Kim Sullivan Hughes (formerly Reynolds, Dixon, Stewart, Andropoulus, and Hughes) is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. The character was portrayed by Kathryn Hays continuously from 1972. Kim was created by soap opera legend Irna Phillips and was based on Irna's own personality. She soon became one of As the World Turns's most popular characters. First appearing in August 1972, the actress become the fourth longest serving cast member on the show after Helen Wagner (Nancy Hughes), Don Hastings (Bob Hughes), and Eileen Fulton (Lisa Grimaldi) when the show finished on air on September 17, 2010. Kim's storylines often revolve around the core Hughes family. The character is portrayed as strong, fiery, sensitive and mother figure who in recent years has taken on the role as the Hughes' matriarch. Throughout her almost 40-year run on the show, Kim has endured several love interests, health issues including open heart surgery and amnesia whilst making the change from adulterous home-wrecker to matriarchal figure. Princeton's Bureau County Republican said the character had "grown over the decades and survived the typical drama of complicated soap plots."