Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant documents that can help answer the question.
Query: Which character has been on General Hospital for the longest time?
"General Hospital" is an American television soap opera, airing on ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, the serial premiered on April 1, 1963. The longest-running cast member is Leslie Charleson, who has portrayed Dr. Monica Quartermaine since August 17, 1977, also making her one of the longest-tenured actors in American soap operas. Former cast member Rachel Ames was previously the series' longest-running cast member, portraying Audrey Hardy from 1964 to 2007, and making guest appearances in 2009 and 2013, the latter for the series' fiftieth anniversary. Ames made a special appearance on October 30, 2015. Actors Genie Francis and Kin Shriner, who portray Laura Spencer and Scott Baldwin, are the second and third longest-running cast members, having joined "General Hospital" in February and August 1977, respectively. Actress Jacklyn Zeman — who portrays Bobbie Spencer — is the fourth longest-running cast member, joining the serial in December 1977. Actress Jane Elliot, who joined the serial in June 1978 as Tracy Quartermaine, is the fifth longest-running cast member, joining "General Hospital" in June 1978 until her departure in May 2017. Former cast member Anthony Geary, who portrayed Luke Spencer, was the sixth longest-running cast member, having joined "General Hospital" in November 1978. The following list is of cast members who are currently on the show: the main and recurring cast members, or those who are debuting, departing or returning to the series.
History of "General Hospital" refers to the ABC Daytime soap opera "General Hospital".
"General Hospital" was created by Frank and Doris Hursley and premiered on April 1, 1963. The first stories were mainly set on the seventh floor of General Hospital, in an unnamed midsized Eastern city (the name of the city, Port Charles, would not be mentioned until the late 1970s). "They had this concept of the show that it was like a big wagon wheel – the spokes would be the characters and the hub would be the hospital," John Beradino (Steve Hardy) later reflected to "Entertainment Weekly" in 1994. Storylines revolved around Dr. Steve Hardy and his friend, Nurse Jessie Brewer (Emily McLaughlin). Steve was Chief of Internal Medicine and extremely dedicated to his work. Jessie's turbulent marriage to the much-younger Dr. Phil Brewer (originally portrayed by Roy Thinnes; lastly by Martin West) was the center of many early storylines. In 1964, Audrey March (Rachel Ames), a former flight attendant and the sister of Nurse Lucille March (Lucille Wall), joined the canvas and started a relationship with Steve. Other notable nurses during the 1960s and 1970s included Meg Bentley (Patricia Breslin, later Elizabeth MacRae), Diana Taylor (Valerie Starrett, later Brooke Bundy), Sharon McGillis (Sharon DeBord) and Jane Harland (Shelby Hiatt). Meg marries Lee Baldwin (Ross Elliott, later Peter Hansen), who adopts her son Scotty and becomes his only family when Meg dies. Diana is torn between two men, Dr. Peter Taylor (Paul Carr, later Craig Huebing) and Dr. Phil Brewer. Sharon marries Dr. Henry Pinkham (Peter Kilman) while Jane marries Howie Dawson (Ray Girardin). In one fast-paced plot in 1971, Audrey is accused of murdering her son's babysitter and "General Hospital" was briefly elevated to the number one position, beating longtime ratings giant "As the World Turns". In 1972, Howie Dawson becomes involved with Brooke Clinton (then Indus Arthur), who is found murdered the day after she spurns his advances. In 1973, Audrey marries alcoholic Dr. Jim Hobart (James Sikking) before finally realizing she loves Steve. Augusta McLeod (Judith McConnell) arrives the same year, bringing back Phil Brewer in an attempt to break up Peter and Diana Taylor. Augusta is pregnant with Peter's child. In December 1974, Phil Brewer is murdered with a geode paper weight and Jessie Brewer is put on trial. She is acquitted and Augusta is sent to prison and gives her son up for adoption.
