Are you a General Hospital
Expert? How many of these
bits of trivia about the show did you already
know?
Are you a General Hospital
Expert? How many of these
bits of trivia about the show did you already
know?
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If you catch reruns of the defunct ABC show Life Goes On, you might catch John Ingle (ex-Edward) as the Thatchers’ priest. ABC has two Rebeccas who were childhood figure skaters - AMC's Rebecca Budig (Greenlee) and GH's Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth). Real Andrews (Taggert) is on the hunt for babies for his soon-to-be-born baby with wife Michele. He has caught Beanie Baby fever and fans have started to help his collection by sending in the stuffed toys. Before Baywatch became "Boob"watch, Billy Warlock (A.J.) spent two seasons on the series. The flesh-peddling is exactly what cemented his decision to leave. GH has many cast members who can sing but don't count on hearing Jensen Buchanan (Melissa) anytime soon. Although she is a classically trained opera singer, she is not fond of singing on soap operas. We all go through an ackward stage growing up and Marisa Ramirez (Gia) was no exception. By her account, at age thirteen she had half of a tooth growing in, bushy eyebrows and hairy arms. Maurice Benard (Sonny) greatly admires Al Pacino. It so happens that the two actors share a nickname. Al's nickname is Sonny, as is that of Maurice's character, Michael "Sonny" Corinthos. Maurice has another moniker in common with Al - he named one of his dogs Corleone, the surname of Al's character in The Godfather trilogy. Marisa Ramirez (Gia) had a little real-life soap opera experience before joining TV soap opera. Her parents divorced when she was four, only to remarry when she was twenty. The best part? A year later she finally got a long-desired sibling, brother Marcel. When A Martinez (Roy) played Nick "Coop" Cooper on the now-defunct NBC thriller Profiler, he was reteamed with a familiar face - series star Ally Walker had played Andrea on Santa Barbara where A played Cruz. A poet in her own right, Amber Tamblyn cites Kurt Vonnegut, author of Welcome to Monkey House and more, as her favorite author. Did you know that at one point the writers were going to use Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary) as a spoiler in the relationship between Drs. Lesley and Rick Webber (Denise Alexander and Chris Robinson)? This never happened as Luke's pairing opposite Laura Webber Baldwin (Genie Francis), Lesley's daughter, took off.
What is Stephen Nichols' (Stefan) connection to James Bond? He
starred opposite the current 007 Pierce Brosnan in the NBC miniseries
Around The World In 80 Days. On an unrelated note, Stephen's
brother Zach Zunis is a well-known blues guitarist. Stephen
has been known to play a little guitar and the harmonica himself.
Did you know that Maurice Benard (Sonny) is an official spokesperson for the National Depression and Manic Depressive Association? He is himself a sufferer of manic depression, also known as bi-polar disorder. What is The Tonight Show's connection to GH? Jay Leno's sidekick "Soundman Al" is the twin of GH's head utility manager Stanley. It is not just his character who takes risks. Chad Brannon (Zander) takes weekly rock climbing sessions...without any support ropes. Yikes. Don't tell Leslie Charleson (Monica) that the King is dead! So fervent in her adoration of Elvis Presley she knows his Army draft number by heart. Should you ever see Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis) give herself a knock on the noggin, do not worry. That is just her way of knocking on wood when she says something like, "That will never be me". She may have only just entered those tumultuous teenage years but Robyn Richards (Maxie) already has her mother dubbing her "Imelda Marcos" for her rapidly growing shoe collection Did you know that there is a connection between Nurse Betty and GH? Consulting Producer Shelley Curtis helped director Neil LaBute make his soap-within-a-soap A Reason To Love look like a real soap opera. Jacklyn Zeman (Bobbie) and Maurice Benard (Sonny) have similar tastes when it comes to names. Her eldest daughter is Cassidy Zee - Maurice's youngest