[53] But in a 2006 interview with the Archive of American Television, Francis said her 1982 departure occurred because she was in the throes of a drug problem that lasted a year. Lulu started digging around and discovered that Scott Baldwin had actually killed Rick Webber. [19] She returned on June 5, 2015. It very much appears they can." Although bruised, Luke and Laura live through the crash, but find that they are in the wilderness. They get dressed due to a note in the room's closet. After discussing Elizabeth's complicated love life, Laura returns to The Haunted Star, encountering a bewildered Luke. Laura accepts his apology, and they start seeing each other. "It's hard to shut her off" Francis said of the character in 1979. The couple originally met on the. Laura is about to tell Patrick and Sam McCall that Jake Doe is really Jason Morgan, but she decides not to after she learns that Patrick and Sam are engaged. Once she realized it was all a ploy, Laura asked her ex hubby why he did it, and he responded with "Because I want you back." [13] Upon her character's return in 1983, Francis said Laura is "more sophisticated" and "more mature. Barbara Jean redirects here; for other uses of the name, see Barbara Jean (disambiguation). On September 15, 2022, it was revealed that Francis will return to GH as Laura. [23] On July 31, 2018, TV Insider announced that Francis would be returning as a series regular. "[11] "I will get home and I find that my body is sore from tension, or I'm still about to cry. A beam fell on Luke, and Laura cried as she thought that he was going to die. She is the mother of three children and has six grandchildren: In 2020, Laura is shocked to learn that through her late father, Gordon Grey, she has two half-brothers; well-known attorney, Martin Grey and drug kingpin, Cyrus Renault. On June 5, 2015, Laura returns by interrupting Luke and Tracy's engagement party. Laura ends up working for Luke Spencer at the campus disco. "I realized, miraculously, that the connection was still there" Francis said. The summer of 1981 featured the iconic Ice Princess diamond storyline in which Luke and Laura save the world from being frozen by the evil Mikkos Cassadine (John Colicos). [47] In September 1981, Francis called a press conference to officially announce her departure from the series by the end of the year. They are forced to abandon their diner in British Columbia to escape Frank Smith (Mitchell Ryan). I was panickedreally hungry" for instruction. "I signed away three years of my life. Lesley finally confesses that Laura is her daughter and Laura is thrilled. Stefan sends his nephew Nikolas Cassadine (Tyler Christopher) to donate his bone marrow to save Lulu and Laura is forced to admit that Nikolas is actually her son with Stavros conceived during her time in captivity. Dr. Peter Ridge 26 episodes, 1972-1973. [67] Much like when Laura's early stories guided Francis through adolescence, Francis would learn about motherhood through her portrayal of Laura. Francis auditioned for the role of Laura twice and beat out 40 other actresses for the part. Unfortunately, a slip of the tongue to Detective Harrison Chase led him to figure out what Maxie had really done with her daughter. Even today, their union still has a presence in Port Charles. Francis further explained that Laura stayed even though she "felt the element of danger." Luckily, Roy and Felicia saved Luke and Laura in the nick of time. "It was the first time I was nervous" Francis admitted. I was given her dates and worked with them the best I could. Find contact's direct phone number, email address, work history, and more. When they approached her again eight months later, Francis said "I didn't know whether to do it." Seeing Scott and Laura in a car, Luke steals a taxi and pursues the couple in a high speed chase. On April 17, 2014, Lulu talks to Laura on the phone about her son, Rocco Falconeri. Luke and Laura take Lulu back to Port Charles. Laura returned to General Hospital on August 25, 2008, at a time when Lulu needed her most. Her husband Cameron Faulkner was jealous and paid the Vining's to run off with Laura. [61] Geary who had actually returned to the series in 1991 in the role of Luke's cousin Bill Eckert said "Basically, I didn't want to do Luke without Laura. While in California, Laura continues to tell Scott that she has come along with him only so he will not prosecute Lulu. After Monty restructured the series around the character, Laura dreams of living independent from her parents and starts thinking about marriage. It's tough to think of ABC's long-running daytime drama General Hospital without Genie Francis the actress started playing Laura Collins (formerly Laura Spencer) in 1977 and, of course . She was acquitted and the real killer turned out to be her lawyer Justus Ward. "[11][16] Some of the character's earliest storylines include running away to a commune at age 15, Laura's affair with David Hamilton (Jerry Ayres), who was in love with her mother Lesley. [8] Baldwin last appeared as Laura in August 1976. [60], Despite her claims that she was open to a return in 1992,[46] when she was officially approached about a GH return in May 1992, Francis declined the offer. [65] The