Edward Quartermaine is a fictional character from General Hospital , an American soap opera on the ABC network. The character was created in 1978, originally played by David Lewis . John Ingle stepped into the role in 1993, and besides a brief hiatus from 2004 until 2006, he portrayed Edward up until his death on September 16, 2012.
169-458: General Hospital is the longest-running American television serial drama, airing on ABC . Created by Frank and Doris Hursley , who originally set it in a general hospital (hence the title), in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the city was named Port Charles, New York . The series premiered on April 1, 1963. This is a list of notable characters who significantly impacted storylines and began their run between 1980 and 1989. Grant Andrews
338-525: A heart transplantation storyline involves the death of eight-year-old B. J. Jones (daughter of Dr. Tony Jones and Bobbie Spencer ) in a bus crash and the subsequent donation of her heart to her dying cousin Maxie Jones . Shortly afterwards, Monica Quartermaine ( Leslie Charleson ) begins a long battle with breast cancer, which leads to her adopting Emily Quartermaine , the orphaned young daughter of Monica's friend from treatment. General Hospital
507-420: A hospital , in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the city was named Port Charles, New York. From its beginning, General Hospital starred John Beradino and Emily McLaughlin , and both actors stayed with the show until their deaths in 1996 and 1991, respectively. They were joined a year later by Rachel Ames who remains to date the longest serving actress on an ABC soap opera, having been continuously on
676-548: A 16 years Alexis gets pregnant at boarding school, Mikkos forces Alexis into giving Sam up for adoption. Mikkos then forges a death certificate to make sure Alexis can never find her daughter. In 2016, Valentin Cassadine finally makes contact with his family, killing off his nephew Nikolas and claiming the Cassadine fortune for himself. Valentin reveals that he was shipped off to boarding school in Bedlington , England when
845-577: A Drama Series and McCullough won an Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series award. ABC featured an Afterschool Special "Positive: A Journey Into AIDS" revolving around the AIDS story as well as The New York Times best selling novel Robin's Diary . On Saturday, December 14, 1996, General Hospital aired its one of three primetime episodes, General Hospital: Twist of Fate , which picked up where that Friday's episode had left off. The special centered on Laura's supposed death at
1014-505: A Song . The first stories were mainly set on the seventh floor of General Hospital, in an unnamed midsize Eastern city (the name of the city, Port Charles , would not be mentioned until the late 1970s by headwriters Eileen and Robert Mason Pollock . ). "They had this concept of the show that it was like a big wagon wheel – the spokes would be the characters and the hub would be the hospital", John Beradino ( Steve Hardy ) later reflected to Entertainment Weekly in 1994. Launched in 1963,
1183-442: A bit forgetful. After Michael's graduation from high school, Edward pitched the idea of having Michael intern at ELQ. Jason told him that Michael already had a job working for Sonny, but it was up to Michael to make that decision. Not giving up, Edward offers Abby a well paying job at ELQ if she gets Michael to work there alongside her. Edward is delighted when Michael accepts his offer, much to Sonny and Carly's dismay. Edward attends
1352-710: A charity event hosted by Carly at the Metro Court, but has chest pains and nearly collapses in the lobby, Skye brings him up to her room. After saying that he's had too much excitement that night, Sonny bursts in with a gun pointed at Skye and Edward, demanding to know where Jax is. When Olivia tells Edward that Jason's been in a car accident, he and Skye head to the hospital. While Edward is sitting with Jason, Sam comes in and tells him that they're engaged, delighting Edward. A few days before Jason and Sam's wedding, Edward visits Jason and gives him Lila's wedding ring to give to Sam. On Christmas Eve, Edward tells Monica and Tracy that
1521-521: A charity gala, before she got the chance. Edward was suspected of poisoning her, but it turned out Beatrice had accidentally killed herself. Edward discovered what it was like to be broke when Monica and her new flame Sean Donely , found their way into ELQ's boardroom and took the company away from the Quartermaines. Monica then threw the Quartermaines out of the mansion, and they were forced to live above Kelly's. Lila rescued their family by starting
1690-525: A drunken stupor, Skye was afraid that she'd pulled the plug on Edward's life support and went to Jax for help. Jax and Ned staged an argument in Edward's hospital room and tricked him into coming out of his "coma," which they knew was a fake. Edward then admitted that he had pulled his own plug to set Skye up. Edward tried to get back ELQ, as well as get ahold of Ned and Alexis' unborn child. Ned refused, and fought Edward. Edward became suspicious that Alexis' child
1859-563: A fight against the Quartermaine family , Edward's former mistress Beatrice LeSeur blackmails Edward and Lila, along with Amanda and Sylvia Whitby. Amanda and Sylvia, along with Holly Sutton are also blackmail victims to Leo Russell. Leo, the young masseur at the Avalon Spa, seduces his victims on the massage table and catches compromising positions on a hidden camera device. Beatrice catches wind of this and uses it to her advantage. On
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#17328022631142028-449: A flight attendant and sister of Nurse Lucille ( Lucille Wall ), came to town, and was the woman who won Steve's heart. By the end of the 1970s, General Hospital was facing dire ratings when executive producer Gloria Monty was brought in to turn the show around. Monty is credited with creation of the first supercouple , Luke and Laura , played by Anthony Geary and Genie Francis . The end of their hour wedding on November 17, 1981,
2197-562: A flight of stairs, broke his neck, and died. In June 2001, Stavros was revealed to have been cryogenically frozen by Helena, until medical science could revive her son. After recovering from his injury, Stavros quickly began wreaking havoc upon the citizens of Port Charles, namely Laura and his own brother, Stefan . Under the alias of businessman Lucien Cane, Stavros began to build a relationship with Chloe Morgan, seeking to undermine her relationship with his brother. When Chloe discovered Stavros' true identity, he murdered her and framed Stefan for
2366-479: A kind of poison. He even goes as far as telling Skye to leave town before she dies too. Edward tried to make Monica realize that Jason was not to blame for Emily's death. and get her to make peace with him, but she refused. Edward has lately, like many other veterans, fallen into the background. He developed a minor crush on Claudia Zacchara and disapproves of Lulu dating Johnny Zacchara . When he finds out that Luke and his house staff play cards on Tuesday nights, he
2535-609: A major hit. After continued mediocrity in the Nielsen ratings , ABC was prepared to cancel General Hospital , but decided to give it a second chance in 1978 when it expanded the show from an experimental 45 minutes to a full hour. However, the expansion came with an ultimatum to the producers that they had six months to improve the show's ratings. Gloria Monty was hired as the new executive producer, and on her first day, she spent an extra $ 100,000 re-taping four episodes. A miracle occurred thanks to Monty and head writer Douglas Marland ;
2704-568: A new business she called "Pickle-Lila," which was a success and restored the Quartermaines' fortune and lifestyle. When Edward's cousin, Herbert, was killed, Edward was one of the suspects in Herbert's murder, but was proven innocent. While the Quartermaines remained important figures in Port Charles, things remained pretty calm for Edward at ELQ. Edward helped Alan fake his death during Monica's affair with Sean, but eventually helped reconcile
2873-408: A number of different distributors throughout the show's history. From its beginning until 1968, it was a co-production of Plitt Theatres and Selmur Productions. ABC bought the series outright in 1968 and its ownership passed from Selmur to American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., ABC's old separate conglomerate. Ownership of the soap was then passed in 1986 to Capital Cities/ABC , which was formed after
3042-434: A priest and a nun to find information in the convent where Monica gave birth but were exposed when the Quartermaines were visited by Sister Mary Agnes who had given them shelter. He formed a cartel to control global business with carbon disulphide. To achieve their goals, they thought it would be best for Paul Hornsby to marry Tracy to take over her stock of ELQ. Killing her was an option to get control of her stock. The cartel
3211-593: A raid. Liesl confronts Victor, telling him that Nathan is in fact his son, but when the test results prove otherwise, Liesl shoots and kills Victor. As a result, a detonation sequence is triggered to protect sensitive material, and Liesl, Anna, Nathan, Maxie, Dante, and Lulu all escape the facility (along with Robin, Jason, and a resurrected Helena who escaped through other means). Not even Jordan Ashford knows about Victor. One year later, his counterpart Paul Hornsby returns to Port Charles in attempted revenge for Victor and Valentin Cassadine . In 2021 Victor reappears and
3380-499: A recently resurrected Stavros. Maxie comes face to face with Peter Harrell Sr., seeking revenge for an incident with her parents years ago. Meanwhile, Victor develops suspicions about Nathan's paternity and orders a DNA test on the young detective to confirm whether he is his son. Back in Port Charles, Liesl deduces her son and his friends are being held at the Crichton-Clark facility, and aids police commissioner Anna Devane in
