The soaps, soap operas, daytime TV, call these shows what you will, but love them or hate them there's no denying the fact that they have launched the careers of many of Hollywood's top stars.

They've been around almost as long as television itself and for those who are addicted to them life without them is unthinkable.

Did you know that Meg Ryan had a role in As The World Turns from 1982 to 1984? Oh yeah, and so did James Van Der Beek, and Jason Biggs. Not all at the same time though.

Ricky Martin appeared in General Hospital in 1994, in a non-singing role. C'mon the show is set in a hospital, not a nightclub.

Sarah Michelle Gellar was in All My Children from 1993 to 1995 and won an Emmy Award for the role.

By the way, Buffy supposedly has a tattoo of a celtic symbol on her left hip and another of the Chinese symbol for integrity on her lower back. I'm in the process of trying to verify or debunk this rumor first hand.

19-year-old Demi Moore was employed at General Hospital from 1982 to 1983. Unfortunately this early success went to her head and she almost ended up in the hospital for substance abuse.

Another Moore, Julianne Moore, played Frannie and Sabrina Hughes (twins) in As the World Turns from 1985 to 1988. She earned an Outstanding Ingenue Daytime Emmy Award in 1988.

This one really surprised me but yes Tommy Lee Jones was a daytime TV actor. He played Dr Mark Toland in the soap One Life to Live from 1971 to 1975.

If you're a fan of the soaps or if you're curious about who was on what show check out "The Google Soap Opera Directory."

This will link you to the mother lode of links about every soap opera there is or was.