pregnancy was written into the series and Laura is revealed to be pregnant with her second child. Francis said, "The first year was a tremendous learning process, but then I got hold of it and took it on my own." Laura states that she'd been on the parapet right before Katherine fell. She explained "I did this for fans. Laura also learns that Nikolas hired a hit man to kill Hayden Barnes, but Hayden ended up in a coma. [33] She made her last appearance for the time being on August 23, 2021. They are devastated when the judge awards Valentin, and his new wife Nina Reeves, full custody of Charlotte. And that's okay with me." Ms. Wright performed in many high school plays such as Gypsy, Our Town, and You Can't Take It With You . They agree it is time to put the past to rest but they can't stay out of each other's minds. She meets with a cryptographer, and she is surprise to learn that Kevin Collins is the cryptographer that she has been speaking with. When Carly's car drove off a cliff, Luke and Laura rallied around Carly's mother Bobbie Spencer to comfort her. Rick Webber later returned to town early for the wedding, and she shared her recent revelations with him. Americans love the underdogs, and everyone just got on board with that. "Gloria put sex and romance into Laura's life and it bowled me over" Francis said. In October 2008, overhearing a lethal injection threat issued by Scott Baldwin to her daughter, Lulu Spencer, Laura reawakens to protect Lulu. Rick and Scotty buried Theresa in the backyard to protect Laura from being charged and convicted of murder. The past comes back to haunt them when Lulu and husband Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna) reveal that someone sent Lulu a replica of the original Ice Princess diamond. Laura hesitantly enters into a partnership with Lucy Coe to revitalize Deception, but is soon distracted from the project when she learns of Luke's poisoning. As of 2017, Laura and Kevin are pretty serious. They all worked to give Laura her last wish. She continued to play the role until January 15, 1982, when Genie Francis left show and the character was taken off-screen. He tried to convince her that he would help get her out, but she called him a bad man who had hurt her and freaked out. Even though Nikolas and Lucky tried to make it look like Rick had died in a drunk-driving accident, Scott didn't buy it and believed Luke was responsible. Holly and Anna head to Greenland, while Felicia works a personal angle in PC with the WSB's help. Believing Rick murdered Theresa, Laura became frantic when he tried to inject her with an unknown substance. She discovers that he is keeping her mother Lesley Webber in a catatonic state every since her "death" in 1984. [21] Francis revealed she would continue to appear on the series following Anthony Geary's exit, which she was originally intended to be returning for. Nikolas had Laura moved to Shadybrook Sanitarium and gave Luke full access to Laura. Scotty and his best friend Bryan Phillips found her there and brought her home, where Laura finally confessed to the crime. However, Francis was not in the business of recapturing her former glory. [48][49] With news of Francis' impending departure from General Hospital, it was reported that she had received other job offers from both ABC and CBS. If the couple's desire to get out from under Smith's constant threats weren't evident before, they are obvious and crucial when Laura learns she is pregnant. "[63] In addition to killing off the failed character of Bill, several popular characters including, Bill's sister Jenny (Cheryl Richardson), her husband Paul Hornsby (Paul Satterfield), Kin Shriner's Scotty, and Julia Barrett (Crystal Carson) were allegedly written out of the series to make way for the supercouple. She continued, "So what I did was observe actors and do everything they did. Laura makes plans to revive Deception Cosmetics with Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) but those plans are derailed when she goes to help a gravely ill Luke against Scott's wishes. The truth about Jason eventually comes out. "[18] Laura (Stacey Baldwin) hopes for a new typewriter for Christmas in 1975, but Barbara has to tell her 'no' because they can't afford it. Laura and Kevin make love one August night; however, the next morning, Laura is heartbroken to find out that Kevin has been writing a novel about her adventure behind her back. Just as Luke starts to recover, Laura and Nikolas go to confront Helena in her underground lab. "And the thing to do was immediately get Laura unhappy" Smith declared. Lesley launches a custody suit and the judge postpones the final decision to allow Laura to get to know her biological mother first. The next day Ryan comes back to them so that he can get the divorce papers signed so that he can marry Ava. In 1981, Francis quit the show, claiming unequal treatment compared to Geary, and the character was written out as having disappeared the following January. The Spencers immediately shared their news with their friends. Francis said, "The first year was a tremendous learning process, but then I got hold of it and took it on my own." After moving in with her real mom, Laura had some trouble adjusting