The Young and the Restless actress Michelle Stafford is one of the many stars paying tribute to General Hospital’s Anthony Geary. The actor, famous for his iconic role as Luke Spencer, passed away on December 14 at the age of 78. Stafford shared some fond memories of the actor and how he inspired her.
Key Takeaways
- Geary’s death has sent shockwaves across the soap community.
- Stafford says watching Geary on GH inspired her to become an actor.
- Geary and Stafford worked together on GH.
Impacting Her Life
The soap world continues to mourn the shocking death of Geary. The actor played Port Charles’ legendary hero Luke from 1978 to 2017.
Tributes continue to pour in for the award-winning actor, and Y&R’s Stafford shared a sweet, heartfelt homage to her former co-star. On Instagram, the actress posted photos of her and Geary from the GH set and at the 2004 Daytime Emmys.
”As I have said before, this man is hugely responsible for me being an actor today,” Stafford wrote. “I watched Tony (on #GH) when I was younger every day. My sister and I would watch, truly, every day. As I would watch, I would think ‘I want to do what he’s doing.’”
Stafford then praised Geary’s acting, calling him “committed” and “a star.” When Stafford joined GH in 2014, she was “starstruck” and “nervous” about working with him.
The actress then wrote about how it was “a pleasure” knowing Geary and how he never knew how much he affected her life. “How lucky are we all that he touched our lives on the screen. How fortunate am I that he equally touched my life in person and as a colleague. ❤️ Godspeed.”
Working On GH
Stafford got to fulfill a dream to work alongside Geary when she joined GH in 2014. The actress originated the role of Nina and managed to have a few scenes with Geary.
Although Stafford and Geary didn’t have any storylines together, they did share brief scenes. Nina was a bit player in the “Fluke” story involving Luke’s alternate personality. Nina saved Luke’s life when Franco (Roger Howarth) tried to kill him. Later the couple agreed to help Luke escape from Shadybrook so he could find his sister Patricia (Dee Wallace).
While their on-screen scenes were sparse, being able to work with Geary was undoubtedly a dream come true for Stafford. It’s a moment and a memory she’ll treasure forever.
