie Wallace in Hollyoaks.

Many prominent LGBTQ soap stars have successful careers in other entertainment areas, such as theatre, film and television. Some of the earliest include Great Britain's Amanda Barrie (who appeared in the 'Carry On' series of films) and American Farley Granger.

Simply click on their names to read their fascinating biographies.

Australia

Belgium

Brazil

Canada

Great Britain

India

Mexico

New Zealand

Nigeria

Spain

The Netherlands

United States

Further Reading/Research


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