to being away from Barbara. In addition to the introduction of Luke and Laura's 10-year-old child, Riche said "We want to focus on people who've got this great history. "[16], In 1983, Francis reflected on her early years with the series in an interview with Soap Opera Digest. [13] "We play very big emotional stuff with the kids" Guza stated. More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Resume Born September 11, 1970 Add to list Awards 5 wins & 9 nominations Photos 51 Known for She is Carly Corinthos and has been in the role since 2005. As a teen, Laura is very restless which often gets her into trouble. Meanwhile, Dillon Quartermaine (Robert Palmer Watkins) returns to Port Charles after having followed Luke and Laura, having discovered that Luke is still in love with Tracy and that his reconciliation with Laura was only to save their son. She is concerned for Nikolas, and she does not understand why he is involved with Hayden again, and why he let Hayden into his home. Scott then arrives and reveals that he and Laura are back together. He remarked, "I had to write her character off the show because it's my job, not because I wanted to. Laura goes with Spencer to make sure he is adjusted and to keep her distance from Kevin. "[52] In a 1993 interview featured in People magazine, Francis said "I was on the verge of having a total emotional breakdown" from the pressure of it all. "I was a kid and had never been on a sound stage before. The network spared no expense in flying several cast members, including Francis and Geary, to Cuernavaca, Mexico to film on location for six weeks. [31] Scotty and Laura would eventually be paired together in a romantic story. The key opened to an old box in the Wyndemere attic, and Laura and Lulu found Scotty Baldwin's old law school book. Laura was shocked to learn that Felicia and Luke had slept together the night Stefan disappeared and she tries to drown her pain in alcohol. Lately, she's been too much in control." Luke and Laura would go back to Port Charles to check on "their" newborn grand-daughter. Scott eventually tells Laura that Luke has been married to Tracy Quartermaine for the last three years and that Luke had staged Laura's wedding to him, two years before. "I was just Lesley's long-lost daughter living in a commune" Francis said. [38] Luke was expected to be a short term role as he "was supposed to wreak havoc" on the young couple on his sister's behalf. When he leaves Luke and Laura alone in the room, they declare their love for one another. As they talked Laura became more and more convinced that Rick had killed his lover in the attic. Luke was determined to win the mother of his children back, and Laura suspected that he always had something up his sleeve. On December 6, 2018, "Kevin" serves Laura with their divorce papers and she asks Alexis to represent her. To his amazement, Laura had also tracked her to the convent in the search for her missing engagement ring and wound up there before him in disguise. In 2006, a now teenage Lulu (Julie Marie Berman) visits Laura as she contemplates an abortion. [5] Genie Francis filmed her first scenes on December 28, 1976 and made her onscreen debut on February 8, 1977. Francis speculated that the network underestimated how serious she was about leaving the show because she felt limited. Laura accidentally causes David's death when he rejects her for Lesley. Lulu receives a ticking present addressed from Bobbie that at first Luke belives is a bomb. In June 2001, Luke and Laura tearfully remember their past together as they sign their divorce papers. Laura Wright is an American actress. Laura wants to postpone her wedding to Scott until Lulu regains her memories but after a kiss with Luke, Laura realizes she needs to move on. Victor pressures Obrecht to enact his master plan. Laura, originally played by Stacey Baldwin, was introduced in 1974 as the illegitimate daughter of Lesley Webber (Denise Alexander). When Laura realized what had happened, she flew like a bat out of hell to Texas to rescue Luke from the shotgun wedding. Genie Francis returned to General Hospital in 2022 to continue portraying the role of Laura Spencer.. Laura is known as one of Port Charles' most iconic residents and battled the Cassadines to become the city's new mayor, all while coping with her marriage to Luke Spencer and triumphing over allegations of murder. "Does Laura want them to see her in jail? In February 2013, Laura reappears in Port Charles, and witnesses a close moment between Luke and Anna Devane (Finola Hughes). [15] At the time, the series was facing cancellation and ABC brought on Gloria Monty as executive producer to save it. As Laura began to plan her wedding, she asked Felicia Scorpio-Jones to help her find her old wedding dress. It was quite a shock for her to realize that several years had passed and that all of her children were grown. "I thought that if it doesn't matter that I live or die, then I'm gone. [9][10][11] The daughter of veteran actor, Ivor Francis, Genie Francis was new to acting and had recently appeared on the ABC drama series, Family opposite Kristy McNichol. Genie had made another obligation before she returned to us, one that meant there were several weeks