"General Hospital" was created by Frank and Doris Hursley and premiered on April 1, 1963. The first stories were mainly set on the seventh floor of General Hospital, in an unnamed midsize Eastern city (the name of the city, Port Charles, would not be mentioned until the late 1970s). "They had this concept of the show that it was like a big wagon wheel – the spokes would be the characters and the hub would be the hospital," John Beradino (Steve Hardy) later reflected to "Entertainment Weekly" in 1994.
"Days of Our Lives" is a long-running American television soap opera drama, airing on NBC. Created by Ted and Betty Corday, the series premiered on November 8, 1965. The longest-running cast member is Suzanne Rogers, who has portrayed Maggie Horton since August 20, 1973, making her one of the longest-tenured actors in American soap operas. Original cast member, Frances Reid, was previously the soap's longest-running cast member, portraying Horton family matriarch, Alice Horton, from 1965 to 2007. Actresses Susan Seaforth Hayes and Deidre Hall, who portray Julie Olson Williams and Dr. Marlena Evans, are currently the second and third longest tenured actors on "Days of Our Lives", joining in 1968 and 1976, respectively. The following list is of cast members who are currently on the show: the main and recurring cast members, or those who are debuting, departing or returning to the series.
Guiding Light (known as The Guiding Light before 1975) is an American television soap opera. It is listed in "Guinness World Records" as the longest-running drama in television in American history, broadcast on CBS for 57 years from June 30, 1952, until September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio from 1937 to 1956. With it 72 years of radio and television runs, "Guiding Light" is the longest running soap opera before "General Hospital" and the fifth-longest running program in all of broadcast history; only the American country music radio program "Grand Ole Opry" (first broadcast in 1925), the BBC religious program "The Daily Service" (1928), the CBS religious program "Music and the Spoken Word" (1929), and the Norwegian children's radio program "Lørdagsbarnetimen" (1924-2010) have been on the air longer.
Wendy Riche came aboard as executive producer in 1992, at a time when the series was struggling. She told "Entertainment Weekly": "I will say that the show needed to be more character-driven rather than plot-driven. It needed to be more relatable in its story pursuit. It needed to balance fantasy and reality better. And it needed more romance." Riche hired Claire Labine as head writer in 1993. Both were said to bring "General Hospital" into an era of "womansense". Under their reign, the series returned to medical focus and gained critical acclaim for its sensitive handling of social issues. Labine stated Riche said her first concern was bringing more depth to the characters, and making their family members seen, something the audience could relate to. She stated, "That’s why we created the Karen/Jagger/Brenda triangle. To get some new young characters into the show who could relate to the adults, or who would be tied to the adults. That was a priority as well as getting the main characters back on track, like Luke and Bobbie."
In 1993, Labine returned to daytime as head writer of ABC's "General Hospital". She brought the show much critical acclaim, and won her seventh Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing for her work on the show. She chose to depart the show in early 1996. During this time, she created a proposed "General Hospital" spin-off, "Heart and Soul", about two families, one black, one white, both show business families. The black family was three generations of jazz musicians. Next door was a theatrical family. The show was not picked up by ABC or NBC; Wendy Riche's competing "Port Charles" was ABC's choice instead.
With this in mind, ABC and CBS acted to give a contending chance to both "General Hospital" and "Guiding Light" by expanding them to an hour in length. CBS did so first by expanding "Guiding Light" on November 7, 1977. This gained particular importance when ABC finally added 15 minutes to both "One Life to Live" and "General Hospital" on January 16, 1978, so that "Guiding Light" straddled those two programs, as well as the first half of sister P&G show "Another World" on NBC. Despite that "General Hospital" surprising all observers by skyrocketing from near-cancellation to the top place in the ratings with the various storylines, "Guiding Light" held its own while in direct competition with "General Hospital", still hit an upswing as the decade ended.
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist and medical doctor Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994, to April 2, 2009, with a total of 331 episodes spanning over 15 seasons. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Television, in association with Warner Bros. Television. "ER" follows the inner life of the emergency room (ER) of fictional County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, and various critical issues faced by the room's physicians and staff. The show became the longest-running primetime medical drama in American television history, also became the 2nd longest medical drama across the globe (behind BBC's "Casualty"). It won 23 Primetime Emmy Awards, including the 1996 Outstanding Drama Series award, and received 124 Emmy nominations. "ER" won 116 awards in total, including the Peabody Award, while the cast earned four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Ensemble Performance in a Drama Series. As of 2014, "ER" has grossed over in television revenue.