3549-426: A recently returned A.J. to see Edward, but permits Michael and Sam to say their goodbyes. Sam introduces Edward to her and Jason's son, Daniel Edward Morgan , named after Edward. Tracy eventually comes around, and allows A.J. to say his goodbyes to Edward, but he dies before he has the opportunity to do so. A.J. was devastated at not being able to apologize for his past misdeeds. Monica discloses that Edward's final word
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#17328022631143718-420: A recently widowed Robert becomes her partner. Robert and Anna bond as they work together and he wants to reunite but she chooses to go back to Duke instead. Duke and Anna are married in a traditional Scottish wedding on October 19, 1987. In January 1988, the deranged Grant Putnam (Brian Patrick Clarke) kills Filomena after a failed attempt to kidnap Robin, and abducts Anna instead. Robert tracks Putnam and Anna to
3887-622: A regular writer. The change took effect on January 9, 2012. The first episode under the direction of Valentini aired on February 1, 2012, with Carlivati's material beginning on February 21. Several storylines reminiscent of iconic story arcs of the past were created and popular characters returned to the show in order to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the series in 2013. The serial celebrated 13,000 episodes on February 24, 2014, and marked its 51st anniversary several weeks later on April 1. Also in January 2014, ABC renewed Carlivati's contract with
4056-564: A renaissance for a brief period in the middle of 1984, and became the #1-rated soap, briefly dethroning General Hospital from the top ratings spot). For the most part, however, General Hospital continued to triumph, even after the departure of popular actors Anthony Geary and Genie Francis in the mid-1980s. Although The Young and the Restless took General Hospital's place as the highest-rated serial in 1989, General Hospital continued to maintain excellent ratings. Even at its peak in
4225-469: A return to General Hospital . Hughes reappeared on April 25, 2008, and concluded her return stint on May 7, 2008. Days later, it was announced that Hughes would soon join the cast of The Young and the Restless and was slated to begin airing on June 19, 2008. At the time, Hughes was not contractually obligated to ABC, so accepted the four episode guest stint. However, Michael Logan of TV Guide later reported that ABC pressured Hughes into dropping out of
4394-628: A short affair with Tiffany Hill while he and Tony assist their oldest brother Mikkos with his plan to use the world's largest uncut diamond, the Ice Princess to power his weather machine and force the entire world to bend to his will, and allow him to rebuild the world in his own pure, perfect image. While Tony and Mikkos get killed in the process, Victor is imprisoned for his part in Mikkos' scheme. It has later been suggested Victor died in prison. In January 2014, Victor returns to Port Charles. He
4563-424: A special episode focused on his daughter, Alexis Davis . Mikkos Cassadine, according to some critics was "The Face of Evil" hell bent on world domination; similar to many comic book supervillains in pop culture . The Cassadine family were introduced and created by executive producer Gloria Monty . Over the years, Mikkos has been painted as a vicious tyrant, very controlling of all of his children. His personality
4732-495: A spot on the ELQ board, which did not make Edward happy, especially when Jax teamed up with Tracy to take over ELQ. When this plan came to light, Edward banished his daughter a third time. When Edward found out Jason fathered a child, Michael , Edward became obsessed with bringing Michael home. He even tried to kidnap the child. This plan drove Justus away from the family and into the mob with Jason. Growing frustrated, Edward promised A.J.
4901-419: A volunteer at General Hospital. Initially hating it, Alison's mind changes when she meets Jamal Woods , who she helps hide from the police. Alison falls for Jamal, but he pushes her away. Alison is furious to learn that Jamal had made a deal with Amanda to stay away from her. In an attempt to fool Amanda, Jack Ramsey poses as Alison's new boyfriend, Chandler. Amanda agrees to let Alison continue seeing Jamal under
5070-484: A year earlier, Stavros had arranged for Laura's abduction, having become completely obsessed with her. After telling Laura that Luke had died, Stavros took Laura to an island, where he married and raped her, the latter event resulting in the conception of their son, Nikolas . Jealous over her son's obsession with Laura, Stavros' mother, Helena helped Laura escape from his captivity. Stavros, however, managed to track Laura down, and following an encounter with Luke, fell down
5239-595: Is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital . He was portrayed by John Colicos from August 10, 1981, to September 18, 1981. Mikkos was characterized as one of General Hospital ' s greatest villains of all time. In the summer of 2006, it was rumored that the show was considering recasting the role with Daytime legend, Joseph Mascolo ; however Mascolo returned to his famous role as Stefano DiMera on NBC 's Days of Our Lives . On April 8, 2021, Steve Richard Harris portrayed Mikkos in flashbacks during
List of General Hospital characters introduced in the 1980s - Misplaced Pages Continue
5408-418: Is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital . He was portrayed by actor Brian Patrick Clarke from 1983 to 1985, who also played the character's doppelgänger , Grant Putnam . Actor Fred Divel played the body double during the evil twin storyline where Brian Patrick Clarke's face was unseen and both characters were both in the same scene. Grant Andrews was a Russian spy trained to take
5577-401: Is able to synthesize a single dose, which Tracy steals to give to Edward. A frail Edward, wise to Tracy's plans, refuses to take the antiserum, and instead requests that she give it to Patrick's daughter Emma Drake . A tearful Patrick gets Emma to drink it, as Edward looks on and smiles. In November 2012, Monica informs Tracy that Edward's health is in decline. A devastated Tracy refuses to allow
5746-437: Is adopted by Rick (now Chris Robinson ) and Lesley Webber ( Denise Alexander ) in 1983. He was the station manager of WLPC and later marries Lorena Sharpe ( Shelley Taylor Morgan ). Ginny Blake Webber is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera, " General Hospital ". She was portrayed by Judith Chapman from 1984 to 1986. D. L. Brock is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital . He
5915-618: Is an American daytime television soap opera . It is listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running American soap opera in production , and the second in American history after Guiding Light . Concurrently, it is the world's third longest-running scripted drama series in production after British serials The Archers and Coronation Street , as well as the world's second-longest-running televised soap opera still in production. General Hospital premiered on
6084-553: Is dealing with the loss of her boyfriend to AIDS -related illness and is herself HIV -positive. On All My Children , when Hughes reprised the role of Alex in February 2001 after her maternity leave, Hughes also made her first appearance as Anna on March 2, 2001. In late July 2003, All My Children announced that Hughes would exit in the role of Anna when her contract expired. Hughes made her final appearance on September 11, 2003. An ABC spokesperson hinted that Hughes could return to
6253-419: Is deceased, but left behind a wife, Elizabeth, and daughter, Alison. Derek, who later marries Lorena, is the biological father of Mike Webber through an affair with Ginny Blake. Standoffish and snobbish, Amanda often clashes with many of the doctors at meetings of the board of directors of General Hospital. Amanda's wealthy stature has Lucy Coe fighting for Amanda's affections for nearly 20 years. In 1984, in
6422-410: Is declared as disaster area. However, the machine malfunctions killing Tony and Alexandria Quartermaine along with others. However Mikkos remains. Luke, Laura and WSB agent, Robert Scorpio break into the Cassadine compound, to stop Mikkos; during a struggle with Luke, Mikkos is frozen to death after falling into his own ice chamber. Luke is able to shut down the machine and Port Charles is safe; Victor
6591-431: Is discovered to be the employer of Peter Harrell Jr. , who had been conning Maxie Jones for months in an effort to obtain her mother, Felicia's, Aztec jewels. After Peter kidnaps Maxie and Lulu to a secluded cabin, they are nearly rescued by Dante and Nathan West (Liesl's son) before Victor gasses the place, and abducts all four of them to the Crichton-Clark facility. While at the facility, Lulu and Dante are left to face
6760-468: Is in cahoots with the villains, including Cesar Faison and Helena Cassadine . Larry is seen again in April 2017 (Muirhead), when Tracy begins looking for her father's painting. Larry tries to get Tracy to give him half of what the painting is worth but she refuses. Larry is then seen toasting Ned on his engagement to Olivia. It is revealed that he orchestrated the ruse of making Tracy think that Samira Adin
6929-552: Is involved but her urges her to trust him. As Duke and Anna are engaged in October 1986, Robert exposes Duke's involvement in a money laundering scheme for the mysterious "Mr. Big." Soon after, Anna's home is bombed and Duke assures Anna he loves her and decides to get out of the mob for good. However, Duke is framed by his boss, the mysterious "Mr. Big" and ends up in jail. Robert then enlist Anna and Frisco's help to expose "Mr. Big" who turns out to be Anna's corrupt partner Ramsey. After
List of General Hospital characters introduced in the 1980s - Misplaced Pages Continue
7098-673: Is now the director of the WSB and as such was involved in freeing Liesl Obrecht and getting her the job as chief-of-staff of General Hospital after meeting Sonny Corinthos from her cell. Victor visits the recently returned Robin Scorpio , who has been kept away for almost two years, and announces he has big plans for her. Victor wants Robin to help him to bring back his sister-in-law Helena Cassadine – who has been shot by Luke Spencer – and his nephew Stavros – who has been frozen by Laura Spencer . Victor showed Robin proof her friend Jason Morgan
7267-530: Is often seen on special occasions with her friends, the Quartermaines and the Baldwins. Her final appearance is at the funeral of her longtime friend, Lila, in July 2004. In 2013, when doing a background check on Alison, John McBain revealed that Amanda had died a few years before. 2000 also sees the arrival of Amanda's granddaughter, Alison . After breaking her curfew all too often, Amanda orders Alison to become
7436-473: Is presumed dead. Following the intervention of his uncle, Victor Cassadine , Stavros is resurrected in September 2014, due largely in part to research performed by Robin Scorpio . After Victor arranges for Lulu, Dante, Maxie Jones and Nathan West to be captured, Stavros reappears with the intention of impregnating Lulu with an embryo he had harvested from her the year prior. Stavros' efforts fail, and he
7605-559: Is revealed that Filomena has been secretly been raising Robert and Anna's daughter Robin ( Kimberly McCullough ) as her granddaughter. Robert resurfaces and confronts Anna about Robin who overhears the truth and runs away. She is kidnapped forcing Anna and Robert to rescue her. Later, Anna is named co-police chief along with Burt Ramsey ( Bob Hastings ). In 1986, Anna falls for the handsome mysterious club-owner Duke Lavery ( Ian Buchanan ). When her friends Frisco and Felicia ( Jack Wagner and Kristina Wagner ) go missing, Anna suspects Duke
7774-464: Is sent to prison. However, Mikkos's murder at the hands of the Spencer clan would affect the show for years to come. The feud between the Cassadine and Spencer families start after Mikkos's death; his widow Helena decides to take revenge on Luke and Laura. For years, she tortures them all because of her plans to avenge the murder of Mikkos. Mikkos and Helena's controlling ways are often mentioned as
7943-459: Is shot and left comatose, Anna is arrested for her attempted murder. Anna is cleared when Victor's bastard son Dino (Chris DeRose) is revealed to be behind the shooting. Anna is relieved when Olivia is shipped off to a mental hospital in 1989. However, Anna's life with Duke comes to an end when he is killed in a fire in April 1989, as revenge for testifying against the mob. General Hospital General Hospital (often abbreviated as GH )
8112-545: Is shot to death by Dante. Despite this, a resurrected Helena gets her hands on the embryo, and flees the Crichton-Clark just as it explodes. In 2024, Charlie Mason from Soaps She Knows called Stavros "vile" and noted how Helena would fawn over him. Anna Devane is played by Finola Hughes . Hughes also appeared as Anna on All My Children , and the General Hospital prime time, spin-off series, General Hospital: Night Shift . The character first appeared on
8281-475: Is similar to that of his widow Helena Cassadine ( Constance Towers ). In August 1981, Mikkos Cassadine appears on his private island in Greece with several of his business associates, including his brothers, Victor and Tony . Mikkos presents his plan to use the world's largest uncut diamond, the Ice Princess to power his weather machine and force the entire world to bend to his will, and allow him to rebuild
8450-842: Is the Founder & Chairman, former CEO, and principal shareholder of E.L.Q. Industries. Many of his storylines involve health concerns, such as multiple heart attacks, a bout of amnesia in 1989, a stroke and faked coma, and a time in 2004 when his daughter Tracy had him committed to the Shadybrook Sanitarium, though he later escaped with the assistance of Luke Spencer . Portrayer John Ingle describes, "Edward likes to think that he's taught everyone around him how to be ruthless." Edward first showed up in Port Charles in 1978, making occasional visits to Port Charles with his wife Lila before moving in with his son, Alan and daughter-in-law, Monica . Edward quickly established himself as one of
8619-610: Is the second American prime time spinoff of a daytime drama (the first being Our Private World , a spinoff of As the World Turns ). Its first season aired from July 12, 2007, to October 4, 2007, on Soapnet , a cable channel owned by ABC. The series follows the nighttime adventures of familiar and new characters around the hospital. As of March 2008, the first season of the series was "Soapnet's most-watched series ever", with ABC Daytime and Soapnet President Brian Frons noting that Night Shift drew more than 1 million new viewers to
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#17328022631148788-521: Is upset because he was not invited. He has softened in his old age. Edward was crushed to hear about Michael's shooting, and Tracy decided to invent some problems at ELQ to take his mind off his grief. Edward had been put on jury duty for Johnny's trial for the murder of Logan Hayes . He openly expresses his disdain for being there. When Carly decided that Michael should live at the Quartermaine Mansion after he recovered from his coma, Edward
8957-526: The ABC television network on April 1, 1963. General Hospital is the longest-running serial produced in Hollywood, and the longest-running entertainment program in ABC television history. It holds the record for most Daytime Emmy Awards for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series , with 14 wins. The show was created by husband-and-wife soap writers Frank and Doris Hursley , who originally set it in
9126-475: The Adirondack Mountains and rescues her. Anna settles into a happy life with Duke while working with Robert as they co-parent Robin. In the summer of 1988, Anna announces she is pregnant. However, Anna suffers a miscarriage in October 1988 when she is trapped in an elevator rigged to fall by Victor's jealous daughter Olivia St. John ( Tonja Walker ), who had become obsessed with Duke. When Olivia
9295-604: The Daytime Emmy Awards were created. In 2012, the Creative Arts Emmy Awards were created. General Hospital has won 16 Daytime Emmys for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series . In June 2009, TV Guide ranked "Luke and Laura's Wedding" at number forty-five on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes. In December 2023, Variety ranked General Hospital number eighty-eight on its list of "100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time". Citing
9464-586: The Jerome family , allows for Duke and Anna to become one of the show's supercouples , along with Robert and Anna. However, the storyline ends in tragedy when Duke dies in Anna's arms. Robert and Anna eventually reunite to raise their daughter, Robin , and eventually remarry; the happiness is short lived and the duo are killed off in 1992 along with their rival, Cesar Faison . However, all three were eventually revealed to be alive. Anna reappeared on All My Children as
9633-641: The Swedish opera singer, Kristin Bergman who bore him two children, Natasha and Kristina Cassadine . When Helena finds out about the affair, she kills Kristen forcing Mikkos to send his daughters into hiding. The infant Kristina is put up for adoption, while Natasha's name is changed to Alexis and Mikkos lies, claiming she is the daughter of his late sister, Sophia, and raises her in Greece with his sons. In 2009, Helena reveals that Mikkos had another bastard child,
9802-487: The hashtag #GHLive to promote the broadcast on social media. On December 15, 2023, it was announced ABC would air a primetime special General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling , in celebration of the soap's sixtieth anniversary. The special featured interviews with present and former cast members, behind-the-scenes footage, blooper reels and a "special fan tribute". The special aired on January 4, 2024. Edward Quartermaine David Lewis originated
9971-594: The 1980s, General Hospital had been pre-empted in at least two markets in the United States. With the show still number one in the Nielsens, WDTN in Dayton, Ohio preempted the series upon joining ABC in January 1980 in favor of Woody Woodpecker and Super Friends cartoons. Later, the station would air such shows as Hour Magazine , Geraldo and Maury in the show's timeslot until September 2000, when
10140-456: The 2 p.m. ET/PT timeslot starting on September 10, 2012, and that the network would give the 3:00 p.m. hour back to its affiliates, as it was the recommended time slot for Katie Couric 's new, ABC- syndicated talk show, Katie . Encore episodes were shown every weeknight on the former cable channel Soapnet , with a marathon on Saturday and classic episodes at 4 a.m. EST and 5 a.m. (3 a.m. and 4 a.m. CST). Production of General Hospital
10309-547: The April 10, 1985, episode of General Hospital as a fence . The character was created and introduced by executive producer, Gloria Monty , and co-head writers, Pat Falken Smith and Norma Monty. Upon her introduction, Anna is revealed to be the super spy ex-wife of Robert Scorpio and romantic rival to his current wife, Holly Sutton . Anna remained a prominent character in the series until 1992 due to her romantic pairings with Robert and former mobster, Duke Lavery . The storyline in which Duke tries to evade his criminal past with
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#173280226311410478-548: The CEO position at ELQ if he could bring Michael home to the Quartermaines, pitting him against Ned. A.J. couldn't believe his luck when it was revealed that Jason wasn't Michael's father – A.J. was. Edward was thrilled as well, but he was forced to eat his words when A.J. was able to bring Michael into the Quartermaine fold by marrying Michael's mother, Carly . A.J. threatened to leave with his new family if Edward didn't fork over
10647-525: The CEO position. So A.J. was appointed as CEO, and Ned left, telling Edward that he would not come in and save the family again. Edward tried to keep a long lost family secret from being found out by Luke Spencer and Felicia Scorpio . Despite Edward and Reginald's efforts, Luke and Felicia discovered what they thought was the truth: Edward had killed Lila's fiancé, Elliot Thompson, and married her in his place. Edward initially denied it, and then told them they were right. But Lila refused to let her husband take
10816-665: The DVX. Anna works as Sean Donely 's ( John Reilly ) secretary and partners with him to fence the Aztec treasure. However, the treasure goes missing forcing Anna and Robert to team up which makes Holly jealous. As the revelation about their marriage leads to Holly leaving Robert, Anna teams up with Robert and Grant Andrews ( Brian Patrick Clarke ) to bring down Donely who has gone rogue. When Robert goes missing during their mission, Anna returns home to find her apartment destroyed and her old friend Filomena Soltini ( Argentina Brunetti ) tied up. It
10985-579: The Luke and Laura pairing as reason for the soap's "stratospheric heights", the magazine also called the soap's celebration of it sixtieth anniversary a "feat". During the 1960s, General Hospital earned decent ratings against the likes of To Tell the Truth and The Secret Storm on CBS , but there was a decline as the 1970s came, especially when NBC 's Another World became highly popular. For two years, it also faced CBS's The Price Is Right , already
11154-413: The Quartermaine estate one day. Edward decided to test daughter Tracy's loyalty after she tried to prove that Alan Jr. was fathered by another man, by pretending to have a heart attack. He created a will that would disinherit Tracy, but before he could sign it, he collapsed on the floor. He pleaded with Tracy to give him his heart medicine; she refused unless he promised not to sign the will. Tracy had failed
11323-548: The acquisition of ABC by a smaller media concern, Capital Cities Communications. The Walt Disney Company bought Capital Cities/ABC in 1996, and Disney has held ownership of the soap since then. Production of General Hospital was suspended in March 2020, as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States . Production resumed on July 22 of the same year; new episodes began airing on August 3, 2020. General Hospital
11492-599: The blame and revealed the truth: she had killed Elliot in self-defense. The crime was covered up by the family. Luke and Felicia agreed to keep the murder a secret. Edward tried to ruin Ned and Chloe Morgan's sham of a marriage. He needed Ned back as CEO of ELQ, so he paired with Chloe's aunt, Gertrude, who also wanted to ruin Chloe's marriage. Edward planned to destroy Ned's record company, and then Gertrude would get her design company. Edward couldn't seem to make his plan work. When Chloe
11661-461: The brink of death, Helena whisked him away to Cassadine Island in Greece, where he had been recovering ever since. Stavros is eventually discovered to be alive by Nikolas sometime in December 2012, and in an effort to discover what his father and grandmother are up to, attempts to endear himself to them. On April 12, Luke and Laura rescue Lulu from Stavros and trap him in his own cryogenic chamber. He
11830-423: The cancellation of both All My Children and One Life to Live , leaving General Hospital as the last remaining soap opera airing on the network after January 13, 2012. The show celebrated its 50th anniversary on April 1, 2013, and its 15,000th episode on June 22, 2022. General Hospital was created by Frank and Doris Hursley and premiered on April 1, 1963, replacing the canceled game show Yours for
11999-429: The channel during its first season. General Hospital: Twist of Fate was a primetime special that aired on Saturday, December 14, 1996. The episode picked up where that Friday's show had left off. The special centered on Laura's supposed death at the hands of Stefan Cassadine . On April 2, 1998, General Hospital aired a primetime special in celebration of the program's 35th anniversary. Hosted by Anthony Geary ,
12168-504: The character was believed to have died. Kelker-Kelly subsequently reprised the role for several episodes, as a hallucination, between February 14, 2002, and December 24, 2003. On April 10, 2013, Kelker-Kelly reprised the role amidst intense secrecy on the part of the series. Stavros Cassadine was first introduced to the series in November 1983, as he attempted to reclaim his "wife" Laura Spencer from her long-time love Luke Spencer . Over
12337-405: The couple back together so Tracy would be nicer to them. Edward also offered Maya and Ethan Lovett a million dollars each if they could stay married for a year. They reluctantly took him up on his offer. While Edward seemed quite content over Brook Lynn's relationship with Nikolas Cassadine, he despised Brenda's engagement to Sonny. He even went as far as refusing to walk her down the aisle. While
12506-423: The couple. Edward then went to battle against Jax, and used Skye as his pawn. By the time Skye wanted out of her deal with Edward, he blackmailed her to cooperate. Edward had a stroke while arguing with Skye, lapsing into a coma. Uncertain of Edward's chances of a recovery, Lila appointed Ned CEO of ELQ. Ned found out about Skye and Edward's agreement, and Skye was forced to tell Jax. Hurt, Jax broke up with Skye. In
12675-521: The couple. News of Tracy's return after a decade of banishment threatened Edward's health; he was in bed, allegedly sick with a cold. Their reunion had Edward grabbing his heart medication from his dresser, leaving Tracy to remember her actions as a greedy young woman. Edward disappeared shortly after Tracy's return, and was presumed dead when he went on a fishing trip to the Bermuda Triangle . He rewrote his will, leaving everything to Ned, much to
12844-521: The crime. Stavros also began manipulating Gia Campbell , in an effort to obtain information on Nikolas, and deduce whether or not Nikolas would remain loyal to the Cassadines. Eventually, Laura and Stefan were able to conclude the Stavros was alive, prompting Stefan to break out of prison. After confronting Stavros on Spoon Island, Stefan tied him up and left him inside an empty coffin. However, when
13013-472: The death of his father Angus McKay ( Guy Doleman ), Anna becomes suspicious of Duke's relationship with his half-sister, Camellia ( Elizabeth Keifer ). In May 1987, Anna is horrified when the press crashes her wedding to expose that Duke covered up Camellia's murder of Evan Jerome, the son of mobster kingpin Victor Jerome (Jack Axelrod). Anna dumps Duke and starts her own private investigator firm, and
13182-434: The episode aired on September 11, 2012. Uncredited actors portrayed the role briefly in 2014 and 2019, when the character appeared as a ghost to help escort A. J. Quartermaine and Oscar Nero to heaven. Edward was born on September 2, 1918 (according to the date in the family crypt). Edward and his wife Lila are considered to be two of the wealthiest individuals in the fictional town of Port Charles, New York . Edward
13351-521: The episode focused on Francis' Laura Spencer . On January 22, 2024, it was announced Van Etten and O'Connor had been dismissed from their positions as co-head writers; former associate head writer Patrick Mulcahey and present script editor Elizabeth Korte were named as their replacements. Per reports, material from the former regime aired into March 2024. Five months later, it was announced Mulcahey had been dismissed from his position as head writer. Mulcahey's final credited episode aired on August 6;
13520-486: The evidence to blackmail A.J. out of his parental rights, and igiving Carly a divorce. Edward was furious with A.J., kicked him out of ELQ, vowing to make him pay. Edward tried to recruit Jax as CEO, in hopes that Ned would swoop in to save the company. Ned remained true to his promise, though, of not returning. Jax forgot about ELQ, though, to go after a drug company. Jax sold his shares of ELQ, which had come from A.J. and Tracy, to Edward. Edward then took over as CEO. Over
13689-583: The evil Valentin who had been disowned by Mikkos years earlier. Valentin is initially meant to cause more trouble for the Spencers and even the Cassadines, however the storyline is dropped. Mikkos and Helena are also believed to have another child, Irina Cassadine, who is shot to death by Helena in early 2012. Though Helena claims Irina as her daughter, it was never stated that she was fathered by Mikkos. Mikkos's tyrannical spirit also affects his grandchildren, most significantly his granddaughter, Sam McCall . When
13858-464: The family's bank accounts and took off, leaving the Quartermaines broke, as well. Edward was thrilled when Emily and Nikolas found a treasure on a sunken ship owned by a Quartermaine ancestor that could restore the family fortune. However, Edward was unwilling to share the fortune with the Cassadines, and made his opinion known to the happy couple. Sam McCall then skipped town with the treasure, and Edward had to find another way to get his fortune back. On
14027-533: The family's dismay. Two years later, Anna Devane found Edward playing beach bum in the Bahamas and dragged him back to civilization. He teamed up with Ned and got ELQ away from Paul Hornsby . In 1993 Edward banished Tracy a second time after she ran down Jenny Eckert . Edward set his grandsons against each other by loaning A.J. money to buy into the Port Charles Hotel, which was Ned's domain. Edward
