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General Hospital Stars Talk This Year’s ‘Baby Nurses Ball,’ Kicking Butt and the Actor Who’ll Return If They’re, Ahem, Lucky
Friday, August 14th, 2020
Female empowerment, new safety rules, and some guy named Anthony Geary.
Victor Dandridge of Wizard World Virtual Experiences hosted several General Hospital cast members for a Q&A on August 14. Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos), Genie Francis (Laura Webber Collins), Kin Shriner (Scott Baldwin), Jacklyn Zeman (Bobbie Spencer), Kathleen Gati (Liesl Obrecht), Sonya Eddy (Epiphany Johnson), Lynn Herring (Lucy Coe), and William Lipton (Cameron Webber) came together online to share their thoughts on their recent return, who they’d like to see back on the show, and more.
When asked if they were excited to be back after the months-long hiatus, Lynn Herring said, “We are thrilled to be back. You have to give credit to our producers and the crew and our staff. The logistics to get the show back up under these conditions are hard and amazing and tortuous. But these people are so good.” However, when asked about upcoming love scenes, Herring said they couldn’t talk about it.
More: Maurice Benard’s anniversary tribute to wife Paula
Both Lipton and Eddy relayed how hard it was under the new set rules to resist the urge to hug everyone on set. Zeman explained she’ll be back on set for the first time on Monday and that they have to be tested the day before they have to work. When asked, Eddy assured her co-star hair and makeup are still done for them and the artists wear gloves and masks in a divided room. “I was impressed on how safe they made it for everybody because I’m paranoid,” she said with a laugh.
Of course, the topic of the Nurses Ball came up with Herring calling this year’s event “a baby Nurses Ball” but she thinks everyone will enjoy it. Some of her favorite moments include Stone and Robin doing Romeo and Juliet and bringing in the AIDS quilt. Benard pointed out he doesn’t usually perform because, “Fonzie don’t dance,” but of the song he did perform with Max Gail (Mike Corbin) he said, “I can’t sing but I can act like I can sing.”
More: Carly & Peter the next GH super couple?
As for who they’d like to have back on the canvas, Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer) was a popular answer, which led to Shriner chiming in to joke, “Is this Tony Geary guy we’re talking about, is this the guy who played Luke?…I didn’t care for him much…” Herring misses the characters that gave the audience layers of familial continuity and history like Lila and Edward Quartermaine and Gail and Lee Baldwin. Meanwhile, Lipton would like the character of Lucky Spencer to return. More specifically he’d like to work with the original portrayer Jonathan Jackson because of his musical background.
When asked what they’d like to see for their characters, Lipton joked he’s been waiting for Cam to join Sonny’s “alleged” mob. After years of being the damsel in distress, Francis wants the empowerment storyline they’ve started for Laura to continue where she has an adult job and stands up to Cyrus. Herring followed that up suggesting the women of Port Charles be the crime fighters. “Something about the female dynamic…we team up together instead of being adversaries. We’re actually kicking the guys’ butts instead.” For her part, Eddy would have loved for her romance with Milo to be shown on screen because it involved a plus-sized, older woman in an interracial relationship, elements that aren’t often delved into.
More: Strange post-soap careers for 12 stars
As they wrapped things up, the actors expressed their love and appreciation for their fans, but Francis also had a request. Talking about how lucky they are to still have General Hospital on the air and how sad she would be if the genre were to go away, she said, “I would ask of my fans, how about asking your friends. How about sharing it with your kids. So we can pass this on to another generation.” She also got in a plea for everyone to vote!
Watch the full video of the Q&A above and then look through the gorgeous General Hospital cast photos in the gallery below. For more stories like these delivered to your inbox, sign up for Soaps.com’s newsletter.
