The Average Salary of Soap Opera Actors
Soap opera actors earn their salaries by participating in daily serials that dramatize their character's fictional lives. Their wages are defined by the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. This labor union represents not only actors working on TV and radio, but also singers, dancers and broadcasters. Pay depends on the type of role as well as experience.
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Basics
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The AFTRA contract defines minimum rates for soap opera actors for 2009 to 2010. Those who speak more than five lines a program are considered principal performers. As of November 2010, they make a minimum $683 per show for half-hour soap operas and $913 for hour-long serials.
Under Fives
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Under-fives refer to performers who speak five or fewer lines in a program. (A line is not a sentence, but the dialog said before another dialog or major action.) Their rates are $330 per half-hour show to $405 per hour show.
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Background Actors
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Background actors, also known as extras, do not speak any lines, perform behind the principle performers and add atmosphere to make a scene believable. For example, they may be business people in a convention, students at a college or the crowd on a sidewalk. Their rates are $113 for half-hour shows and $147 for hour-long shows.
Benefits
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All members of AFTRA, including soap opera actors, are entitled to the same benefits, which carry over from show to show, even on different networks. These include retirement and health programs to which producers must contribute if they sign AFTRA contracts. The health plan includes coverage for hospitalization, major medical, prescription, dental, mental health, chemical dependency and wellness. Life insurance, accidental death and personal loss are also included. For retirement, standard and optional annuities are available, which can go to survivors if the original beneficiary dies.
Stars
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Many stars make far more than these minimum salaries. For example, Fox News reports that soap legend Susan Lucci makes more than $1 million annually on “All My Children.” She has been acting on the soap since 1970, and was nominated 18 times for an Emmy Award before winning on her 19th nomination in 1999. The win garnered her a four-minute standing ovation. Soap Opera Digest, as reported in the Llanview Times for February 2011, states typical salaries for actors with five to 10 years of experience run $1,200 to $2,500 per episode, while those with over 10 years experience can get up to $4,000 per episode. However, unless actors are featured in an important storyline, they may only show up one to three days a week even when they have regular contracts.
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