Remembering 2025’s Losses: Anthony Geary

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Huh? Hillbilly’s a soap fan? Yeah, I know. This was a time that everybody was caught up in the love story, and that included me. Today I salute one of the principal characters in what may be the most memorable daytime soap storyline in history. Anthony Geary The early 80s were the era of the ABC soap opera General Hospital storyline involving Luke and Laura. So ubiquitous in America that Christopher Cross had a hit about her, called “Think of Laura.” Anthony Geary was the focal point as Luke Spencer alongside Genie Francis as Laura Baldwin Spencer. Their marriage on the soap was watched by 30 million people. Let me put that in perspective: Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding only had a little over 14 million U.S. viewers. Geary holds the record for most Daytime Emmy awards, with eight. That ties him with Clovis Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus with most acting Emmys ever, period. Oh, remember what I said about women going ga-ga over Richard Chamberlain and he turned out gay? Geary was definitely a “heartthrob” in the Luke & Laura era…and he was gay. In fact, he moved to Amsterdam upon retiring from acting, where he lived the rest of his life with his spouse. I wasn’t much of a soap opera fan, but Luke and Laura captivated the country…including me. By the way, the series General Hospital took a beating last year in the obituaries. Here are the other actors from the series who passed in 2025, all but one of whom were on the program during the “heyday” of the Luke and Laura storyline: *Leslie Charleson (died January 12, age 79): she played Dr. Monica Quartermaine, a member of the premiere family on the soap. *Denise Alexander (died March 5, age 85): she played Lesley Webber from 1973 to 2009, one of the longest tenures of a role in soap history. *Chris Robinson (died June 9, age 86): he played Rick Webber. *Jack Betts (died June 12, age 96): he was on General Hospital in the early 60s as Ken Martin. *Tristan Rogers (died August 15, age 79): he was the agent Robert Scorpio beginning in 1980 and ending in 2024. And, personally, he was also almost a separate entry. *André Landzaat (died September 21, age 81): he was the villain Tony Cassadine in the GH Luke & Laura era. Anthony Geary Born Tony Dean Geary, May 29, 1947, Coalville, Utah Died December 14, 2025, Amsterdam, Netherlands (surgical complications) (age 78) An ABC News tribute to Geary: