The most dashing '80s soap opera villains — see the famous actors today, 40 years on

Dallas fans will remember J.R. Ewing, whose villainous character was incredibly popular and often someone that viewers rooted for despite his lying and cheating behaviour. 

J.R was portrayed by Larry Hagman, who reprised his role in TNT's continuation of Dallas in 2011, saying it was "fun to play the villain". However, the actor died aged 81 in 2012, which led to his iconic character being killed off.

Played by David Canary, All My Children's Adam Chandler was a ruthless and controlling character who had a long-lasting role in the show from 1983 to 2010, before briefly reprising his role for the show's final weeks in 2011.

David won five Daytime Emmy Awards for his performance as the powerful villain. He died in November 2015 at the age of 77.

Anthony Herrera portrayed the cold and calculating James Stenbeck in As the World Turns for several stints between 1980 and 2010. From attempted murder to kidnapping, his character had lots of dramatic storylines, but died after being injected with a paralyzing agent that led to a heart attack.

Actor Anthony privately battled cancer from 1997 before going into remission for nine years. Unfortunately, his cancer later returned and he passed away in 2011 aged 67.

Blake Carrington was often a ruthless character in Dynasty, both in business and family life. He was played by actor John Forsythe between 1981 and 1989, before being portrayed by Grant Show between 2017-2022. 

After leaving the hit soap, John reprised his role as the voice of Charlie in Charlie's Angels, and reunited with his former co-stars for Dynasty Reunion: Catfights & Caviar in 2006. The actor passed away aged 92 in 2010.

The Young and the Restless villain Victor Newman was originally only meant to be a guest character for a few weeks, but continues to star in the show 46 years later. Often described as a ruthless villain, the character is played by actor Eric Braeden, who has won numerous awards for his performance.

The Bold and the Beautiful character Ridge Forrester isn't your stereotypical villain, known for his infidelity and deceptive behaviour. The long-running character has been played by several different actors since being introduced in 1987, with Ronn Moss playing the role for 25 years until 2012.

Since leaving the role, Ronn has had some other small acting roles, including performing alongside his band on ABC's General Hospital in 2014.