GH Stars James Patrick Stuart and Michael E. Knight Are BFFs For Life

Martin Gray and Valentin Cassadine have their share of adversarial moments on General Hospital, but their portrayers, Michael E. Knight and James Patrick Stuart, are best of pals. And Soap Hub can state that beyond a doubt!

Michael E. Knight and James Patrick Stuart Are Fast and Furious Friends

James Patrick Stuart (Valentin Cassadine) and Michael E. Knight (Martin Gray) talked about just how far their friendship goes back during a recent GH Fantasy Event. They met over three decades ago after Stuart got word from his agent about All My Children searching for a new character. AMC, of course, is where Michael E. Knight played the character of Tad ‘The Cad’ Martin, earning three Daytime Emmys for his work in Pine Valley.

“[My] agent called me and told me that there’s this show, All My Children, and they’re casting the role of Will Courtlandt,” shared Stuart, who decided to watch the show so that he could get a feel for it. He saw a scene with Knight (Tad) and Cady McClain (Dixie) in bed together. It had, Stuart recalls, “the most charming, romantic, comedic dialogue…it was just charming.”

Stuart had a nearly four year-run on the show playing Will, who was eventually killed off by Janet Green (Kate Collins) after he tried to attack Hayley (Kelly Ripa). While his time in Pine Valley was limited, he says that he and Knight “have become dear, dear friends ever since.”

Through Thick And Through Thin

James Patrick Stuart (Valentin) and Michael E. Knight (Tad) have shared many adventures and personal moments over the decades. They were invited to the White House in the early 1990s along with many other soap stars. And Knight is godfather to Stuart’s second son “Colin Michael.”

“My wife, Jocelyn, is actually a fan of Michael’s,” Stuart shares.  Knight added that Jocelyn’s mother is also a fan of AMC. “Patrick said to me once, ‘You have to do me a favor. You have to meet my in-law,'” Knight recalls. The meet-and-greet took place at the [now shuttered] Broadway Deli in Santa Monica.

A James Patrick Stuart By Any Other Name

There’s a reason Knight’s been referring to Stuart as ‘Patrick’ in this interview. “Michael actually knows me as ‘Patrick,'” Stuart says noting that James Patrick Stuart is a stage name he adopted so as not to be confused with Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation). “Everyone calls him ‘James’ – to me, he’s ‘Patrick,'” says Michael E Knight.

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.