Video: Wizard World/YouTube
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Marcus Coloma took over the role of Nikolas Cassadine in October 2019 after the character’s three-year absence from the canvas. Actor Nick Stabile briefly played Nikolas in 2016. Tyler Christopher originated the role in 1996, playing him on and off until June 2016. Coloma previously starred in Point Pleasant, South Beach, and Make It or Break It.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Ashton Arbab first came to General Hospital for a few episodes in March 2019. He returned in June of the same year when Dev Cerci became a recurring character.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Bradford Anderson has been playing Damian Spinelli since 2006. The actor also appeared as Spinelli in the ABC soap opera’s spinoff General Hospital: Night Shift. The actor and his General Hospital co-star Steve Burton interview soap opera actors on their podcast, That’s Awesome, and travel the country performing thei live act at fan events.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Briana Henry began playing Jordan Ashford in September 2019. She took over the role from Vinessa Antoine who last aired in the same month. The University of Southern California alum previously played Esmeralda on The Young and the Restless and Lauren on Undateable.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Carolyn Hennesy has played Sonny Corinthos’ formidable attorney, Diane Miller, since 2007. She has also had memorable recurring roles in Jessie, Revenge, True Blood, and Cougar Town. Hennesy won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actress in a Digital Drama for The By.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>General Hospital recast the role of an adult Michael Corinthos with Chad Duell in 2010. The character was previously played by Drew Garrett and, before him, Dylan Cash, who played a younger version of Carly and Sonny’s son. Duell won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting actor in 2015.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Port Charles introduced Curtis Ashford, played by Donnell Turner, in 2015. Turner also had short stints as a doctor on Days of our Lives and Dr. Aiden Williams on The Young and the Restless. The actor and motivational speaker previously worked as a double for Eriq LaSalle on ER and Shemar Moore on Criminal Minds.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Since 2015, Eden McCoy has played Carly Corinthos and Jasper Jacks’ daughter Josslyn Jacks. The actress has also appeared in several Disney and Nickelodeon series and is a beach volleyball player.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Emme Rylan stepped into the role of Lesley Lu “LuLu” Spencer in 2013. Lulu was previously played by Daytime Emmy Award-winning actress Julie Marie Berman who played Lulu from 2005 – 2013. The General Hospital star previously played Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light and Abby Newman on The Young and the Restless.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Finola Hughes has played General Hospital’s iconic Anna Devane since 1985. Though she’s come and gone over the years, even spending some time on All My Children as both Anna and her twin sister Alex, Hughes brought her alter ego back to Port Charles on a regular basis in 2012. She won a Daytime Emmy Award for her role as Anna in 1991.</p>
Image: ABC
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<p>Genie Francis has been in and out of Port Charles as the one and only Laura Spencer since 1977. She also enjoyed runs on Days of our Lives, Loving, All My Children, and The Young and the Restless. She won a Supporting Actress Daytime Emmy for her work as Laura in 2007.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Haley Pullos has grown up before viewers’ eyes playing Molly Lansing-Davis. It’s a character she has inhabited since 2009 while also taking recurring roles on The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia, Instant Mom, and others.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Ingo Rademacher first came to General Hospital as Jasper “Jax” Jacks in 1996. He left and returned to Port Charles in between stints as a recast Thorne Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful, Hawaii Five-O, and Titans. Rademacher is also an active lifeguard in Los Angeles.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Jacklyn Zeman has been playing nurse Bobbie Spencer since 1977. She began her career as a dancer, studying at New York University. Before General Hospital, Zeman appeared as Bobbi on The Edge of Night and Lana McClain on One Life to Live.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>James Patrick Stuart originated the role of the feared Valentin Cassadine in 2016. He previously portrayed Will Cortlandt on All My Children, and also had recurring characters on Supernatural, 90210, and Emily’s Reasons Why Not. Stuart is a voice-over actor and singer.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Jon Lindstrom first appeared as the evil Ryan Chamberlain on General Hospital in 1992 and then Ryan’s twin brother, Kevin Collins, in 1993. Lindstrom’s other daytime credits include Kevin on Port Charles, Mark McCormick on Santa Barbara, Paul Jarre on Generations, and Craig Montgomery on As the World Turns.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Josh Swickard has been playing Detective Harrison Chase since 2018. BEfore that, he had roles on Liv and Maddie, K.C. Undercover, and School of Rock.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Katelyn MacMullen portrays former cult member Willow Tait on General Hospital. The character, which MacMullen originated on October 18, 2018, is now married to Michael Quartermaine. </p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Kathleen Gati has been playing the villainous turned sympathetic Liesl Obrecht since 2012. The actress, who had a successful acting career in Hungry, also played Taffy Winslow on All My Children and Aunt Juliette on The Young and the Restless. Her recurring primetime roles include 24, Arrow, and Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>The first trans actor on a soap opera, Cassandra James stepped into the role of Dr. Terry Randolph in 2018. The outspoken activist also had a role in General Hospital alum Vinessa Antoine’s series Diggstown.