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.
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