General Hospital News: Finola Hughes Recalls Late Co-Star Anna Lee

It was 1985 when Finola Hughes, fresh off her success in Staying Alive, the sequel to the John Travolta hit Saturday Night Fever, joined the cast of General Hospital. But she wasn’t the first Brit to land in Port Charles — Anna Lee, who played beloved matriarch Lila Quartermaine, had been a part of the show since 1979.

Finola Hughes Recalls Anna Lee

Hughes was reminded of her former co-star when executive producer Frank Valentini shared on Twitter an image of Lee as Lila saying, “#GHlegend We are all NEW this week next week and so on…” She shared her boss’s post but added a fun tidbit that fans were thrilled to learn.

Hughes said, “#annalee was the dearest, most graceful woman with so many stories about old Hollywood to share with you over a cup of tea. I’d love to think my character was named in her honor! One can dream…” Of course, she may be right on target. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time a soap writer used real life to inspire character names.

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On All My Children, where Hughes also brought Anna (and her twin, Alex), the writers wanted to honor Susan Lucci (Erica) when they brought on a scheming younger character who was supposed to invoke thoughts of a little Erica, so they named the character after Lucci’s real-life daughter, Liza Huber (who played Gwen on Passions). Liza Colby was hugely popular, played longest by Daytime Emmy-winner Marcy Walker.

General Hospital is back with all-new episodes, and Anna has quite a few irons in the fire keeping her busy. She’s planning her wedding to Finn (Michael Easton), worrying about Robert (Tristan Rogers) with regards to Holly’s supposed death, and also his obsession with getting dirt on her alleged son, Peter. What will happen next? Stay tuned. General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.