Anthony Geary

Anthony Dean "Tony" Geary (born May 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Luke Spencer on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital. Geary originated the role of Luke in 1978 and has since received a record eight Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

Geary also had a prominent supporting role in "Weird Al" Yankovic's cult comedy film UHF (1989), portraying the eccentric engineer Philo (named for television pioneer Philo Farnsworth). A self-professed fan of Yankovic, he thought that UHF would allow him a "departure" from his General Hospital persona.

Early life

Anthony Dean Geary was born in Coalville, Utah, a son of the late Dana (née Anderson) (2/10/1923-7/7/1997) and Russell Dean Geary (11/12/25-10/8/1991). His father was a building contractor and owner of a construction company. His mother was a homemaker and assisted his father in the business as the bookkeeper. His father was also the former mayor of Coalville, Utah. Both of Geary's parents were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has two sisters, Jana Geary Steele and DeAnn Geary Bond. Geary attended the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, on a theater scholarship. At age 21, he performed as a chorus boy with Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca on the Las Vegas stage. It was while performing there that he fell and scarred his chin.

General Hospital

General Hospital (commonly abbreviated GH) is an American daytime television medical drama that is listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running American soap opera in production and the third longest-running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns. 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 the ABC television network on April 1, 1963. Same-day broadcasts as well as classic episodes were aired on SOAPnet from January 20, 2000 to December 31, 2013, following Disney-ABC's decision to discontinue the network. 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 Outstanding Drama Series, with 11 wins.

Genie Francis

Eugenie Ann "Genie" Francis Frakes (born May 26, 1962) is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Laura Spencer on the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital.

Early life

Francis was born in Englewood, New Jersey. Her father, Ivor Francis, a Canadian actor of English descent, died in 1986 from the effects of multiple strokes. He played a brief role on General Hospital as an adoption counselor when his daughter was also on the show. Her mother, Rosemary Daley, is a former actress/model of Lithuanian descent. Genie has an older brother, Ivor Jr.; a younger brother, Kenneth; and an older half-sister, Shelley, from her father's first marriage.

Career

Francis' best-known role, that of Laura Spencer on General Hospital, would bring her instant stardom in the late 1970s. The television couple of Luke and Laura wed on November 17, 1981, with 30 million viewers tuning in to make the episode the highest-rated hour in soap opera history. At the peak of her success, Francis left the show in 1982 to try her hand at prime-time television. Soon afterward, she landed a starring role in her own series, Bare Essence, which was unsuccessful. She returned to General Hospital in 1983 for a limited run, to coincide with the departure of Luke when Geary decided to leave the series. She was also offered the lead role for the movie Splash but turned it down because she thought the script was silly.

Tony

Tony is a short form of Anthony or Antonio. It may refer to:

People known by the single name, Tony:

Luke Spencer

Lucas Lorenzo "Luke" Spencer, Sr. is a fictional character in the American television soap opera General Hospital, and has been played by Anthony Geary from 1978 until his on-screen exit in July 2015. Geary holds the record for most Daytime Emmy wins for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his work as Luke. He is currently the show's fifth most tenured character after Monica Quartermaine, Laura Spencer, Scott Baldwin, and Bobbie Spencer.

Casting

Anthony Geary was originally hired for a 13-week stint on General Hospital in November 1978, which eventually grew into a full contract role. Geary received Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1980, 1981, and had his first win in 1982. Geary was nominated again in 1983, before leaving the show on December 27, 1983. Geary later reprised the role from October 26 to December 10, 1984.

In 1991, Geary returned to General Hospital as Luke's cousin and look-alike Bill Eckert, due to the actor's desire to play something other than Luke. However, due to audience feedback and demand, the character was killed off and Geary resumed the role of Luke on October 29, 1993. Geary was nominated in 1997 and 1998 for Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor, and had his second win in 1999, and his third in 2000. He received another nomination in 2003, and had his fourth win in 2004. When Geary won for the fifth time in 2006, he set the record for most lead actor wins.