during the summer where she wasn't available to us." Annoyed, Laura returned to Port Charles. "I signed away three years of my life. Shortly afterward, she pays a visit to Lulu at The Haunted Star, where Laura tells her that she has seen Lucky overseas, who left Port Charles a year before. Their story said, if you love each other enough, you can overcome all the odds and you will be the prince and princess. Later that year, Laura's mother Lesley appears to die in a car accident (later revealed to be arranged by the Cassadine family). Visit The official General Hospital online at ABC.com. The actress stated that "Laura only called it rape because she wasn't sure what really happened." The couple have a daughter, Lesley Lu "Lulu" Spencer, named after Laura's mother Lesley, on August 8th, 1994. As she slips back into catatonia, Laura admits that she doesn't believe she killed Rick. After they wed, Laura must get a job to help Scott pay for law school. On October 16, 2021, it was revealed that Francis will return to GH as Laura sometime during November sweeps. [14] Instead of 2 shows a week, Francis was onscreen everyday. Never again" she said. The actress continued "What I loved about Laura the first time around was the she was so human. Labine described the pairing as "two old and dear friends whom we deeply loved but lost." Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, "Today in Soap Opera History (January 1)", "Frank Plans To Divorce Nancy; Mac Moves Back With Rachel", "Laura From "General Hospital" Tracking the Character Played by Genie Francis", "World Turns In Melinda Patterson's Favor", "Genie Francis tells of life after 'Hospital', "Former Soap Star Genie Francis Enjoys Being Out Of 'Hospital", "Luke Lost Laura to Prime Time, but Now Genie Francis Returns for a General Hospital Reunion", "She's back! Realizing that Laura was in deep trouble, Luke tried to get her out of the attic but Laura was not cooperative. On February 8, 1977, Francis made her way to the screens as Laura Viving, taking over the role from Stacey Baldwin. They were married for two decades. The package turns out not to be from Bobbie and is a trap. [69] In story, Laura and Lesley Lu leave town to keep them safe from Luke's mob connections. Eventually, Nik and Luke made peace regarding Laura. Executive producer Wendy Riche spoke with People magazine about the duo's return. On October 29, 2020, Soaps.com confirmed that Francis will return to GH during November sweeps. When it came time to plan Carly's funeral, Laura used her memories of nearly losing Lucky and her experiences in motherhood to help Bobbie prepare for burying her daughter. Despite Luke's recent marriage to heiress, Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot), everyone agrees to help Laura and Luke celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with a ceremony. Lesley confirmed that the picture was of a nurse who used to work at GH. Since the crime was accidental, Laura was given six months probation. On October 29, 1993, Genie returned full-time to play Laura until quitting on September 6, 2002. In 2013, in honor of the show's 50th anniversary celebration, Francis reprised the role of Laura when the writers revisited the iconic Ice Princess plot, and Laura was briefly remarried to Scott. A local fisherman named Theo Hart robs the island, but it was no robbery, and Theo Hart was the long lost evil son of Mikkos Cassadine, Valentin Cassadine. [39] The character was supposed to be killed off rather early, but Geary's popularity gave the character a "reprieve" and Luke began falling for Laura. General Hospital: Created by Doris Hursley, Frank Hursley. Luke was forced to tell Laura that she was slipping back into her catatonic state. [12] Francis signed a three-year contract with the series and a later admitted that she felt a bit trapped. The entire town throws a magnificent wedding for the heroes at the mayor's mansion. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Luke's recent bride, Tracy Quartermaine ( Jane Elliot) revealed to his soul mate on the show, Laura ( Gene Francis ), that the character died in a cable car accident in Austria. He takes Laura to a secret bedroom to reclaim her as his wife. Nurse Barbara Jean "Bobbie" Spencer, RN is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. The return garnered Francis the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Smith penned the controversial rape storyline in which a drunken Luke rapes Laura on the floor of the campus disco in October 1979. Sonny agrees to financially back Laura if his wife Carly Corinthos could be co-partner. [58] The storyline also featured Francis's then boyfriend John Martinuzzi in the role of the evil Stavros Cassadine (initially a Cassadine cousin) who had forced Laura into marriage. Wanting her independence once again, Laura agrees to the partnership. "I was a kid and had never been on a soundstage before. She further explained her inexperience. Back in Port Charles, Laura is falsely accused of Damian Smith (Leigh McCloskey)'s murder. Published on May 19, 2020 11:41 AM. Geary said "I let out a deep breath and relaxed. Helena tries to pull the trigger, but Dante Falconeri comes in and stops her. "[28], In