Daytime’s Best Leading Men
Friday was all about the ladies, today is the men’s turn!
Today, we are talking about daytime’s best leading men; the ones that make us fall in love with them and then break our hearts. These are the men who are ruthless and unforgiving, sexy and charming yet flawed; the men who make us DVR every episode.
Thorsten Kaye, The Bold and the Beautiful, All My Children
Thorsten Kaye became a favorite of mine for his role as Zach Slater on All My Children. Not only has he always been sexy as sin, but he was an anti-hero that I grew to love. When Zach first came on the scene, I couldn’t stand him. However, Kaye has a certain charm about him that forces you to give him your undivided attention. He played this character well and at the end of All My Children’s run he was able to turn Zach Slater into a deeply loved and flawed family man who would do anything to protect the ones he loved.
Ted King, General Hospital
I fell in love with Ted King as Andy on WB’s Charmed but I loved to hate him as General Hospital’s Lorenzo Alcazar. It pains me a little bit to put him on this list because I am such an advocate for the Corinthos family and he was enemy number one for many years. I didn’t like the character at all, Lorenzo was a pain in my side but King continuously brought something new to the character that made me take notice. As much as I wasn’t a fan of Alcazar, even I must acknowledge that he had some great qualities. He was a man set on a different path and didn’t intend for a life in the mob. There were many times that King accurately portrayed the conflicting feelings his character had about his position. Sure, Lorenzo was very successful in what he did but audiences knew that there was so much outside of Port Charles that interested him and made him the man he was.
Kamar de los Reyes, One Life to Live
I firmly believe that Kamar de Los Reyes and the character, Antonio Vega, never got the attention he deserved. Antonio was a part of the super couple that many refuse to acknowledge on One Life to Live. De los Reyes made Antonio loving and sensual, charismatic and family oriented, but he had an underlying ruthless and pursuit of justice that warned people not to push him too far over the edge.
Steve Burton, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital
While Steve Burton is now on The Young and the Restless, I will always see him as General Hospital’s Jason Morgan. Jason was the definition of a quiet storm and Burton played him to perfection. He made Jason into a multi-dimensional character, one that was feared by many but loved by even more. Burton brought an understated power to the character that made Jason Morgan command attention without him having to ask for it.
Maurice Benard, General Hospital
This should not even be a surprise. You all know whenever I talk about soap operas, I have to mention Maurice Benard. This man is the main reasonsI love soap operas, particularly General Hospital, as much as I do. He plays the role of Sonny Corinthos to perfection. Sonny is a mob boss but he is so much more than that. He is an over protective father, a flawed but passionate and loving partner, and a ruthless businessman. He’s also a man who bravely battles bipolar disorder and is determined to not the disease define him.
There is hardly a scene that Benard doesn’t nail. He’ll scare you as he threatens his enemies, you’ll love him as he fights for his family, and you’ll hold your breath and pray for him as his character suffers a breakdown.
Maurice Benard is the epitome of the perfect daytime leading man and of course, he has to be number one on my list.
That’s my list of daytime’s best leading men, which you know means these are my favorites. Ha! Let me know some of your favorites.
Natalya is the author of All The Things I Never Said, a soul-stirring collection of short stories, prose and love letters for the soulful wanderers, the brokenhearted and the hopeless romantics.
You can follow her rantings and occasional sparks of brilliance on Twitter @NatalyaMuncuff.
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