daughter is also named Cassidy. But it doesn't end there. Cassidy Benard's middle name is Rose - Jacklyn's younger daughter is Lacey Rose. Holy moly! When Maurice Benard (Sonny) organized his remarriage ceremony, he enlisted the help of good friend Billy Warlock's (A.J.) girlfriend Tolan Clark. Would you believe Cher has a connection to GH? Her half-sister Georganne LaPiere was the first Heather Grant Webber from 1976 to 1977. Other famous to have graced the Port Chuckles canvas include famed comedian Arte Johnson as Eckert nanny Finian O'Toole (1991); Demi Moore as reporter, Jackie Templeton and Janine Turner (Maggie from Northern Exposure) as her sister, Laura; Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, as Kent Murray (1972-1973); and the Riddler Frank Gorshin as Reverend Love (1999) who married surprise couple Jax and Alexis. And several people have appeared in more than one role on GH: Leigh McCloskey was Dr. Michael Baranski in 1992 before he became dastardly Damian Smith (1993-1996). John Ingle played the Police Commissioner in 1986 and was cast as Edward Quartermaine #2 once David Lewis took his retirement in 1993 Before playing Mac-napper, Tess, from 1997-98, Jane A. Rogers was Celeste in 1987 Every Christmas show since 1993, saxophonist Dave Koz has appeared as himself (the object of Amy Vining's affections). The melodic opening theme song you hear is performed by Mr. Koz. Ever wonder the name of the actor who played poor, blown to smithereens bodyguard, Rinaldo? That would be Richard Cascioli (1997-98). OLTLer Don Jeffcoat (soon-to-be-ex-Joey Buchanan) played Craig in 1990. In Ricky Martin's (ex-Miguel Morez) Behind the Music, there is an interview with Wendy Riche. Did you know that Eddie Q. has another grandchild? Faith Ward is the daughter of Edward's son Bradley. She made a brief appearance in Port Charles when Edward stood trial for her father's murder and it was revealed that Edward was Bradley's father. Edward did meet his granddaughter once however she wanted nothing to do with the Quartermaines and returned home to Philadelphia, never to be mentioned by Edward again. Another case of six or so degrees of separation. Try to follow. Donna Pescow (ex-Gertrude Morgan) has several extended ties to many GHers, past and present. #1: Many may remember her turn as Annette, the girl who was sadly gang raped in Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta. GH connection: John's sister Ellen plays Gloria Cerullo, Lois' mother. #2: In the 1980s, Donna was on the sitcom "Out of This World", and her character's daughter Evie had a young yellow-haired surfer boyfriend named Chris. GH connection: Said boyfriend was played by Steve Burton (ex-Jason). #3: Donna lives near Jacklyn Zeman (Bobbie) and the two ladies have been friends for years. While on-screen Ami Dolenz (daughter of Monkees singer Mickey Dolenz) played her surrogate daughter Melissa McKee, off-screen she played her matchmaker. At a party held by Ami's family, Ami volunteered to introduce single Jacklyn Zeman to her mother's ex-beau, Glenn Gorden. Although hesitant at first to make the love connection, a few short months later Jackie would marry Glenn. Ever wonder why the Lucky and Elizabeth pairing isn't incestuous? Here's the story. Elizabeth is step first-cousins with Lucky's mother Laura. Laura's mother Lesley was married to Rick Webber, Elizabeth's half-uncle. Elizabeth's father Jeff is half-brothers with Rick. As Rick's step-daughter, Laura is first-cousin by half-siblingness and marriage to Elizabeth. That's some family tree. And this isn't the first time TPTB have made our heads swirl with questions of incest...remember Jason and Keesha? The
character of Luke Spencer was supposed to be killed in the hit against Mitch
Williams. However Anthony Geary
proved so compelling in the role that the writers killed off his friend Roy
instead – his portrayer Asher Brauner wanted to leave because he had landed a
pilot (with Michelle Pfeiffer). The
pilot did not make it. Originally,
GH was supposed to be called Emergency Hospital and starred Denise Alexander
(now Lesley Webber). After filming a pilot, which never aired, network
executives decided it would not last and scrapped the pilot. Although
