News
Judith Light On Her Career Highlights: "One Life to Live In The Late ’70s. That Changed My Life.”

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com
She has done it all including: a daytime soap opera, a massive hit primetime sitcom, made-for-TV dramatic movies, motion pictures, and the theatre. After winning two Tony Awards and two Daytime Emmy Awards, and being nominated for her extraordinary work in Amazon Prime’s Transparent, Judith Light has had an acting career filled with some of the most riveting and choice roles out there.
But soap opera fans will never, ever forget her stunning portrayal of Karen Wolek on One Life to Live back in the late 70’s. And as we have reported numerous times over the years, no will ever forget Karen’s courtroom confession, which eventually won Judith her first of two Daytime Emmys, and stands among the greatest television moments in history.
This weekend in the New York Post’s Page Six, Light had spoken about some of the highlights of her critically-acclaimed career, where she noted: “When I came back to the theater in 1999, I did a play called ‘Wit,’ and that really turned a lot of things around for me. As well as appearing on the soap opera ‘One Life to Live’ in the late ’70s. That changed my life.”
Earlier this year in February, On-Air On-Soaps spoke with Judith during her run in the play, “God Looked Away” where she spoke of OLTL creator Agnes Nixon, as well as her role of Karen being one of the standout roles of her career.
After the jump, watch a segment of Judith’s interview with The Archive of American Television from 2015, where she discusses Karen’s courtroom confession, and the impact it has not only on her life, but that of others in the viewing audience, and more.
So, what do you think of Judith paying tribute to her soap roots and OLTL? Comment below!
She done a good courtroom scene and i know i will be in the minority here but i was never truly a fan…did like Who’s The Boss…however, the courtoom scene has been talked to death like daytime done no better…dayrtmes greatest actress was the late great Beverly Mckensie who was great in every scene she played..she may never got an emmy but every thing she did on AW and GL was award winning to me!!!
Karen’s testimony is always mentioned as one of the greatest moments in daytime because it was the perfect culmination of storytelling and character development. What really made it so memorable were the months of character driven writing with scenes of Karen falling into a life of prostitution because she felt unloved and unworthy that led up to it. Those scenes never get the play that Karen’s testimony does because they were quieter and more subtle but many of them were even more heartbreaking, watching her sleep with a parade of an anonymous men in pursuit of feeling loved for a hour or two and then feeling even more empty and alone afterward.
My mother is convinced that Judith Light’s court testimony was the highlight in all of One Life to Live’s long history.
She was great on DALLAS!
I LOVED her on Dallas. AMAZING!
Charday/dmr…Unfortunately I missed Judith’s earlier career on soaps, but like both of you loved her in Dallas. Remember the scene when she met the drug dealer and went through the pat down? Gutsy! Think I’ll see if I can find it on youtube.
Thank you so much. Just love her
She was outstanding! And glad to see her pay tribute to OLTL! A lot of former soap stars don’t.
Judith Light is a superb actress and always a joy to behold. I remember the courtroom confession as if it were yesterday. Karen Wolek was a very complex character and Ms. Light’s performance was always so very powerful.
I was born in 1980, but always knew of the courtroom scene, and watched the episode on a “Daytime to Remember.” I’ve also watched it on YouTube, and she was outstanding. That was when storylines were full of heart and soul, and performances were of raw emotion.
She was so intense on Dallas I loved her
“We are in the service business”–I love that
I loved her on OLTL and did not miss one day of her storyline. She was just awesome. It was an unforgetable performance for me…
Scenes as powerful as that just don’t exist anymore. Some daytime stars do their best to make it come close but nothing can possibly compare to that courtroom episode. The pages of dialogue those actors had to learn had to have been very overwhelming. Very nice trip down memory lane.
