There’s good news and bad news for Genie Francis fans. The General Hospital star has announced a change in her status on the ABC soap but on the positive side, it’s not a permanent switch.
The beloved star is taking a break from GH, however, she assures viewers that it’s only temporary and she’ll be back soon. TV Insider broke the news that the Daytime Emmy-winner is taking a summer vacation and will be off the story canvas for a little while.
“I’ve had such a fun time on GH, and I’ve absolutely loved what the writers gave me to work with this season,” Francis shared. “And, there are some really great storylines planned for the fall – but for now, I’ve decided to take the summer off. I am very much looking forward to spending the time with my family and relaxing a bit. I promise, though, I will be back to Port Charles before you know it.”
Francis debuted as Laura in 1977 and by the following year, she was thrust into a major storyline in which Laura was seduced by an older man named David Hamilton (Jerry Ayres). Laura, estranged from her boyfriend Scotty Baldwin (Kin Shriner), accidentally killed David and suffered a memory loss. Lesley (Denise Alexander) figured out what had transpired and claimed to have killed David herself.
In time, the truth came out and Laura and Scotty Baldwin were reunited only to deal with his ex-girlfriend Bobbie Spencer (Jackie Zeman), who was determined to send Laura off to reform school. Later, Laura and Bobbie’s brother Luke Spener (Anthony Geary) skyrocketed to fame and their November 1981 wedding became daytime television’s highest-rated episode.
Genie Francis has come and gone from GH over the decades. Last year, she returned to the show in October after spending time with her family on the east coast. In recent years, Laura has wed Kevin Collins (Jon Lindstrom), become mayor of Port Charles, and learned that she has two half-siblings — Cyrus Renault (Jeff Kober) and Martin Grey (Michael E. Knight).
Francis was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Drama Series earlier this year. “I was so lucky,” Francis told Soap Hub about GH exploring Laura’s early days and revealing unknown family members. “The fact that they were willing to go so far back to the heart of what makes Laura who she is. They’d never explored her biological father [Gordon Grey]. She never knew who he was.”
There’s no word yet on when Genie Francis’s last airdate will be prior to her vacation or when she’ll exactly be back. Soap Hub will keep GH fans posted as details become available.
General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Port Charles, check out all the latest that’s been posted on GH spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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