a popular GH trivia book states that Port
Charles is modeled after Buffalo, New York, a reader tells us otherwise:
"When GH brought back the Luke and Laura story lines, they came to the home
of General Hospital in Rochester, New York to film the beginning of the story
lines. At that time, TPTB stated they came to Rochester because they had used it
for the basis of Port Charles. The river area even has and old underground site
that they used as the Port Charles catacombs during the Scorpio / Devane years
and then later reintroduced with Lucky. In many different story lines there have
been references of "going to Buffalo" as in Eddie Maine's early career
implying going out of town to a different city. Also, there have been numerous
references to other places in the surrounding Rochester area not Buffalo During
the annual reading of the Christmas story, those sick children you see are
really the children of the cast and crew. They
are invited every year to participate on the Christmas show. Proof
the show must go on: In the days when GH was broadcast live a small fire ignited
at the nurses’ station. John Beradino (Dr. Steve Hardy) adeptly kept things going
until the commercial break. GH's
first Tom Hardy was actually a girl – Christine, the daughter of Rachel Ames
(Audrey Hardy). Here’s
one for you Trekkies. Leonard Nimoy
(Spock) portrayed Bernie, a pill pusher, way back in 1963 - and was paid $145
for his performance. Stuart
Damon (Alan) starred as The Prince in the 1964 version of Rodgers and
Hammerstein’s Cinderella opposite Lesley Ann Warren. Scott
Egan (Johnny) was once caught with his pants down – he had his TV debut as the
first no-pin Pampers baby. He also
played baseball professionally until sidelined by an injury. John
Ingle (Edward) was a school teacher for 30 years prior to being an actor and
taught some of Hollywood’s best and brightest including Oscar winners Nicholas
Cage and Kevin Spacey, and Swoozie Kurtz. Billy
Warlock (AJ) was once married to Marcy Walker (Liza, AMC) in the late 1980s.
Santa Barbara fans will remember that Marcy’s character Eden Capwell
was married to Cruz Castillo, who was played by A Martinez (Roy).
And wouldn’t you know AJ is now in love with Roy’s daughter Hannah
(Lisa Vultaggio). Michael
Corinthos was not the first GH character to be nicknamed “Sonny”.
Robert Scorpio was affectionately called Sonny by his WSB partner and
mentor, O’Reilly. When
Finola Hughes was hired to play Anna Devane, Robert Scorpio’s first wife, the
show had to make her look older to fit the role. Stephen
Nichols (Stefan) starred in the cult classic "Witchboard" with Tawny
Kittean. Leslie
Charleson was the gal who gave Ron Howard his first on screen kiss on the TV
series Happy Days. Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis) once dated Sam Behrens, who played lawyer Jake Meyer on GH in the mid-80s. Viewers might remember Jake as Mr. Barbara Spencer #2. Real
Andrews (Taggert) once aspired to compete in the 1994 Olympics for Canada but
injuries prevented him from doing so. Did you know the following
things about Sarah Brown (Carly)? She
attended 13 different schools before graduating high school, including the famed
Los Angeles High School for the Performing Arts; she used to study voice and
piano; and she has aspirations of becoming a director. Stuart
Damon (Alan) recently had to have reconstructive surgery on his elbows to repair
damage. The Nurses’ Ball was not
his first time portraying the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz – he also
played the part at age 11. Genie
Francis (Laura) and her husband Jonathan Frakes originally named their son
Benjamin but then decided to change his name to Jameson.
As for their daughter, the choice was between Eliza and Elizabeth. After
Jacklyn Zeman (Bobbie) married her husband Glenn Gorden, she could not get time
off from the play she was performing in with GH co-star Kin Shriner (Scott).
Ever the good friend Kin bought up all the tickets to one night’s
performance so that the new couple could spend some quality married time
together. When
Tony Geary (Luke) agreed to re-join GH as Bill Eckert in the early 1990s, he
requested that Executive Producer Gloria Monty pair Bill with Bobbie Spencer.
