Video Credit: Soap Hub
The year 1995 had been a tough one on General Hospital as many characters had gone through some difficult life-altering challenges. It was time to add some more spark, romance, and charm to the show. To achieve that, GH cast Ingo Rademacher to play charismatic businessman Jasper “Jax” Jacks.
Happy Anniversary, Ingo Rademacher
Now, Rademacher just celebrated 25 years in Port Charles, having debuted on January 31, 1996. The actor shared early scenes with Rena Sofer’s Lois, as she was looking for help to regain control of her company. The two were never paired romantically. However, Lois introduced Jax to her pal Brenda (Vanessa Marcil).
Sparks ignited, but Brenda’s heart belonged to Sonny (Maurice Benard). The mobster located Jax’s presumed dead wife Miranda (Leslie Horan) to break up Brenda and the handsome Aussie. Later, Jax was devastated when Brenda was killed. He lost the family fortune, but later won a truckload of money while gambling in Monte Carlo and rebuilt his financial empire.
Next, Jax wed Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn) in order to help throw Chloe’s (Tava Smiley) Aunt Gertrude (Donna Pescow) off the track and help save Chloe’s business. Jax and Alexis were just pals; he managed to take over Gertrude’s business, allowing Chloe to keep designing.
There were further boardroom antics after Jax took control of ELQ, the Quartermaine family company. He came back into conflict with Sonny after Jax decided to help Carly (Laura Wright) with a new venture. On the romantic front, he fell for Skye Chandler-Quartermaine (Robin Christopher). The two married, but Brenda’s return from the dead made the honeymoon a short one.
Jax was paired with Port Charles newcomer Samantha McCall (Kelly Monaco), a con artist. But his father’s death stood in the way of their relationship moving forward. Next, Jax connected with Courtney (Alicia Leigh-Willis), Sonny’s sister. Despite family interference, the two married. Jax fudged paternity tests to show that he was the father of Courtney’s child, Spencer (Nicolas Bechtel). After she died, the truth came out that Nikolas was the true father.
Jax and Carly got together and married. He conspired with Dominic Pirelli AKA Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna), an undercover cop, to bring down Sonny. Later, Brenda returned to town. When Carly stopped her from reconnecting with Sonny, Jax realized his life with Carly was over.
It took a while for Jax and Carly to legally split as their initial divorce wasn’t finalized. Carly warned Jax that Brenda would never love him as much as she did Sonny. Later, Jax arranged for his and Carly’s ailing daughter Josslyn (Eden McCoy) to receive the kidney of a young woman named Nelle Benson (Chloe Lanier).
These are among the highlights of Rademacher’s GH career. Over the years, he’s taken many breaks from Port Charles. During one hiatus, he played the part of Thorne on The Bold and the Beautiful. He also competed on Dancing With the Stars with pro partner Kym Johnson-Herjavec. The couple came in fifth place in Season 16. Recently, the actor announced that he and his wife Ehiku are expecting their third child.
Today, Jax is in love with Nina (Cynthia Watros), but his lies and connection to Carly may have ruined that relationship. What’s going to happen next? Stay tuned to find out! Soap Hub congratulates Rademacher on 25 years as GH’s Jax! General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC. Check local listings for airtimes.
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