NAME: Sarah FelderRANK: 36
SOAP ROLES: Siobhan Ryan, RYAN'S HOPE (1978-1980)
COMMENTS FROM THE PANEL:
Lynn Liccardo: I was so pleased to see Sarah Felder's name on this list. In 1978, Felder originated the role of Siobhan Ryan Novak on RYAN'S HOPE, her first, and last, soap opera role. Her run is just now coming to an end, as SOAPnet airs the spring 1980 episodes, so I expect her inclusion is due more to this fortuitous timing than anything else.
Watching Felder's subtle, nuanced, textured performance over the past year (SOAPnet airs ten episodes a week), I simply cannot comprehend why she’s not found work as an actor since leaving RH, and instead works as a dialect coach. Of course, the writing didn’t hurt either; there’s an episode with Felder and Helen Gallagher in which Siobhan talks with her mother, Maeve, and slowly comes to the realization that her husband, Joe, is indeed part of his uncle’s criminal organization that's a master class in multi-layered storytelling. Felder's firing is one of those events that speaks volumes about the real reasons behind soaps' downward spiral over the past 30 years.
COMMENTS FROM CO-STARS/CO-WORKERS/INDUSTRY:
Daniel Hugh Kelly: (played Felder's brother on RH) A talent so awesome it was frightening. A Julliard beauty, who's long hair and soft eyes were as memorable as her scenes. A sensitive yet intense actress, who would push herself to excel in every scene she was ever in....Sarah always gave everything she had, left nothing in the rehearsal room, and employed a work ethic that was truly impressive.
DAYTIME SOAP OPERAS