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Cynthia Watros stepped into Nina Reeves’ shoes on General Hospital in 2019 after Michelle Stafford left the role, earning her a spot in our <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/wp-admin/_wp_link_placeholder">best recasts ever list</a>. The soap vet also won a Daytime Emmy for her work as Annie Dutton on Guiding Light, played Kelly Andrews on The Young and the Restless, and filled in as Vicky Hudson on Another World for a couple of episodes. Primetime fans might remember her from House, Lost, and The Drew Carey Show.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Kelly Monaco joined the cast of General Hospital as Sam McCall in 2003. Before that, she played Livvie Locke on Port Charles. The actress awon the first season of Dancing with the Stars and appeared in the single-season reality show Dirty Soap.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>The sometimes unethical Scotty Baldwin has been played by Kin Shriner since 1977. The character appeared in both General Hospital and Port Charles. His other soap opera roles include a temporary recast as Jeffrey Bardwell on The Young and the Restless, Keith Morrissey on As the World Turns, Dr. Brian Carey on The Bold and the Beautiful, Mike Gallagher on Rituals, and Jeb Hampton on Texas.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Kirsten Storms began portraying an adult Maxie Jones in 2005 and made appearances on the primetime spinoff General Hospital: Night Shift. Before playing in Port Charles, Storms was well known for her work as Belle Black on Days of our Lives and Zenon Kar in Disney’s Zenon movies.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>The fourth actress to play Carly Benson Corinthos, Laura Wright joined General Hospital in 2005. She won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2011. The soap opera vet also played Ally Rescott on Loving and The City, and Cassie Layne on Guiding Light.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Leslie Charleson has been battling Quartermaines and healing Port Charles residents as Monica Quartermaine since 1977. During that time, she crossed over to both Port Charles and Night Shift. The actress also portrayed Alice Whipple on As the World Turns and Iris Donnelly on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Emmy Award winner, Lexi Ainsworth, has been playing Kristina Davis on GH since 2009. She’s been on and off the ABC soap. Ainsworth practically grew up on the show, but before that, she attended many acting camps and began dancing ballet at age six. </p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Lisa Locicero is remembered for her role on Loving, in 1995 as Jocelyn Roberts Brown. She stayed when the soap was spun off as The City, and once the show ran its course, she moved on to film. Locicero was seen in The Family Man, Rush Hour 2, and in 2008 she began playing Olivia Falconeri on GH. </p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>A household name, Maurice Benard has been portraying Sonny Corinthos since 1993, but this wasn’t his first foray into soaps, having started out as Nico on All My Children in 1987. The actor shares a diagnosis with his character – both having Bipolar disorder. Bernard was diagnosed at 22 and has become a spokesperson for the disorder. He also wrote a book called <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/general-hospital/news/562867/interview-gh-maurice-benard-talks-memoir-sonny-corinthos/" target="_blank">Nothing General About It:</a> How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital and chatted recently with Soaps.com about that.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Max Gail is best known for his role as Detective Stan “Wojo” Wojciehowicz from Barney Miller. You can hear the theme song running through your head as you remember watching. He directed many episodes, he was also Harold on D.C. Cab, and he came to General Hospital as Mike Corbin, Sonny’s father in 2018. Gail is Daytime Emmy award winner. </p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>An author, a poet, Michael Easton is a man of many talents. Known for his role as Taner Scofield on Days of our Lives, Easton turned to a fan-fave role as Caleb Morely – a vampire – on Port Charles for two years. Before heading to GH, he was John McBain on One Life to Live (from 2003 to 2012) until the soap went off the air and then he started to appear on General Hospital as McBain until legal issues with Prospect Park that caused him to have to vacate the role. Of course, he returned to portray Dr. Silas Clay shortly thereafter and the rest is history.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>For those who weren’t aware, Nancy Lee Grahn played Julia Wainwright Capwell on Santa Barbara from 1985 to 1993 – so well known for that role, fans of the now defunct soap were happy when Grahn turned up on General Hospital to portray Alexis Davis. But it should be noted that she also had a role of a secretary on One Life to Live, before becoming GH’s main lawyer. </p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Parry Shen hails from Queens New York. He took the role of Brad Cooper on GH in 2013. He’s also been doing some voice work in video games such as Sleeping Dogs, and Mortal Kombat X. Shen has had roles on NCIS, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Beverly Hills 90210 to name a few. He’s also a writer!</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Paging Nurse Elizabeth Webber! We can hardly recall a time when Rebecca Herbst wasn’t playing one of our fave GH nurses. She’s been doing it since 1986. California native, the actress was a competitive figure skater as a child and teenager. She has three children with her husband, Michael Saucedo (Juan Santiago). </p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Risa Dorken is Amy Driscoll, GH’s resident nosy nurse! Born in Minnesota, she grew up with dance and vocal lessons and wound up acting. In a bold and brave move, Dorken opened up about her <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/general-hospital/news/564529/gh-risa-dorken-bipolar-disorder-diagnosis/" target="_blank">Bipolar Disorder diagnosis</a> recently, helping others struggling to share their experiences and know that they are not alone.