the summer of 1977, Kin Shriner was cast in the role of Scott "Scotty" Baldwin to play opposite Francis's Laura. [59] In an effort to boost ratings once again, ABC lured Francis and Geary back in 1984. After about two years in "storyline abyss" Francis was thrust back into the limelight when Laura becomes the prime suspect in a "Whodunit" murder mystery in 1996. [28] Though Laura at the time is trapped inside a burning building with foster childrena fire set by Damian himselfthe timing and location of his murder makes her look awfully guilty. In hot pursuit of his favorite nemesis, Luke discovered that Helena had hid out at Wyndemere and that Nikolas gave Helena money and let her go in order to protect Gia. Luke and Laura were underdogs she was bounced from home to home, he was poor and from the wrong side of the tracks. Helena stole Valentin's sperm and fertilized the eggs she stole when she kidnapped Lulu in 2013 to create Charlotte. "[11] Francis described Laura as "passive" and said "[She] was sweet for a long time. Nikolas suddenly arrives with news of Lulu's whereabouts and is immediately shot. In February 1994, Francis announced that she was pregnant with her first child. Soap Opera Update reported that "ABC has so much invested in this whodunit that the show is reportedly secretly taping 20 scenes to be inserted in shows at the last minute so that neither the actors nor the crew can leak pivotal plot information to the press. Luckily, the drug did work and Laura slowly emerged from her catatonia. Laura was later found by Dr. Rick Webber along with Lesley. Mikkos tries to force them to surrender by threatening to freeze the entire world, starting with Port Charles. ", "Networks battling for services of 'General Hospital's' Laura", "Luke and Laura Return To Rekindle Their Sizzling Love", "Lucci loses as Laura, Luke announce return", "Return of Luke and Laura has 'General Hospital' fans in intensive care", "Two Daytime Stars Have Great Expectations", "Daytime actress Tamblyn may fill Dad's shoes yet", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Laura_Spencer_(General_Hospital)&oldid=1146323657, Fictional characters with neurological or psychological disorders, Fictional characters incorrectly presumed dead, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Mayor of Port Charles (2019present), receptionist, model, businesswoman, This page was last edited on 24 March 2023, at 05:01. It's hard to imagine anyone else playing the part, but when Genies Francis debuted on General. Luke declines to do so. Laura is hesitant about marrying Scotty Baldwin, but after kissing Luke she realizes that she needs to move on. But when I sat down with Genie again, and looked at her and touched her and smelled her, it all came back. [15] Her guest spot aired from October 26 to November 22, 2006. "It was unfair to me and unfair to the fans. When Laura's doctors confirm that her condition has not changed, Nikolas and Lucky realize Lulu is getting worse. At his plea, she asked her mother to take care of Lulu, and ran off with Luke once again on a love boat mission. They are shocked to see Nikolas, who was presumed dead, with Ava Jerome along with Jason and Sam Morgan. Lesley follows her to a park and Laura is captivated when they meet. Soon after, Luke discovered that Helena had placed a double in her place in prison and he tracked her to a convent. Luke later leaves Port Charles for good. She continued echoing Pat Smith's own words that "It came to a point where it was beyond her control, and she couldn't get away from it." Lulu does some investigating and proves that Scott actually killed Rick. [33] Then head writer Thom Racina planned to hold off Luke and Laura's wedding for another six months by having Scotty return. Finally, in July 1979, over the course of six episodes, Scotty and Laura are married. Nikolas shows up and as he is about to say something about Lulu he is shot. Meanwhile, with the wedding fast approaching, Laura's grasp on reality began slipping as more and more flashbacks appeared to indicate that Rick might have killed Theresa Carter. But to everyone's relief, Carly turned up alive. He then called Scotty to help him with the body. Meanwhile, Laua learns that she has a granddaughter, Charlotte Cassadine, through Lulu, but Valentin Cassadine is the father. Then I started asking questions. "[12] After her 1993 return, Francis voiced her concerns that the character had become "a little too good a little too on high moral ground" Francis explained. Laura Spencer is a fictional character from General Hospital, an American soap opera on the ABC network. Student Nurse Katy Shaw 26 episodes, 1972-1973. A little while later, Helena comes in with her goons and takes them out on the deck of the boat, at gun point, to once again try and kill Laura but instead Luke tells her to kill him and she decides that Laura should pull the trigger. Laura returns a few months later at the doorsteps of Patrick Drake. After catching up with her children's lives and dealing with the fact that Luke has married Tracy and moved on with his life, Laura decides she also needs to move on with her life. Scott then comes to take her home.

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