“The Bold and the Beautiful” is known for having famous guest stars grace its storylines, sometimes with celebrities playing themselves and sometimes playing other characters.
For example,Betty Whiteplayed a dramatic role on the soap when she recurred as Ann Douglas from 2006-2009, while funny ladyPhyllis Dillerpopped on and off the show from 1995-2012 as Gladys Pope.
Bond girl and “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” starDenise Richardsstill recurs on the half-hour soap as Shauna Fulton, while Peloton commercial girlMonica Ruizplayed a deranged doctor named Penny Escobar.
Of course, there are also celebrities who appear as themselves, likeBob Barkerwho made an appearance on “B&B” in 2014 to lay a punch on Wyatt Spencer when the staunch animal activist heard Wyatt talk disparagingly of pets.
In the case of Usher, the musician was just making his way into the celebrity scene when he brought a character to life on “The Bold and the Beautiful”.
Usher made a soap splash when he was very young
Usher Terry Raymond IV was just 14 years old when he decided to become a star and competed on the Ed McMahon-hosted talent competition series “Star Search.”
He was soon signed to a contract with LaFace records and by 15, he had released his first album and was on his way to fame and success.
Primarily an R&B singer, Usher has spent a career crossing genres, often recording blues and pop songs, as well (viaBiography).
Throughout his career, Usher has tried his hand at acting and even appeared on Broadway as Billy Flynn in a 2006 revival of “Chicago.”
You also saw him in movies such as “The Faculty” and playing Marvin Gaye in TV’s “American Dreams” in 2002.
But before he played any of those famous roles, Usher was a 20-year-old singer who wanted to break into acting and did so on “The Bold and the Beautiful” in 1998 (viaIMDb).
Usher played singer Raymond on The Bold and the Beautiful
In 1998, Usher introduced the character of Raymond King to “The Bold and the Beautiful” canvas, perSoaps in Depth.
Raymond was an old friend of Amber Moore (Adrienne Frantz) who she invited to play a gig with his band at the show’s hotspot, Insomnia.
When both Raymond and Amber got too drunk one night, they slept together although she was dating Rick Forrester (Jacob Young).
When Amber learned she was pregnant, she didn’t even remember sleeping with Raymond until he reminded her what happened.
Usher only played Raymond for a few months in 1998, but since Amber was possibly pregnant with his child, Raymond returned to wrap the story up in 1999 but was then played by Karim Prince.
By then, Usher was busy with his music again, releasing “Usher Live” that same year (viaBiography).
If the popular character of Amber ever returns to “B&B’s” fictional version of Los Angeles, maybe she can bring her old friend Raymond home with her for a bit?