Dr. Chris Warner was the playboy doctor who went by the nickname "Dr. Love". Chris was portrayed by Michael Galvin up until 1996. However the character returned 4 years later and remains presently, being the longest running character to appear on the show.
"The Bold and the Beautiful" is an American television soap opera, created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It first aired on March 23, 1987. Currently, John McCook (Eric Forrester) and Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan) are the two longest-running cast members, having appeared on the show when it first aired. The following list is of cast members who are currently on the show: the main cast and recurring, or who are upcoming, returning or departing from the series.
The Warner Family is a fictional family in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. They have appeared in the show from 1992 to 1996, and since 2000. The most well known member of this family is Dr. Chris Warner, and he is one of the longest-running characters on the show.
Due to the series' success, it was expanded from 30 minutes to 60 minutes on April 21, 1975. The series focuses on its core families, the Hortons and the Bradys. Several other families have been added to the cast, and many of them still appear on the show. Frances Reid, the matriarch of the series' Horton family remained with the show from its inception to her death on February 3, 2010. Suzanne Rogers celebrated 40 years on "Days of Our Lives" in 2013, appearing on the show more or less since her first appearance in 1973. Susan Seaforth Hayes is the only cast member to appear on "Days of Our Lives" in all six decades it has been on air.
Beginning March 2, 1964, "The Doctors" ceased its experimental anthology format and became a traditional continuing serial, like all the other daytime dramas on air then. For most of the series, storylines revolved around Hope Memorial Hospital and its patriarchal Chief of Staff Dr. Matt Powers (played by James Pritchett), who started on the program on July 9, 1963, although Pritchett originally appeared on the series during its weekly anthology period, in another role.
The cast for the original daily concept, which lasted from the premiere on April 1, 1963 until July 19, 1963, was:The early cast for the second, weekly concept, which lasted from July 22, 1963 until February 28, 1964, was:In the program's early years, "The Doctors" was considered to be more risqué in storyline choices than its rival, "General Hospital" (which premiered on the same day, with a similar premise to "TD"). While the doctors on "General Hospital" worked in harmony with one another for the most part and in some cases were intimate friends, the physicians on "The Doctors" were much more cutthroat. Also, "The Doctors" incorporated far more incidental humor and realism into its storylines, and remained anchored to actual medical work in its setting far longer than "GH" did. "General Hospital," by contrast, was much more conventional, relying much more heavily on traditional soap devices such as murder trials, melodrama, extensive sexual trysts and affairs, love triangles, and amnesia than "The Doctors."
The main characters are: Ted Mosby, a romantic searching for "The One"; Barney Stinson, a womanizer; Robin Scherbatsky, a journalist who moved to New York in 2005; and Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin, a long-term couple. Although the show is based around The Mother, her first appearance is not until the season eight finale.
Prior to its premiere, SOAPnet had announced that "Night Shift" would "delve deeper into the relationships, friendships and medical cases seen at the hospital." It was noted that unlike "General Hospital" itself, the stories on "Night Shift" would be "self-contained and wrap up during each weekly one-hour episode," as well as being "understandable to viewers who do not watch "General Hospital"." With the goal "to attract younger viewers to both SOAPnet and "General Hospital"," characters would be "plucked from "General Hospital"'s history" and "be mostly younger characters with ties to "GH"'s core families." "Night Shift"'s storylines, however, did not directly intersect with those on "General Hospital".
The Doctor is the title character in the long-running BBC science fiction television programme "Doctor Who". Since the show's inception in 1963, the character has been portrayed by thirteen lead actors. In the programme, "the Doctor" is the alias assumed by a centuries-old alien—a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey—who travels through space and time in the TARDIS, frequently with companions. The transition to each succeeding actor is explained within the show's narrative through the plot device of "regeneration", a biological function of the Time Lord race that allows a change of cellular structure and appearance with recovery following a potentially fatal injury.