14196-422: The fence about them bringing Lila and Edward in to lead Oscar to the light", but acknowledged that other viewers liked it. In 2023, Charlie Mason from Soaps She Knows placed Edward at #26 on his ranked list of General Hospital’s 40+ Greatest Characters of All Time , commenting that "They don’t make ’em like this anymore! The patriarch of the Quartermaine family was a blustering tyrant whose huffing and puffing did
14365-468: The first stories were mainly set at General Hospital in an unnamed midsized Eastern city. Storylines revolved around Steve Hardy ( John Beradino ) and his friend, Nurse Jessie Brewer ( Emily McLaughlin ). Jessie's turbulent marriage to the much-younger Phil Brewer (originally portrayed by Roy Thinnes ; lastly by Martin West ) was the center of many early storylines. In 1964 Audrey Hardy ( Rachel Ames ),
14534-492: The following day, it was announced Van Etten would resume the role of co-head writer credit, with Cathy LePard named as associate head writer. General Hospital has aired on the ABC television network and has been filmed in Hollywood since its inception. The show was filmed in the Sunset Gower Studios from 1963 to the mid-1980s. It relocated in the 1980s to The Prospect Studios . General Hospital has had
14703-603: The full extent of the law. Edward was beyond thrilled when his great-granddaughter Brook Lynn Ashton returned to Port Charles penniless. While Edward offered her a full education at PCU, a room at the Quartermaine Mansion, and unlimited funding, she declined, only to turn up at the mansion looking for a place to stay. Before she even moved into her room, Edward, Tracy, and Monica caught her transferring money from Edward's bank account to hers. While it infuriated Monica and Tracy, it made Edward proud. Edward and Monica were sick of experiencing Tracy's wrath after Luke left her, and pushed
14872-472: The hands of Stefan Cassadine . In 1997, the show's long-rumored spin-off materialized into the half-hour serial, Port Charles . The series' 11,000th episode aired on February 20, 2006. On April 23, 2009, General Hospital became ABC's first regular daytime drama to be taped and broadcast in High-definition television , though the 2008 season of its primetime spinoff General Hospital: Night Shift
15041-606: The head vampire. Alison soon learns that Joshua's victims included Frank Scanlon, Victor Collins , Jamal, and Amanda. The vampire's spell is eventually lifted and Amanda is on hand to see Alison marry Rafe. Derek Barrington is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital . He was portrayed by actor Mark Goddard . Derek is the son of wealthy Port Charles socialite, Amanda Barrington ( Anne Jeffreys ). He has an affair with Virginia "Ginny" Blake (Judith Chapman) before coming to Port Charles. Ginny becomes pregnant with Michael "Mike" Phelan ( David Mendenhall ). He
15210-569: The hospital carnival, endangering many lives there. In an ironic twist, one of Edward's victims was Andrea herself. In January 2010, Edward invites his great granddaughter Maya Ward to Port Charles to live at the mansion. Edward tried using his pull at the hospital to get Maya special treatment as an intern, but she assured him that she didn't need his help. Lulu tried getting Edward and Tracy to pull strings to have Michael's murder charges dropped, but after trying numerous times, they admitted that with Corinthos as his last name, Michael would be given
15379-593: The hospital than General Hospital itself. It also included the characters of Scott Baldwin , Serena Baldwin , Lucy Coe , Kevin Collins , and Karen Wexler , all of whom originally appeared as characters on General Hospital . As the show evolved, it tended more towards gothic intrigue, including supernatural elements such as vampires and afterlife . It also switched formats from an open-ended daytime serial to 13-week story arcs known as "books", similar to Spanish language telenovelas . General Hospital: Night Shift
15548-441: The hospital. Port Charles is full of "dysfunctional family dynamics ... and family drama remains the focal point of this town." The current families on the show include the quarreling and wealthy Quartermaine family, the mobster crime Corinthos family, the middle class Scorpio/Jones family, the aristocratic Cassadine family, and the adventurous Spencer family. Since the series began in 1963, Port Charles, New York , has been
15717-409: The house, Edward set fire to the gatehouse where Ned was staying, hoping to force them to move into the mansion. The plan nearly backfired, but the Quartermaines got custody of Kristina. Soon after, Kristina was kidnapped by Skye and A.J. because Edward hadn't delivered on his promise to give A.J. the CEO position. Alexis then took the baby, but Kristina was later returned home by Emily and Zander. Edward
15886-430: The household staff. Zander found Emily and they returned to Port Charles, but Emily refused to live at the mansion. Desperate to keep Emily and Zander apart, Edward faked his own mugging and blamed Zander. Zander was arrested and Edward promised to drop the charges if Emily stopped seeing Zander. But the truth about the mugging came out and Emily continued to see Zander. In 2001, Skye Chandler arrived, announcing that she
16055-558: The long-running soap opera has had one sister serial, one spinoff in the United States, and two primetime spinoffs in the United States and the United Kingdom. The Young Marrieds was ABC's first attempt at a sister serial for General Hospital . It ran for only two years, racking up a total of 380 episodes. Despite its moderate popularity, it was aired against CBS 's top-rated The Edge of Night , which it could not compete against. The series finale aired on March 25, 1966, with
16224-411: The most influential residents of Port Charles, becoming a member of the hospital board and a good friend to Steve Hardy and Lee Baldwin . Edward and Lila liked Monica, but warned her about their daughter, Tracy Quartermaine , who wanted to get the Quartermaine estate for her son, Ned Ashton . Edward was thrilled when Monica gave birth to a son, Alan James Quartermaine Jr. , whom he hoped would inherit
16393-426: The necessary information to escape the laboratory, with Gia in tow. Following a vicious altercation with Luke, Stavros found himself dangling over the entrance to a bottomless pit, and in one final effort to thumb his nose at Luke, threw up his hands and fell to his presumed death. In April 2013, Stavros was revealed to be alive, after Helena had saved him from the bottom of the pit twelve years earlier. With Stavros on
16562-410: The next several months, Edward's granddaughter, Emily was kidnapped, A.J. became an alcoholic again, and Ned announced his engagement to Alexis Davis . When Emily fell for her kidnapper, Zander Smith , Edward tried to keep them apart. Emily was nearly killed in a shootout after Zander's release, and she was sent away to boarding school amid her protests. Lila sided with Emily and against Edward, as did
16731-457: The night of an annual charity ball, Beatrice is found dead. Edward, Lila, Alan Quartermaine , Monica Quartermaine , Holly, Amanda, Sylvia, and Leo are all suspects, but all innocent. Throughout the course of the evening, all of them slip drugs in Beatrice's drink in hopes of knocking her out. With the help of Ginny Blake , Robert Scorpio recreates the night of the ball and finds that Beatrice
16900-458: The night of the auction for the treasure, the Port Charles Hotel burned down, trapping the Quartermaines inside. Lucky Spencer was in the process of arresting Edward for criminal negligence when he suffered a near fatal heart attack. Another all-time low came for Edward when Lila died in her sleep. After a heart wrenching goodbye, Edward faced life alone. Heather Webber married Edward to get her hands on Lila's fortune. The plan failed when Justus
17069-487: The place of Grant Putnam , who at the time was presumed dead. To do so, Andrews married Putnam's fiancée Celia Quartermaine , as well as became a doctor at General Hospital. He helped Robert Scorpio thwart the Aztec Treasure escapade before leaving town. Larry Ashton is a fictional character on the American soap opera General Hospital . The role was portrayed by Hugo Napier from 1988 to 1992, and returned to
17238-520: The police came looking for Stefan, they freed Stavros, and following some questions, let him go. When the time came for Stavros and Nikolas to come face to face, Helena arranged for Nikolas to believe that Stavros was still frozen, prompting Nikolas to declare that he hated his father and hoped he remained "dead". Subsequently, Helena lured a handful of her enemies to the underground laboratory where she had kept Stavros hidden, and trapped them inside. Stavros, in an effort to prove his love for Nikolas, gave him
17407-562: The primetime spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift (2007–2008). Taped at The Prospect Studios , General Hospital aired for a half-hour until July 23, 1976. The series was expanded from 30 minutes to 45 minutes on July 26, 1976, and then to a full hour on January 16, 1978. Ever since the late 1970s, most of the storylines have revolved around the Quartermaine family and the Spencer family . From 1979 to 1988, General Hospital had more viewers than any other daytime soap opera. It rose to
17576-418: The program was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-Time". On April 23, 2009, General Hospital began broadcasting in high-definition television , making it the first ABC soap opera to make such a transition. General Hospital became the oldest American soap opera on September 17, 2010, following the final broadcast of CBS ' As the World Turns . On April 14, 2011, ABC announced
17745-447: The ratings during that time, and from late 1991 to 1996 All My Children held the title of ABC's highest-rated soap. After months of speculation and cancellation rumors, Deadline Hollywood reported on April 11, 2012, that ABC quietly made the decision to keep General Hospital on the air and to cancel instead the lower-rated talk show The Revolution . On June 26, 2012, ABC officially announced that General Hospital would move to
17914-401: The reason for the family being so screwed up. Their oldest son, Stavros in 1983, kidnaps Laura Spencer, forces her into marriage and to bear his son, Nikolas . Their other son, the gentler Stefan , is looked down upon for not being more like his brother, and parents. Stefan also has a thing for Laura, but he is killed by Luke in 2003. In the 1990s, it is revealed that Mikkos had an affair with
18083-557: The request of former love interest, Liesl Obrecht . In August 2014, it is discovered Victor had threatened a troubled Rafe Kovich Jr. into causing an accident involving Patrick, his daughter Emma, and ex-fiancée Sabrina Santiago that had resulted in the death of Patrick and Sabrina's son, Gabriel, who had been born premature as a result. Meanwhile, Robin has been successful in fulfilling Victor's plans to resurrect his dead relatives, as well as Jason, who Victor intends to use for his own purposes based on Jason's past as mafia hitman. Victor
18252-549: The role in favor of a "big" storyline for the summer on GH . Hughes who was scheduled to start taping on May 28, was never actually replaced and her character was never introduced onscreen. On December 11, 2011, TV Guide confirmed that Hughes would return to General Hospital starting in mid January and would reappear just in time for February Sweeps. Hughes first airdate was slated for the week of February 13, 2012. On April 6, 2012, executive producer, Frank Valentini announced on Twitter that Hughes had been placed on contract with
18421-515: The role of Anna in early 1985, about three months after she relocated to New York City . About two weeks later, Hughes was shocked when she actually got hired because the role was originally written for an American actress. In late 1991, rumors circulated that Hughes had been fired. However, instead during contract negotiations, she took advantage of an out clause to work on another project. Hughes last taped scenes aired during December 16, last airing on December 17, 1991. If negotiations went well, Hughes
18590-418: The role of Edward in 1978. In 1987 and 1988, Les Tremayne stepped in temporarily due to Lewis' health. Starting on May 3, 1989, Lewis was forced to step down due to his illness. The character was killed off in a plane crash, but Lewis' voice was still heard whenever Lila spoke to her late husband's ghost. After recovering, Lewis returned as Edward on November 26, 1991. His health declined again and he left as
18759-495: The role was recast with John Ingle on August 17, 1993. Ingle received an award for Outstanding Scene Stealer at the Soap Opera Awards in 1999. Ingle was fired in December 2003, and the show planned to again kill off the character, but a last minute storyline change kept the character and Ingle on in a recurring capacity. However, Ingle opted for a contract role of Mickey Horton on Days of Our Lives , and Jed Allan
18928-438: The serial. On July 29, 2017, it was revealed through Passanante that breakdown writer Chris Van Etten would be promoted to co-head writer as her successor. On February 23, 2018, the serial aired its 14,000th episode. On July 30, 2019, Altman announced her retirement; breakdown writer Dan O'Connor was named as her successor, joining Van Etten as co-head writer. On June 22, 2022, the soap aired its 15,000 episode; in celebration,
19097-459: The series in 2014, and again in 2016. In 2017, Oliver Muirhead briefly assumed the role of Larry. Larry Ashton came to Port Charles with his wife, Arielle Gastineau Ashton . They came in on their yacht and deeply in debt. They were in search of the Dragon Bone, a key to unlock an ancient Chinese Civilization. Tracy Quartermaine blackmailed Larry into giving her and Ned Ashton a share of
19266-413: The series in a recurring capacity but she never did. Rumors immediately followed that Hughes would return to GH . However, Hughes later revealed in an interview that she was open to a return, but had not been contacted by the series. When Tristan Rogers returned to the series as Robert in 2006, many speculated that Hughes would return to the series as well. However instead, Emma Samms instead returned to
19435-449: The series indefinitely in 2012 when Robin was presumed dead. She has a romance with Robert's best friend, Luke Spencer , and reunites with Duke, whom Faison is masquerading as. The real Duke is later revealed to be alive. Anna has become one of the most respected and celebrated heroines in all of daytime. Hughes joined the cast of General Hospital in the spring of 1985, and made her first appearance on April 10, 1985. Hughes auditioned for
19604-462: The series. In October 2015, it was reported that Hughes has inked a deal with the series and will remain in the role of Anna. Anna is introduced in 1985 as skilled jewel thief who takes an interest in Robert Scorpio ( Tristan Rogers ) and his wife Holly Sutton ( Emma Samms ). Anna is soon revealed to be Robert's ex-wife whom he divorced upon discovering she was a double-agent working for
19773-421: The series. Samms and Rogers's returns intensified speculation that Hughes would eventually reprise her role, Though initial reports hinted that Hughes refused to return, ABC finally confirmed Hughes's return in April 2006. Hughes first reappeared May 12, 2006. Hughes concluded her stint on August 30, and returned once again from July 13 to August 24, 2007. In late March 2008, it was announced that Hughes would make
19942-413: The setting for the show. The town exists in the same fictional universe as other soap opera settings such as Llanview ( One Life to Live ), Pine Valley ( All My Children ), New York City ( Ryan's Hope ), and Corinth ( Loving ). The same setting was also used for General Hospital 's spinoff, Port Charles . General Hospital 's cast and crew have won many awards since 1974 when
20111-519: The shares, but Lila was wise to his game. Edward became involved in Luke Spencer's schemes to make money, with little success. When Holly Sutton arrived in town, Edward immediately schemed to become financially involved in her alleged oil discovery, and charmed her in order to try to get in. When it was revealed that Holly's family, the Durban's, were perpetrating an oil scam, Edward blamed Luke for
20280-556: The show became the most-watched daytime drama by 1979, marking a rare instance of a daytime serial's comeback from near-extinction. During the wedding of Luke and Laura on November 17, 1981, about 30 million people tuned in to watch them exchange vows and be cursed by Elizabeth Taylor 's Helena Cassadine . From 1979 to 1988, General Hospital remained number one in the ratings, competing against two game shows and two low-rated soaps on NBC — Texas and Santa Barbara —and Guiding Light on CBS (although Guiding Light experienced
20449-531: The show focused and recapped on many popular storylines including Monica Quartermaine 's breast cancer, BJ 's death, and Stone Cates ' battle with HIV. This was the first anniversary special that was broadcast in primetime and that did not include any of the current storyline. On April 6, 2013, as part of the show's 50th anniversary commemoration, ABC's newsmagazine 20/20 aired General Hospital: The Real Soap Dish —a retrospective and behind-the-scenes special hosted by Katie Couric . On September 5, 2014, it
20618-412: The show from 1964 to 2007. General Hospital was the second soap to air on ABC (after the short-lived Road to Reality , which aired for several months during the 1960–61 season). In 1964, a sister soap was created for General Hospital , The Young Marrieds ; it ran for two years and was canceled because of low ratings. General Hospital also spawned the daytime series Port Charles (1997–2003) and
20787-402: The show's main protagonist contemplating suicide. It ended in a cliffhanger, leaving the audience wondering if the man had killed himself or not. The Young Marrieds was set in the fictional suburb of Queen's Point, which was considered by the writers to be a suburb of Port Charles . The British television series General Hospital did not feature any characters from the American show, but
20956-456: The soap. The series marked its 52nd anniversary on April 1, 2015, with a special episode revolving around the Spencer family . In July 2015, it was revealed Carlivati was fired as head writer; Shelly Altman and Jean Passanante were hired as his successors. On September 16, 2016, Daytime Confidential reported that Valentini, Passanante and Altman re-signed with the show. On June 6, 2017, Passanante announced her decision to retire from
21125-490: The station's new owners, Sunrise Broadcasting (which purchased the station from Hearst Television two years prior), pulled Maury from the station's schedule, due to what it called "community standards", and brought General Hospital back to Dayton. In Vermont and Plattsburgh, New York , WVNY dropped General Hospital from the schedule in the 1980s and would only bring it back in 1995. During that hiatus, General Hospital still aired on Montreal 's CFCF-DT , whose signal
21294-576: The stipulation that she would be disinherited. Alison chooses Jamal over Amanda's money. When Jamal and Alison clash over plans for her to open a bakery alongside their bike shop, Amanda tries making peace between them. While arguing with Alison, Amanda has a heart attack. At Alan's urging, Alison repairs her relationship with Amanda and suspects that a mysterious gift of $ 25,000 came from her, but it did not. When vampires descend upon Port Charles, Alison forms an alliance with Livvie Locke , Caleb Morley , and Rafe Kovich in order to take down Joshua Temple ,
