17 Celebrities You Totally Forgot Appeared on “Days of Our Lives”

Like sands through the hourglass, now-familiar faces like Mila Kunis, Jensen Ackles and Lisa Rinna got their big break on the long-running soap opera

Days of Our Lives has made stars out of some now-very-familiar faces.

The soap opera premiered on NBC on Nov. 8, 1965, and brought audiences into the dramatic lives of the Brady and Horton families and their cohorts living in the fictional town of Salem, Ill.

Some actors made lasting impressions, launching their careers with the long-running series. Mila Kunis made her acting debut on an episode of Days of Our Lives in 1994 at age 11 before landing her breakout role on That ‘70s Show in 1998. Christina Applegate was even younger in her first appearance — she was a mere infant when she appeared on the series!

While stars like Jensen Ackles and Lisa Rinna had their big breaks on the show, others were already known entities — TV legends, in fact — when they had guest spots on the show.

Look back at these celebrities and more who you may have forgotten appeared on Days of Our Lives.

01 of 17

Christina Applegate

While presenting at the 75th Emmy Awards in January 2024, Applegate paid tribute to the role that started it all: her time as a 3-month-old baby named Burt Grizzell on Days of Our Lives in 1972. At the time, the Married… with Children alum’s real-life mom Nancy Priddy appeared on the soap as Baby Burt’s on-screen mother.

“It was really a breakout role,” Applegate joked onstage during the ceremony.

02 of 17

Mila Kunis

A-lister in training! In one of her first television appearances, Kunis played a young Hope Williams on a 1994 episode of the soap opera.

03 of 17

Lisa Rinna

Before her time on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Traitors, Rinna played Billie Reed from 1992 to 1995, a role she’s reprised on the show several times since.

While appearing on the PEOPLE in the ‘90s podcast in July 2021, the California-born actress revealed that her most “surreal” ‘90s moment was having a fling with her costar Patrick Muldoon.

“Well, not an affair, but a couple of one-night stands with the guy who [played] my brother. Patrick Muldoon and I had like, a thing,” Rinna clarified.

Muldoon died at 57 from a heart attack in April 2026. Rinna paid tribute to the actor after his death, sharing a throwback image of herself and Muldoon on her Instagram Stories.

04 of 17

Jensen Ackles

Before he shot to stardom with Supernatural, Ackles played Eric Brady from 1997 to 2000.

05 of 17

Pamela Anderson

Pamela Anderson popped up briefly as Cindy on two episodes in 1992 — maybe. She actually has no memory of the role.

During a SiriusXM interview in January 2026, host Andy Cohen mentioned to Anderson that she had been on the show, to which the Baywatch star replied, “Was I? I don’t remember that at all.”

“I know what I did,” she told Cohen, referring to credits often being wrong in IMDb and Wikipedia. “Except for that. I don’t know if I did.”

06 of 17

Pat Sajak

Before he ran the show on Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak had a small role on an episode of Days as Kevin Hathaway in 1983.

07 of 17

Kathie Lee Gifford

A decade before she got her start on morning television on Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee, Kathie Lee Gifford played Nurse Callihan for an episode in 1975.

08 of 17

Vivica A. Fox

Vivica A. Fox got her start on Days of Our Lives in 1988.

She discussed her early daytime TV days with co-hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, who got their big breaks on All My Children, during a 2024 appearance on Live with Kelly & Mark.

“I played Nurse April Sutton. The only thing I can tell you guys is I just remember being nervous,” the Independence Day star said. “It’s like, you’ve got to hit your mark, get your light, know your lines. I mean, it’s a lot, and I appreciate all soap actors because you learn so much.”

Fox also starred on the soap Generations before joining The Young and the Restless in 1994 as Stephanie Simmons.

09 of 17

Jamie Chung

Between her time on The Real World: San Diego and her Dexter days, Jamie Chung played sorority girl Cordy Han on the hit soap in 2007.

10 of 17

Tara Reid

American Pie made her famous, but before starring in the 1999 teen cult classic, Tara Reid had a recurring role as Ashley on multiple episodes in 1995.

11 of 17

LeAnn Rimes

LeAnn Rimes was already a huge country star when she guest-starred on Days. The “Blue” singer portrayed a teenage runaway named Madison on three episodes in 1998.

“I was 15 years old and honestly just trying not to mess up my lines,” she wrote on Substack in June 2026. “I was terrified to walk on that set … not much has changed when it comes to acting and nerves.”

12 of 17

Kyle Richards

Another RHOBH housewife with Days credits to her name, Kyle Richards was already a known reality TV entity when she played Casey McGraw in a handful of episodes in 2013.

“I still work, so my manager submitted me for the role,” she told Glamour while on the Days set in November of that year. “Here I am! I’m playing a modeling agent who is trying to recruit Gabi [Camila Banus]. She’s very business-y, kinda pushy. I’m trying to get Gabi to sign on that dotted line!”

13 of 17

Ashley Benson

Before she starred on Pretty Little Liars, Ashley Benson honed her craft as Abby Deveraux from 2004 to 2007. The actress was 14 when she landed the role.

“You film three episodes a day. It was crazy to be thrown into that environment at a young age,” she told Cosmopolitan UK in March 2021 of her time on the soap. “I wasn’t prepared for it. I thought we’d do a couple of takes here and there, but you only get one take. So it made me learn to memorize my lines quickly. I was completely intimidated.”

14 of 17

Andrea Barber

The Full House alum got her first major role as a child actor, playing Carrie Brady on Days of Our Lives from 1982 to 1986.

15 of 17

Dick Van Dyke

In 2024, then-98-year-old Dick Van Dyke made history as the oldest actor to win a Daytime Emmy for his role as amnesiac Timothy Robicheaux on Days of Our Lives. The guest spot marked his first time on a soap opera over his illustrious decades-long career.

Van Dyke told Access in April 2023 that he and late series star Drake Hogestyn attended the same gym, and the Mary Poppins alum took things into his own hands to inquire about a role on the show.

“I said, ‘Don’t you have any parts for old people? Come on, give me one.’ And he took me seriously and got me a part!” he told the outlet.

16 of 17

Betty White

After making her debut in her breakout role as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1973, Betty White had two cameo appearances on Days of Our Lives in 1988. The pop-in parts were part of the “Where’s Betty” contest in which viewers had to find the Golden Girls star in NBC’s daytime lineup.

17 of 17

Ross Mathews

From Ross the Intern to Ross the Soap Opera Actor! After appearing as a background actor in a restaurant scene in 2004, Ross Mathews had a recurring guest spot as Chris — a Salem Health Club gym member who befriends Samantha “Sami” Brady (Alison Sweeney) — from 2008 to 2011.

Read the full article here