Fans could not see past Tony as Luke, Bobbie’s brother, and so the
pairing was halted. F.Y.I.: Tony
used to do his love scenes in the buff. Tony
Geary (Luke) briefly starred on a serial as the son of Susan Brown’s (Gail
Baldwin) character. A
case of six or so degrees of separation. The
daughter of Anna Lee (Lila), Venetia Stevenson, was once married to Amber
Tamblyn’s (Emily) father Russ for one year, making Anna Amber’s somewhat
grandmother. Even weirder is that Kim McCullough’s (ex-Robin) former
boyfriend Freddie Prinze Jr. once rented a home owned by Venetia, however the
connection was unknown to them at first. It’s
a small world after all… Wally
Kurth’s (Ned) brother accidentally set fire to the family home as a child and
kept this a secret for over twenty years. Wally’s
screenplay “Man on Fire” is based on this event. When
Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) was still in the field of competitive ice skating,
she knew the likes of Olympic silver-medalist Michelle Kwan and her sister
Karen. John
Ingle (Edward) is not the only GH cast member, past and present, with five
daughters. John Reilly (ex-Sean
Donely) also has the same blessing. Often
John Ingle (Edward), Stuart Damon (Alan), John J. York (Mac) and Billy Warlock
(AJ) will hit the greens together for a round of golf. Shell
Kepler’s (Amy) booming clothing and accessories business was once listed on
the Forbes magazine list. A Martinez (Roy) was once married to actress Mare Winningham. His youngest daughter got her middle name Farren from daddy’s good friend Jill Farren Phelps, current GH Executive Producer with whom he worked on Santa Barbara. A
Martinez (Roy) and Maurice Benard (Sonny) both auditioned for the role of
Garcia, Meryl Streep’s boy-toy in the 1989 movie She-Devil.
A got the part. Michael
Saucedo, who’s nickname around the set is Monkey Boy courtesy of Steve Burton
(ex-Jason), earned a university degree in African-American Studies. Tava
Smiley (Chloe) filmed an episode of
the critically acclaimed primetime series Freaks & Geeks but it never aired
as the show was cancelled. Constance
Towers is the third actress to play the role of Helena Cassadine.
The original actress was Elizabeth Taylor who specifically asked ABC if
she could appear on GH and be involved with Luke and Laura. Constance
Towers (Helena) once suffered a bout of polio. When
Anders Hove returned to the role of Cesar Faison in 1999, he bunked with good
friend Kin Shriner (Scott) on his houseboat. Jacob
Young (Lucky) has a deal with Sony Music and is an uncle seven times over to his
siblings’ children. Jacklyn
Zeman (Bobbie) was a Playboy Bunny and was featured in the recent documentary on
the history of the organization. Ingo Rademacher was a MASSAGE THERAPIST before becoming an actor (mmmm). General
Hospital has 10 floors, plus a basement and a heliport on the roof. Until 1977, Port Charles didn't exist! The show never specified its setting. GH
is the longest-running West Coast soap. GH's
studio floor floats on thousands of rubber shock absorbers, to insulate the
studio from outside noise. The
only permanent set on GH is the nurses' station. The rest of the show's sets
have to be trucked in and out each day from a remote location 15 miles away from
the studio due to space limitations. For
several months, the character of Edward Quartermaine was often referred to by
Alan and his family but never seen on-camera. In the meantime, the show's
producers were taking their time to find the right actor for the role. They cast
David Lewis, who was succeeded by John Ingle. Stuart
Damon (Alan Quartermaine) starred as The Prince in the 1964 version of Rodgers
and Hammerstein’s Cinderella opposite Lesley Ann Warren.
John
Ingle (Edward Quartermaine) narrates the Land Before Time series and also
provides the voice for Cera’s father. Ingo Rademacher (Jax) collects Winnie the Pooh items and is active in the Greenpeace movement. Rebecca Herbst's (Elizabeth) middle name is "Liberty."
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