Five Fast Facts About General Hospital Star Maura West

Maura West currently stars as the dark and dangerous Ava Jerome on General Hospital, a role she started in 2013, but she’s also been on soap operas such as As the World Turns and The Young and the Restless.

Along with her acting career, West stays busy taking care of her family and enjoying her hobbies outside of entertainment. From where she was born and raised to her favorite television show, here are five fast facts about the General Hospital star.

In The Beginning 
West was born on April 27 in Springfield, Massachusetts, the youngest of four children. She grew up in Ludlow, Massachusetts and became interested in acting when she was young. She attended Boston University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts.

Dancing With Emmy
After landing the role of Carly Tenney on As the World Turns, West went on to win two Daytime Emmy Awards. She won for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series in both 2007 and 2010. In 2015, she won her third statuette for her performance as Ava on GH.

Let’s Get Physical
Along with being an actress, West is also a big runner. She has been running consistently for nearly 20 years. She competed in the L.A. Marathon in March 2017 and is currently training for the one in Philadelphia on November 24, 2019.

Close to Her Heart
The actress isn’t on social media a lot but when she is, she makes it count. She has been vocally supporting those with autism (one of her kids has it). A father said his son, who has autism, was bullied and got very few birthday wishes. She tweeted back, “Happy Birthday, Beautiful Boy!!!!!!! #autism #autismfamily You are LOVED!!!!!”

Getting Personal
West is married to her As the World Turns co-star, Scott DeFreitas (ex-Andy). The couple tied the knot in 2002 after getting engaged at a New York Yankees game. They have four children — Joe, Katherine, Basil, and Birdie. West also has a child from a previous marriage, Ben.

Joe is actually a very successful actor himself, having appeared as Kurt in The Sound of Music Live on NBC, but it shouldn’t be too surprising he became an entertainer. After all, his mother gave birth to him on the TV show, A Baby Story. General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.