21463-430: The story. After Gloria Monty first left the series in 1987, General Hospital entered into a transitional phase that lasted until Wendy Riche took the position of executive producer in 1992. Under Riche, the show gained critical acclaim for its sensitive handling of social issues . In 1994, Riche started an annual Nurses' Ball, a fundraiser and HIV/AIDS awareness event both on the show and in real life. Later that year,
21632-536: The test, and Edward banished her. Edward teamed up with his niece Alexandria Quartermaine to make money with her friends, Victor and Tony Cassadine , by finding the Ice Princess. The plan quickly got out of hand as the Cassadines planned to use the secret formula hidden in the Ice Princess to take over the world. Luke Spencer thwarted the plan in time and Alexandria wound up dead in the end. Alexandria's will left her ELQ shares to Lila. Edward tried to acquire
21801-406: The top of the ratings in the early 1980s in part thanks to the monumentally popular " supercouple " Luke and Laura , whose 1981 wedding brought in 30 million viewers and remains the highest-rated hour in American soap opera history. The soap opera is also known for its high-profile celebrity guest stars who have included, among others, Roseanne Barr , James Franco and Elizabeth Taylor . In 2007,
21970-475: The treasure if he found it. Tracy said she would expose him as not being the Ashton family heir if he did not. The search ended when Robert Scorpio 's dog buried the key. Larry divorced Arielle who left Port Charles. He lost his title when Charlie Prince turned out to be the real heir. Larry continued to scheme with Tracy to discredit Monica by revealing that Dawn Winthrop was her illegitimate daughter. They posed as
22139-509: The twin sister of Alex Marick on March 2, 2001. In addition to working as chief of police, and a brief romance with Edmund Grey , Anna marries Dr. David Hayward and they had a child together; however, that child dies as an infant. Hughes returned to General Hospital for several guest stints between 2006 and 2008. Throughout the summer and fall of 2008, Anna appeared on Night Shift where she supported Robert through his battle with cancer and helped Robin prepare for motherhood. Anna returned to
22308-480: The wedding went through much to his dismay, Edward seemingly enjoyed the reception as he spent time with his family. Edward was devastated later in the evening when Brenda's limo exploded. He arrived at the scene in his pajamas and had to be calmed down by Michael and his girlfriend Abby Haver . While the woman in the limo turned out to be an alive Sam McCall, the event still took quite a toll on Edward. Luke brought him home to Tracy where he remained quite shaken and even
22477-417: The whole mess. The Quartermaine's biggest problem arrived in the form of Susan Moore , Alan's ex-mistress and mother of his son, Jason . She and Crane Tolliver , Lila's first husband, had proof that Lila had never officially divorced him; this meant that Lila and Edward weren't legally married, and Alan and Tracy were illegitimate. Susan then blackmailed the Quartermaines with Crane's information. When Susan
22646-648: The will, at Alan's request, and Alan's suspicions about Melissa were later proven correct. Edward was blackmailing Skye so she would give him the CEO spot. But Skye turned the tables and came clean about her secrets. Lila appointed Edward co-CEO of ELQ with Skye; Edward had no choice but to accept Lila's decision. Edward and A.J. conspired to use A.J.'s new bride, Courtney , to get Michael back from Carly and Sonny, Courtney's brother. But A.J. actually fell in love with Courtney, and refused to continue their plans. The newlyweds moved out and Edward froze A.J.'s accounts. Edward also bribed Courtney's mother into not giving any money to
22815-486: The world in his own pure, perfect image. The first step of Mikkos's plan is to freeze the world, starting with Port Charles , New York ; the hometown of Luke and Laura Spencer . By freezing Port Charles, Mikkos could bring the world to its knees and force its leaders to do his bidding. Mikkos refuses to negotiate with the World Security Bureau (WSB) and lowers the temperature in Port Charles so low that it
22984-503: The year Lila died, she was planning on getting him monogrammed cuff links. Tracy sends Alice to the jewelry store to pick up a pair, but the store closes before Alice can get there. When Edward opens a present left for him under the tree, he finds a pair of monogrammed cuff links. When the town's water supply is contaminated, Tracy is seemingly immune to the effects of the pathogen, and decides to undergo tests in order to see if her blood could be used to create an antiserum. Dr. Patrick Drake
23153-405: Was Disney's first series to go back into production during the pandemic. Though the series originally focused on solely the medical staff at Port Charles' General Hospital, and starred John Beradino as Dr. Steve Hardy and Emily McLaughlin as Nurse Jessie Brewer , the series branched out and began to focus more on the people and families of the town of Port Charles rather than those solely in
23322-472: Was Edward's child in order to get the money he felt he was owed. Ned disowns him and he leaves town without the painting. Amanda Barrington is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital . She was portrayed by veteran Hollywood actress Anne Jeffreys . Introduced in 1984, Amanda is a wealthy Port Charles socialite and close friend of Lila Quartermaine and her husband Edward Quartermaine . Amanda has two sons, Derek and Malcolm. Malcolm
23491-520: Was Jake's father. Edward, Monica, and Alice cornered Lulu, but Lulu told them that Jason was not Jake's father, and Edward was crushed. The Quartermaines suffered another devastating loss when Emily was killed by Diego Alcazar . Skye was the one to tell Edward about Emily, and before breaking down in her arms, he told her the story of how he had always wanted to be like Joseph F. Kennedy Sr. , but as Kennedy's life progressed, his life fell apart. Edward feels his life has become like this and he has turned into
23660-449: Was actually Sonny's, and tried to strike a bargain with Sonny, but Ned had anticipated this move and thwarted Edward. Edward conspired with Faith Rosco to teach Ned a lesson. Faith soon proved to be a loose cannon, and Edward cut ties with her. When Alexis was put on trial for Luis Alcazar 's murder, Edward conspired to get custody of her daughter, Kristina . He made sure Ned got full custody of Kristina, but when Ned refused to move into
23829-495: Was alive. She agreed to help him. While in Port Charles, Victor acquainted himself with great-nephew Nikolas Cassadine and his son Spencer , before departing for the Crichton-Clark facility in Scarsdale with Robin and later encounters Heather Webber . In May, Victor made a brief appearance to deliver a message from Robin to her husband, Patrick Drake , as well as deliver stolen embryos to Lulu Spencer and Dante Falconeri , at
23998-500: Was also praised for the love story of teenagers Stone Cates ( Michael Sutton ) and Robin Scorpio ( Kimberly McCullough ). After a struggle that lasted throughout most of 1995, Stone dies from AIDS at the age of 19 and his death is followed by 17-year-old Robin having to deal with being HIV-positive as a result of their relationship. Sutton received a nomination for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in
24167-843: Was announced 10Play , a free video on demand and catch-up TV service by Network 10 , would carry the soap in Australia beginning January 1, 2025. Foxtel 's W previously broadcast the soap in 2011. ABC stations in the Mountain and Pacific time zones, and in Alaska and Hawaii follow a Central Time Zone schedule for daytime programming; thus, General Hospital is scheduled by the network to air at 1:00 p.m. in these areas. For historical ratings information, see List of U.S. daytime soap opera ratings The popularity of General Hospital has gained it many parodies and references in other mainstream programs. For example: The success of
24336-413: Was announced that cast member Nancy Lee Grahn would begin to host a companion web series for ABC.com in January 2015, General Hospital Now! , which would feature behind-the-scenes interviews with fellow cast members, as well as panel discussions with comedians who are fans of the show. On May 15 and 18, 2015, General Hospital aired two live episodes as part of its 52nd anniversary celebration, using
24505-407: Was around 5 or 6 years old and never returned home. Victor Cassadine was originated by Thaao Penghlis in the 1981 Ice Princess storyline. On January 31, 2014, Penghlis reprised the role on and off until September 16, 2014. Charles Shaughnessy assumed to the role on September 2, 2021, and exited on May 8, 2023. Victor first appears as a minor character in July 1981 along with Tony . Victor has
24674-422: Was arrested and tried for the murder of Bradley Ward , whose body had been discovered on the Spencers' front lawn. Just as it seemed certain that Edward was going to be put in prison, Bradley's mother Mary Mae Ward took the stand. She revealed that Bradley was Edward's son from the affair that they had during the war. Edward was then acquitted. Though Edward never knew his son, Bradley, his grandson, Justus Ward ,
24843-809: Was brought on to play Edward starting on March 1, 2004. In 2006, Allan was let go when Ingle was released from his Days of Our Lives contract and was re-hired for the Edward Quartermaine role. Allan last appeared on December 30, 2005. Ingle reprised the role on April 18, 2006. Following a decline in health and the death of his wife, rumors began circulating that Ingle's Edward was being written out. In September 2012, soap opera gossip site, Daytime Confidential reported that Ingle could possibly be making his last appearance. Former General Hospital scribe, Michele Val Jean also commented on Ingle's potential departure through Twitter . Ingle died on September 16, 2012. He filmed his final scenes on August 24, and