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Everyone knows Roger Howarth as One Life to Live’s Todd Manning. He started on OLTL in 1994, even earning himself a Daytime Emmy. But he left that ABC series in 2003 to become Paul Ryan on As the World Turns for a time, before returning to his roots. He was recast as Franco. Some recall he did a stint on Guiding Light as Jory Andros and for many episodes in 1992, he was Kent Winslow on Loving. </p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>This Duke University grad, Ryan Carnes, portrays Lucas Jones on General Hospital. He started in 2004 and left for a short time to portray a recurring role on Desperate Housewives. Remember Justin? Carnes has done a few stints in television shows such as Rizzoli & Isles, and The Closer.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Scarlett Fernandez has been on General Hospital for almost four years. She made her debut in October 2016 and is not like her alter ego, bad girl, Charlotte Cassadine. </p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Sofia Mattsson, or otherwise known as Sasha Gilmore, was born in Sweden. She moved to USA to model and to act, following her sister, Helena, from American Horror Story. </p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Sonya Eddy is Epiphany Johnson, a mainstay at General Hospital, the lovable nurse. She had a role on Gilmore Girls, Beverly Hills, 90210, and Married…with Children. She also voice acts. Some may have heard her in Guild Wars 2. She voiced the roles of Lyra Lancetooth and Riel Darkwater.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Who hasn’t heard of Steve Burton? He’s a GH legend who has been playing Jason Morgan on the ABC soap since 1991, with a few breaks. He also portrayed Dylan McAvoy on Young and the Restless, and some may not know that he does voice acting. He’s the voice of Cloud Strife in many Square Enix products such as Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Little known fact? He was also Harris Michaels on Days of our Lives in 1988!</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Sydney Mikayla portrays Trina Robinson on General Hospital, but she also has a cool role in Netflix’s animated series, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. She voices the Wolf. Her mother, Sonya is also a Broadway actress and supported Mikayla’s career early on.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Australian-American actor, Tristan Rogers is a General Hospital legend. He originally appeared in 1980 as Robert Scorpio and has come and go a few times, appearing on Young and the Restless, as Colin Atkinson. Recently, Rogers won his first <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/soaps/news/572525/general-hospital-tristan-rogers-daytime-emmy-win-studio-city/" target="_blank">Daytime Emmy</a>.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Emmy-award-winning Vernee Watson, from New Jersey, made her way into television and movies starting in 1970. Soap fans may have seen her in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, or Christmas With the Kranks as Dox. She has been in countless TV productions and now portrays Stella Henry on General Hospital. She began this role in 2017, where she won two Daytime Emmy awards, one for a Guest Performer and another for Supporting Actress.</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>Musician, actor, Wally Kurth is known for dividing his time between General Hospital as Ned Quartermaine and Justin Kiriakis on Days of our Lives. Some may remember his days on As The World Turns as Sam Hutchins, while others will recall his band, Kurth and Taylor performing songs for General Hospital and on their own. Here’s a sample, in <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/days-of-our-lives/news/6057/days-of-our-lives-wally-kurths-band-kurth-taylo/" target="_blank">the form of a video</a>.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Wes Ramsey became popular playing Sam Spencer on the now defunct soap, Guiding Light. He was also on Charmed, before playing Van in 2010 for four years in Venice: The Series. He has been portraying General Hospital’s Peter August since 2017.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>William Lipton plays Cam Webber on General Hospital and has done so since 2014. The actor stated in an interview with <a href="https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/abc/william-lipton-reveals-how-general-hospital-changed-his-life-173456" target="_blank">Soaps In Depth</a>, “This is the first big, longlasting thing I’ve done, and I’m so happy because it’s such a great community to be a part of.”</p>
Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC
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<p>William deVry is no stranger to soaps. This Canadian born actor has played Tim Dolan on Port Charlies, before stepping into the role of Michael Cambias on All My Children. He left there and moved to the CBS soap, Bold and the Beautiful, where he portrayed Storm Logan, who died and gave his heart to his sister, Katie. Currently, deVry is Julian Jerome on General Hospital, a role he took on in 2013.</p>
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/ABC
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<p>Maura West has been bringing Ava Jerome to life on General Hospital in 2013. She was previously best known as Carly Tenney, who she played on As the World Turns for 15 years. She also played Diane Jenkins on The Young and the Restless. West won two Outstanding Lead Actress Daytime Emmy Awards for her role as Carly and one for her portrayal of Ava.</p>
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