In Memoriam: General Hospital’s Anthony Geary [VIDEO]
In Memoriam
Soap icon and General Hospital legend, Anthony Geary, has died at the age of 78. Geary, who had been living a peaceful, retired life with his husband, Claudio Gama, in the Netherlands, reportedly passed away due to complications from a scheduled surgery he’d had a few days prior.
Born in Utah in 1947, Anthony Geary made his television debut in an episode of Room 222 in 1970. Early in his career, he appeared in such shows as All in the Family, The Streets of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, Mannix, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Mod Squad, and The Partridge Family. He continued to amass 63 acting credits until his final on-screen appearance in 2017.
Geary’s first daytime role came in 1971 on the NBC soap opera, Bright Promise, and was followed by a brief stint on The Young and the Restless in late 1973. It wasn’t until 1978 that he debuted the iconic role of Lucas Lorenzo Spencer (Luke) on General Hospital.
As soap lore goes, trailblazing television producer, Gloria Monty, had taken over as Executive Producer of a then-struggling General Hospital. Under threat of cancellation, the head of ABC gave her just 13 weeks to turn the show’s ratings around. In her first meeting with Anthony Geary, he reportedly told her, “I hate soap operas,” to which she responded, “Honey, so do I, and we’re going to change all that.” She created the character of Luke to be an anti-hero and a man of action who was going to “cause a lot of trouble for a lot of people.” (Anthony Geary on The Interviews)
Originally hired for a 13-week story arc, Geary went on to play his career-defining character for decades until his retirement in 2015 and final GH cameo appearance in 2017. He steered his character through tumultuous beginnings, super couple stardom & cultural zeitgeist-hood with Laura (Genie Francis), the highest-rated fictional wedding in television history, romantic entanglements, crimes & misdemeanors, scams, shady dealings, countless life-threatening attacks, Helena Cassadine, health scares, hijinks, reckonings, and his final love – Tracy “Spanky Buns” Quartermaine.
Geary received an astounding 8 Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor, with 8 additional nominations in the same category. In total, he received 19 nominations and 14 wins for different awards.
In addition to his storied acting career, Anthony Geary was also a dedicated and compassionate philanthropist who long-supported organizations involved with serving children in need, animal welfare, medical research, and cultural initiatives.
Like his iconic character, Geary did it his way. Please join The Soap Scene in toasting the beautiful life of Anthony Geary – beloved actor, husband, friend, family member, philanthropist, and legend. May his memory and presence live long with those he loved and those who loved him.