Wally Kurth Celebrates 30th Anniversary as General Hospital’s Ned

Wally Kurth has become synonymous with Ned Quartermaine (formerly Ned Ashton), since taking over the role on September 9, 1991. The one and only definitive Ned and a mainstay on the ABC soap. With Kurth celebrating 30 years since joining General Hospital, here’s a look back at the highlights from his long run.

Wally Kurth — Taking Over

Kurth wasn’t the original Ned Quartermaine. Those honors go to his predecessor Kurt McKinney, who played the character from 1988 to 1991 and exited when his contract expired. Kurth, who’d previously played Justin Kiriakis on Days of our Lives, was quickly snapped up as a recast.

From Mistress to Mother

Kurth knew one of his new castmates very well: Jane Elliot, who had portrayed his lover Anjelica Deveraux on Days of our Lives. On GH, the duo’s dynamic dramatically changed, and both actors had to adjust. Suddenly, Elliot was playing Wally Kurth’s TV mother, Tracy.

Blissful Bigamy

One of Kurth’s top storylines was a triangular tale of bigamy. In 1993, Ned began pursuing a music career as Eddie Maine and fell for Lois Cerullo (Rena Sofer). Yet, he was also romancing Katherine Bell (Mary Beth Evans) as Ned. He ended up marrying both women, although only his one to Lois was legal. Lois dumped Ned, upon learning the truth, but they ended up reconciling and having a child. However, she ultimately divorced Ned and moved back to Brooklyn with their daughter, Brook Lynn.

General Hospital’s The Fab Four

The only thing better than a triangle is a quadrangle, right? Ned found himself in a wild one when he married Chloe Morgan (Tava Smiley) to help save her company, despite being in a romance with Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn), who wed Jax (Ingo Rademacher) who was in love with Chloe. All parties agreed it was for the best, and eventually paired up properly. However, Alexis later left Ned at the altar, and they agreed they were better off as friends.

Wally Kurth As A Father Figure

When Alexis turned up pregnant with Sonny Corinthos’s (Maurice Benard) baby, Ned agreed to claim the child as his own to protect her from the mob. Ned was devoted to being a father to Kristina and was awarded custody of the baby girl when Alexis was convicted of murdering Luiz Alcazar (Ted King). When Alexis was released, Ned fought her for custody of Kristina, but eventually relented and gave the child back to her mother.

Name Changer on General Hospital

In 2017, Ned legally changed his last name from Ashton to Quartermaine. He wanted to disassociate with his father, scheming conman Larry Ashton. But, above all, he wanted to carry on the Quartermaine name. The move was applauded by the entire Q clan.

Friends and Lovers

After years of failed romances, Ned began a sweet friendship with Olivia Falconeri (Lisa LoCicero) that began blossoming into more. Then Olivia discovered she was pregnant with Julian Jerome’s (William deVry) baby after a one-night stand. Once again, Ned agreed to pretend to be the baby daddy of another man’s child but eventually persuaded Olivia to come clean with Julian. Ned proposed to Olivia, but she turned him down. However, after surviving a hostage situation, Olivia asked Ned to marry her and they exchanged “I Do’s.”

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.