Elizabeth MacRae, Who Played Scotty’s Mother on GH, Dead at 88

Elizabeth Hendon MacRae, who played Meg Baldwin, Scott’s biological mom on General Hospital, starting in 1969, died on May 27. She was 88. No cause of death has been given.

In Memoriam

A native of Fayetelle, North Carolina, MacRae stayed with legendary acting teacher Uta Hagen in New York and landed roles in off-Broadway productions.

She found roles in TV on such series as The Verdict Is Yours. Her other credits included The Fugitive, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, I Dream of Jeannie, The Andy Griffith Show, and Route 66.

On Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., she played Gomer’s girlfriend Lou-Ann Poovie, appearing in about 15 episodes.

MacRae first appeared on GH in 1969. She played the part for two years, and then returned to the show in 1972. Meg faced challenges in her marriage to Lee (Peter Hansen) when her daughter Brooke came to live with Lee and her. Meg was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. Jealous of her daughter’s looks, Meg had a nervous breakdown, forcing Lee to have her committed.

Upon her release, Meg became a patient of Dr. Lesley Webber’s (Denise Alexander) and she grew jealous of her doctor, erroneously thinking that Lesley was romantically interested in Lee. Meg died of a stroke while arguing with Lee. Later, the attorney adopted Meg’s son Scotty.

GH wasn’t MacRae’s only soap operas. She also appeared on Days of our Lives as Phyllis Anderson and Guiding Light as Agatha Dobson. In 1985, she recurred on Search for Tomorrow as Jozie, a woman who was down on her luck.

Her final acting credit was the role of a reporter in the 1989 movie Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives.

Elizabeth MacRae donated items from her acting career to the UNC – Chapel Hill Southern Historical Collection in the Louis Round Wilson Library.

MacRae and her late husband, Charles Day Halsey, Jr., resided in North Carolina; later, the moved to Fayetteville. MacRae is survived by five stepchildren, Terry Halsey, Peter Halsey, Hugh Halsey, Cate Halsey, and Alex Halsey Topper.