25012-585: Was decently available in Vermont and Plattsburgh. Ever since the 1991–1992 season of General Hospital , the show has had a steady decline in ratings. On and off, it would rank between third and fifth place in the Nielsen ratings, with CBS's The Young And The Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful coming in first and second place, respectively. General Hospital remained in between third and fifth place in
25181-461: Was diagnosed with breast cancer. Certain she was going to die, she shared an impromptu bedside wedding with Zander. Emily recovered, and Edward welcomed Zander to the family. It wasn't long before Emily and Zander split up because she had fallen for Nikolas Cassadine . When she announced her engagement to Nikolas, Edward and the rest of the family were less than thrilled, as the Cassadines were flat broke. But right around that time, A.J. secretly emptied
25350-521: Was discovered and put to an end by the Port Charles Police Department. Larry hoped to get Tracy to remarry him, but she turned him down, and he left town. In October 2014, Larry resurfaced in Port Charles, after having been abducted by Jerry Jacks and left on the patio of the Quartermaine Mansion in a burlap sack. It was later revealed that this was all a trick orchestrated by Luke Spencer who had been mentally ill, and Larry
25519-399: Was happy, but he also tried to get Jason to move back home too, but Jason declined. In September 2009, Edward and his girlfriend Deidre Evans were on a date when he socialized with the mayor's wife, Andrea Floyd . When Andrea realized that Edward could implicate her in the murder of her husband's mistress, Andrea poisoned Edward's drink, resulting in him having a heart attack while driving to
25688-404: Was in Port Charles. Justus and Edward formed a bond when Edward set up a foundation to help businesses on Charles Street. Edward became so anxious to shut down Ned's singing career that he bought Ned's record company, L&B, right out from under the noses of Ned's wife, Lois , and her business partner, Brenda Barrett . Lois got her company back with the help of Jasper "Jax" Jacks , and Jax got
25857-504: Was in high definition. This is the second daytime drama to move to high definition after CBS 's The Young and the Restless . On February 23, 2010, the series aired its 12,000th episode. On December 1, 2011, ABC confirmed that former One Life to Live executive producer Frank Valentini and head writer Ron Carlivati would replace longtime executive producer Jill Farren Phelps and Garin Wolf respectively, though Wolf would remain on as
26026-450: Was involved in the kidnapping of Drew Cain. He also reveals Valentin is his son. Stavros Nikolai Mikkosovich Cassadine is a fictional character from the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital . The role was originated by John Martinuzzi, who portrayed the role from November 17 to December 14, 1983. Eighteen years later, the role was recast with Robert Kelker-Kelly , who portrayed the role from June 1 to November 9, 2001, at which time
26195-414: Was killed, the whole Quartermaine clan was a suspect. Edward was concerned that the presence of Celia Quartermaine might cause Edward to lose ELQ because of the scandal. However, the real killer was Crane, who was exposed by Jimmy Lee Holt , Edward's son by Beatrice LeSeur . Lila and Edward were later married legally. Beatrice appeared in Port Charles to blackmail the Quartermaines, but she dropped dead at
26364-442: Was later blackmailed into letting Alexis see Kristina. Tracy blew back into town just long enough to reveal that Skye was not a Quartermaine and to leave her son Dillon to live with his grandparents. Edward booted Skye off the board at ELQ, and was not happy to have Dillon left behind for him to take care of. Edward hired an English butler named Dobson, and told him to keep Kristina away from Alexis; Edward didn't realize that Dobson
26533-405: Was modeled after its format. It started as a half-hour program broadcast in the afternoons, which was unusual for British serials that normally aired in prime time. In 1975, it was expanded to an hour-long format and moved to Friday evenings. Port Charles was a daytime drama that initially featured interns in a competitive medical school program, and was known for having more action actually in
26702-429: Was named Lila's heir, and Heather tried to kill Edward. Luke and Skye caught on to her plan, and set Heather up. She went crazy, and Edward had the marriage annulled, then shipped her off to Shadybrook. Edward lived through losing many family members – A.J., Justus, and Alan. Luke was the one who helped him move past losing his family. Edward was eager to provide for Elizabeth Spencer 's son, Jake , when he suspected Jason
26871-474: Was not murdered, but rather accidentally died when she ingested Lila's heart medication. Amanda, along with the rest of Beatrice's victims, is relieved. In 1989, Amanda grieves when longtime friend Edward is presumably killed in a plane crash. Amanda donates a plaque to the hospital in honor of Edward. Amanda is delighted, along with the rest of Port Charles, when in 1991, Edward turns up alive and well. In 1992, Amanda welcomed friend Simon Jones to Port Charles but
27040-408: Was portrayed by David Groh from 1983 until 1985. After an affair with Bobbie Spencer , they are married in 1984 by Lee Baldwin . Afterwards he becomes extremely abusive towards her. When he is murdered in 1985, Bobbie is originally suspected, however he was actually killed in self-defense by Ginny Webber . Terry Brock is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital . She
27209-604: Was portrayed by Robyn Bernard from September 3, 1984, to March 7, 1990. Terry arrives in PC on Labor Day 1984, and she has her eye on Frisco Jones . In January 1985, she screams when her father, D.L. was shot and murder by Bobbie, but instead he was murdered by Ginny Webber . In Summer 1985, Terry dreams of being a singer, but she had a drinking addiction that kept her from realizing her goal. In February 1986, Terry married Kevin O'Connor. In 1990, she got her recording contract, and left PC on March 7, 1990. Mikkos Ivanovich Cassadine
27378-533: Was really Alexis in disguise. The truth finally came out, but his attentions had been turned to Dillon, who was seeing Georgie Jones . Edward tried to forbid Dillon from seeing Georgie, but it didn't work. Dillon had an affair with Lulu Spencer , and she got pregnant. Desperate to get ahold of the unborn child, Edward threatened Lulu with a lawsuit when she decided to have an abortion. Lulu's father, Luke, held off Edward, and Dillon later supported Lulu, telling Edward to back off. The family rallied around Emily when she
27547-404: Was slated to return by the spring of 1992. In the interim, she was replaced by Camilla Moore who made her first appearance December 20, 1991. Moore last appeared on January 20, 1992, and Hughes returned to the role for one episode on February 25, 1992. Hughes briefly returned from November 13 to 22, 1995 as Anna's spirit to comfort the character's daughter Robin Scorpio ( Kimberly McCullough ), who
27716-541: Was stunned when he was revealed to be a criminal. When Carly Roberts arrives in town in 1996, she immediately seeks out Amanda's attention after learning from Amy Vining how much money Amanda has. Amanda becomes a staple at the annual Port Charles tradition of the Nurses Ball, held annually from 1994 to 2001. In 2000, Laura Spencer asks Amanda to be an investor in her upcoming Deception Cosmetics line, to which Amanda politely declines. She remains in Port Charles and
27885-525: Was suspended in March 2020 as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The show had banked roughly two months' worth of episodes at that time. By airing repeats on "Flashback Fridays", General Hospital was able to air original episodes through the week ending of May 21. This was followed by several weeks of vintage episode repeats. Production resumed on July 22, 2020, and new episodes began airing on August 3. On October 22, 2024, it
28054-427: Was the daughter of Alan and Rae Cummings . Unbeknownst to Alan, Edward sold the baby and had the doctor tell Rae that the child had died. Edward hoped to use Skye to his own ends, not realizing Skye had payback on her mind. She managed to ELQ away from Edward. Edward suffered another heart attack, and grew close to his nurse, Melissa Bedford . He cut his family out of his will and put her in. He later took Melissa out of
28223-556: Was the most-watched event in daytime serial history. During the 1980s, the series featured several high-profile action, adventure, and some science fiction-based storylines. Location shooting at sites including Mount Rushmore in South Dakota ; Niagara Falls ; Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee ; Atlantic City, New Jersey ; Big Bear and Avalon ( Catalina Island ), California; and San Antonio, Texas are some that propelled
28392-460: Was the name of his beloved Lila. Following his funeral, Edward's will is read, which divides ELQ stock between his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, Monica, and Alice. He donates all of his cash and material belongings to charity, cutting Tracy out. The only thing left to Tracy is a jar of Pickle-Lila relish. In 2019, Dustin Cushman from Soaps She Knows 's Soap Box said that he was "still on
28561-420: Was the victim of a hit and run, Edward dropped his vendetta against the marriage, but not his plans to get Ned back at ELQ. However, Ned had no intention of returning to ELQ and managed to thwart Edward's plans yet again. All of Edward's efforts to keep Carly and Michael failed when Jason produced evidence that A.J. was responsible for burning down Jason and Sonny Corinthos ' warehouse earlier that year. Sonny used
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