Beth Peters, GH’s Mrs. Whitaker, Dead at 92

Actress Beth Peters, who played Mrs. Whitaker, the woman who gave refuge to Luke and Laura on General Hospital, has died. She was 92.

Beth Peters: In Memoriam

Variety reported on Peters’s passing. The actress/singer died on March 14 following a short illness. In the summer of 1980, GH had exploded in popularity. Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis) had gone on the run, trying to stay two steps ahead of mobster Frank Smith (George Gaynes).

They were passing through Beechers Corners, a town that’s still referred to on GH today. “The motherly Mrs. Whitaker dispensed country wisdom from her farm kitchen in Beecher’s Corners, serving as surrogate mother to Laura [Baldwin] Spencer, played by Genie Francis, as the teenagers story arc saw her fall in love with Luke Spencer…”

Following the summer of “love on the run,” Mrs. Whitaker and her husband Whit (played by the late Hank Underwood) could have easily remained in the show’s history pages. But the endearing duo made return visits to the show. Luke and Laura spent their honeymoon in Beechers Corners at the Whitaker farm in 1981.

When Laura popped up alive in 1983 after being presumed dead for nearly two years, Mrs. Whitaker was among the many people who welcomed Laura back to the land of the living. Peters’ last GH appearance was in 1994.

In 1955, Peters landed her first Broadway gig as an extra in Inherit the Wind; she would later take on the role of Mrs. Brady in the last months of the production. Peters appeared in regional theater for most of her career in such venues as the Sacramento Music Circus, Circle Star Theatre, Melodyland, Carousel Theater, Hyatt Music Theater, Dallas State Fair Summer Musicals, Fiesta Dinner Playhouse, and Galveston Summer Musicals. Her roles include Mrs. Paroo in Marion the Librarian; she also appeared in Sound of Music, Show Boat, Big River, and Funny Girl.

Her TV credits include roles on Mr. Belvedere, Quantum Leap, Beyond Belief, Hart to Hart, Simon and Simon, Highway to Heaven, and The Waltons.

Peters is survived by Sean Williams (her son), and stepdaughters Barbara Davison and Monica Lange along with nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Peters’s husband, actor Jack Danon, died in 1996. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Peters’s name to the Entertainment Community Fund.

Soap Hub sends sincere condolences to Peters’s family at this difficult time.