‘General Hospital’ actor Anthony Geary, one half of beloved on-air couple Luke and Laura, dead at 78

‘General Hospital’ actor Anthony Geary, one half of beloved on-air

couple Luke and Laura, dead at 78

Anthony Geary, who rose to fame in the 1970s and ‘80s as half of the

daytime TV super couple Luke and Laura on “General Hospital,” has died.

He was 78.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Anthony Geary, whose portrayal

of Luke Spencer helped define General Hospital and daytime television,”

ABC said in a statement confirming his death.

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Transcript

00:00General Hospital actor Anthony Geary, one half of beloved on-air couple Luke and Laura, dead at 78.

00:07Anthony Geary, who rose to fame in the 1970s and 80s as half of the daytime TV super couple Luke

00:14and Laura on General Hospital, has died. He was 78. We are deeply saddened by the passing of

00:23Anthony Geary, whose portrayal of Luke Spencer helped define General Hospital and daytime

00:28television. ABC said in a statement confirming his death. Geary died Sunday in Amsterdam of

00:35complications from a surgical procedure three days prior. The entire General Hospital family

00:42is heartbroken over the news of Tony Geary's passing, Frank Valentini, executive producer of

00:47the ABC show. Said in a statement Monday. Tony was a brilliant actor and set the bar that we continue

00:55to strive for. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Geary earned eight Daytime Emmy Awards as

01:01Luke Spencer after joining the soap in 1978. Luke's Pairing

01:06With Jeannie Frances Laura Webber Baldwin, as she was known at the time, propelled the two onto

01:12magazine covers and into the cultural mainstream. The 1981 wedding of Luke and Laura was a pop culture

01:19phenom done in two parts, drawing guest appearances that included Elizabeth Taylor. A record. 30 million

01:27viewers watched. He was a powerhouse as an actor. Shoulder to shoulder with the greats. No star burned

01:36brighter than Tony Geary. He was one of a kind. As an artist, he was filled with a passion for the truth,

01:44no matter how blunt, no matter how blunt, or even a little rude it might be, but always hilariously

01:49funny. Francis said in a statement. In addition to his role as Luke, Geary had numerous TV and stage

01:57credits, including stints on Other Soaps, The Young and the Restless, and Bright Promise. Geary played

02:06Luke on and off until 2015, though he returned for a cameo in 2017. He lived a quiet life with husband

02:14Claudio Gamma in Amsterdam. In a 1993 interview, Geary spoke of the many highs and lows of playing

02:21Luke. I felt like I had to be Luke 24 hours a day or people would be disappointed, he said. As far as

02:29I'm concerned, they are mythic creatures. They come from two sides of the universe together and have a

02:36mutual connection, which is basically lust and appreciation for individuality. They love

02:42the eccentricity in each other. Geary's Luke began as a small-time hitman recruited to dismantle the

02:50relationship between Laura and her first husband, Scotty Baldwin. Their story arc turned darker when

02:57Luke sexually assaulted Laura. The assault led to a redemption trail for Luke, who evolved into a hero

03:04and even served as mayor of the show's small town, Port Charles. He was not created to be a heroic

03:12character, Geary told ABC's Nightline in 2015. He was created to be an anti-hero, and I have treasured

03:20the anti-side of the hero and pushed it for a long time. He's not a white hat or a black hat,

03:28he's all shades of gray. And that has been the saving grace of playing him all these years.

03:35Geary was born to Mormon parents in Colville, Utah. He was discovered while attending the University of

03:42Utah and performing on stage. He joined a touring company of The Subject Was Roses, which brought him

03:50to Los Angeles. Over the years, he appeared frequently in stage productions alongside his screen work.

03:58Geary's first appearance on TV was as Tom Wallum on an episode of Room 222. He went on to appear in

04:05All in the Family, The Partridge, Family, The Mod Squad, Marcus Welby, MD, The Streets of San Francisco,

04:14and Barnaby Jones.

‘General Hospital’ actor Anthony Geary, one half of beloved on-air couple Luke and Laura, dead at 78

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