Five Fast Facts About General Hospital’s Joe Flanigan

Ever since Dr. Neil Byrne first ran into Alexis Davis at Charlie’s fans have clamored to know more about this mysterious man. And while Dr. Byrne remains an enigma all these months later, the actor who plays him is a proverbial open book. From first jobs and hidden talents and first roles, here are five fast facts about Joe Flanigan.

Employment
Flanigan admits that he fell into acting almost by accident and only because he had failed at so many other jobs. He got fired after bartending after just six hours and he worked as a waiter for only two days. One of his most interesting jobs was working as an advance man during the administration of President George Bush Senior.

Writer
After graduating from college with a degree in history, Flanigan briefly perused a writing career and wrote for many prestigious New York magazines including Town & Country and Interview. Years later, he would use his skills to contribute two scripts for the Sci-Fi series Stargate Atlantis on which he stared.

Pastimes 
Flanigan is an avid skier and has taken part in many competitions. In 2006, he won two awards in the Waterkeepers’ Alliance downhill skiing competition at Lake Louise.

Beginnings
After studying with famed acting coach Gerald Gordon, Flanigan landed his first on-camera role: Lionel Thayer in the two-part miniseries Danielle Steel’s Family Album. His breakout role was Brian Kohler-Voss, a recurring character on the television series Sisters.

Artwork
In 2015, Flanigan was asked to be a part of artist Martin Firrell’s newest exhibition Metascifi. The exhibition presented social commentary on a number of topics using popular science fiction television shows such as Star Trek and Stargate. General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.