And one of the reasons for that is the writing, and one of the reasons for THAT is a point JL made in the first clip, which is that the courtroom scenes were the climax of a year and half of story involving multiple characters–carefully plotted and executed story, and the viewers had been allowed to see every moment, every beat play out before their eyes. Soaps got away from that kind of storytelling at some point, on the assumption that viewers–younger ones, especially–don’t have the patience for that anymore (an assumption I’m not sure really would hold up, if tested), but they did so at the price of the kind of scenes that Viki’s trial provided. You can’t have the payoff without the buildup, and the soaps just don’t invest the time to do the buildup anymore. My own argument would be that that–and not the “short attention span” of viewers–is why the ratings have continued to deteriorate.
Damn JL was good in that scene! I forget just how good, and then I watch it again, and damn, there it is.
WWOW!That’s ACTING!Thank you,Judith.That was Oscar worthy!!!
Thank you so much for your input!!! I have been on a rage about how our stories used to be compared to now. You made my day with your response!!!
Gavel : just because
“…the courtroom scenes were the climax of a year and half of story involving multiple characters–carefully plotted and executed story, and the viewers had been allowed to see every moment, every beat play out before their eyes. ”
beautiful
I agree that soaps were very detailed and played out longer then…but I also think there are a couple of reasons why they don’t anymore.
First, back then soaps were pretty guaranteed to be ongoing. When soaps were abruptly canceled, many were devastated that there was no closure. They had been written at a leisurely pace not anticipating that they wouldn’t have “tomorrow.” Because of the current climate of soap uncertainty, I think they feel it’s best to wrap up stories quickly and move on to the next…
As for attention span…look at the responses we get here. So many of the posters here complain that the story is dragging out. I really don’t think the soap audience of today has the attention span, patience…whatever you want to term it, as the audience did back then when they were riveted….
@rebecca1: I think when people complain that a story is dragging it is because today’s writers don’t understand the way to write long term story with several “reveals” and plot twists before the actual climax of the story. Today’s viewers could and would easily invest in a story that took a year or more to play out if it were carefully constructed and character-based. It’s all about the audience’s investment in a character: if the characters are beloved, the viewers will follow them through anything. The failure of most shows — daytime and nighttime — comes from underestimating the viewers’ intelligence.
Hi Alan…agree…in theory. Still, I’m not sure about today’s daytime soap audience. I UNDERSTAND what you mean, and I agree about beloved characters, etc…still…I just don’t see, gauging from many reactions here, that many have the desire to see a story played out like they did “back in the day.”
LOL. I must beg to differ regarding failure of primetime! I think TV…cable AND network shows have really outdone themselves. Gone is the time when a film actor would be caught dead on a television show. Many of these shows are as good if not better than film! The problem lies with the audience in many cases. I can’t count how many quality shows were canceled because the ratings weren’t there; yet garbage like The Kardashians and other mindless crap is thriving.
Viewer “intelligence” varies….
Karen Wolek!!!
absolutely chilling performance! brilliant…and, oh…Larry Wolek, Marco Dane, Herb Callison…oh, the days when they actually filled scenes with the actors and not a sprinkling of extras….
Michael Storm (Dr. Larry Wolek) should come to Port Charles for a romance with Monica!
Judith’s performance was brilliant but what made it even more powerful were the reactions of all the people Karen loved and lied to — her sister, her husband, her best friend, her former pimp (who was posing as his own brother) — and the reveal that not only was Talbot Huddleston was one of Karen’s tricks (and Mario Corelli’s killer and the one who beat Katrina Carr to a pulp) but that he was also the driver who ran down Brian Kendall. Karen’s testimony was edge of your seat material but waiting for her individual scenes with Larry, Jenny, Marco/Mario, Ed Hall, etc as she had to face the music for what she had done added even more levels of drama and suspense.
Gordon Russell and Sam Hall spent nearly two years setting up numerous stories to have them intersect and culminate at Viki’s trial, resulting in even more story. Genius writing.
Kudos to you and your memory! Seriously…sounds like it was yesterday. I would never in a million years have remembered those stories; still don’t, LOL. But, I agree with your “review.” Sad that Gerald Anthony passed so young…love my idea about a Larry Wolek siting on GH…the actor is still living as far as I know. Would be great to see him again….
Like the concept of a a Larry/Monica pairing, however Michael Storm is not a “friend of Frank”. He stopped appearing on OLTL entirely shortly after FV took over. Despite his longevity on the show, he was not asked back for even a cameo in the show’s final months.
Larry always seemed to get the short end of the stick. Meredith died. Karen moved on to more things. exciting things. Brenda fell for his son Danny. You would have thought when Ivan Kipling controlled Larry’s brain, he would have given him an excitement jolt!
She’s magnificent!
Karen Wolek in the courtroom, on the stand, was actually the first time I watched OLTL! Was a fan till the end…
What people don’t mention is that scene was the end of 6 months plus of story telling about Karen being forced into prostitution and trying to defend the beloved Viki Lord. I was just a teenager but remember that storyline like it was yesterday! Life long fan!
she is an extraordinary actress!!
The courtroom scene can never be outdated or old. It’s one of the most powerful moments in the history of Daytime. I saw it live as a child; definitely influenced my love of soaps. Judith is amazing.
Like you and Robert, I saw it live as a child. Still the best courtroom scene I remember seeing on daytime or nighttime television. Definitely the most memorable scene in the 45 year history of OLTL.
Absolutely.
I cut school for 43 days (in the afternoon) in 8th grade to watch the trial. When the trial was over – I went back and my teacher asked me why I came back and I told the truth – “the trial was over” – I actually watched this unfold everyday! Yes, i graduated, lol.
LOL! Ummmm…I guess either your mom was an ardent viewer or you had some secret place to watch it???
Judith Light has ALWAYS BEEN an A+ CLASS ACT!!!!! ALWAYS!!!!!
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).
On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.
Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC
HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT
Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”
Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”
Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Photo: ABC
DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES
In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”
Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”
You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.
Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Mike Manning Lands Role in Indie Horror Feature ‘Deify’

While Smitty tries to hold the fort down in his marriage to congressman Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) and their two teenaged children, Samantha (Najah Jackson) and Tyrell (Jaden Lucas Miller) on Beyond the Gates, Emmy-winner Mike Manning has also landed another feature film role.
According to Deadline, Manning has joined the cast of Deify with 6 other new cast members for the indie psychological horror film starring Neal McDonough and Skeet Ulrich, which was previously announced last week.
Joining Manning as the latest cast addition are: Dennis Haysbert, Ashley Greene, Casey Harnett, Kirk Avecdo, Anji White, anf Nicholas Chimera who’s directing the pic also has a part in the film.
WHAT’S THE STORY OF DEIFY?
Taking to his Instagram with the news of his casting, Manning shared, “A movie about a cult? What could possibly go wrong? Come for the enlightenment. Stay because they won’t let you leave. DEIFY is coming…”
The movie is currently shooting in Chicago and in story, “a cult leader is put on trial after causing his devoted followers to be burned alive. The film is inspired in part by events surrounding the 1993 Waco, Texas, standoff between members of the Branch Davidians church and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, one of the largest civilian firefights ever recorded on American soil.”
MIKE MANNING IS A DAYTIME EMMY NOMINEE
In addition, the multi-talented Manning is a producer on the feature. Previously, Mike was nominated last month in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. He previously won an Emmy for his role on The Bay and for being a producer on the digital drama.
Mike’s previous credits include the role of Charlie Dale on Days of Our Lives and the Manny on This Is Us, plus various primetime and screen credits.
So intrigued to find what role Mike will play in the upcoming horror/cult film, Deify? Enjoying him as Smitty on Beyond the Gates? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
General Hospital
GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.
However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.
Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC
FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG
Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!
Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”
MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL
Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).
Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI
PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY
Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”
It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”
A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons
IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS
As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”
He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”
Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.”
So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.
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