The role was portrayed by Kimberlin Brown for a total of 16 years. Her first run was on "The Young and the Restless" from May 1990 to May 20, 1992, when the character crossed over to "The Bold and the Beautiful" from May 21, 1992, to October 2, 1998, again from May 24 to November 5, 2002, and again finally from September 26 to October 10, 2003. Despite being a regular cast member on "The Bold and the Beautiful", Brown returned to "The Young and the Restless" for several guest appearances beginning on October 27, 1992. Brown departed on November 5, 1992, and reappeared for one episode on December 23, 1992. She continued making appearance from January 7 to 14, 1993, February 19, 1993, to March 2, 1993, October 11, 1993, October 19 to 27, 1993, January 12, 1994, and February 28, 1995, until March 2, 1995.
Laura Wright (née Sisk; September 11, 1970) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Ally Rescott on "Loving" and "The City" (1991–1997), Cassie Layne Winslow on "Guiding Light" (1997–2005) and Carly Corinthos on "General Hospital" (2005–present); the latter garnered her the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2011.
Thirteen actors have headlined the series as the Doctor. The transition from one actor to another is written into the plot of the show with the concept of regeneration into a new incarnation, a plot device in which a Time Lord "transforms" into a new body when the current one is too badly harmed to heal normally. Each actor's portrayal is unique, but all represent stages in the life of the same character. Together, they form a single lifetime with a single narrative. The time-travelling feature of the plot means that different incarnations of the Doctor occasionally meet. The Doctor is currently portrayed by Jodie Whittaker, who took on the role after Peter Capaldi's exit in the 2017 Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time".
In recent years, "Days of Our Lives" has hired back many former cast members. Twenty of the current contract cast members have been with the show, off-and-on, since at least 1999. Since 2005, cast members from the 1980s and 1990s, such as Christie Clark (Carrie Brady), Stephen Nichols (Steve Johnson), Austin Peck (Austin Reed), Mary Beth Evans (Kayla Brady), Joseph Mascolo (Stefano DiMera), and Thaao Penghlis (Tony DiMera) have been brought back to "Days of Our Lives". More additions to the show include the returns of Crystal Chappell (Dr. Carly Manning), and Louise Sorel (Vivian Alamain). In June 2010, characters such as Jennifer Horton, Bill Horton, Shane Donovan, and Kimberly Brady returned for a short time and were featured heavily in a tribute to Alice Horton. Guest cast members have included Elizabeth Alley. In late 2012, the show reintroduced actress Eileen Davidson in the role of Kristen Blake DiMera after a fourteen-year absence. In mid 2013, the show debuted new characters such as JJ Deveraux and Theresa Donovan to appeal to younger viewers.
"General Hospital" is the longest-running American television serial drama, airing on ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a general hospital (hence the title), in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the city was named Port Charles, New York. The series premiered on April 1, 1963. The following are characters from the American soap opera "General Hospital", who are notable for being the children of important characters. Introduced in various years, these children have played significant roles in a number of storylines over the years.
"General Hospital" is the longest running American television serial drama, airing on ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a general hospital (hence the title), in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the city was named Port Charles, New York. The series premiered on April 1, 1963. This is a list of notable characters who significantly impacted storylines and began their run, or significantly returned, from 2010 to the present day.
Tracy Quartermaine is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera "General Hospital". She is played by actress Jane Elliot, who originated the role in 1978 and has played her intermittently since that time, primarily on "GH" (1978–80, 1989–93, 1996, 2003–17) and briefly on "The City" (1996–97). In 1980, Elliot won the Daytime Emmy for outstanding supporting actress, and was nominated again in 1993. Briefly in 1989, while Jane Elliot was on maternal leave, Christine Jones took on the role. Tracy Quartermaine is currently the show's fifth longest-serving character after Dr. Monica Quartermaine, Luke Spencer, Laura Spencer and Scott Baldwin.
"General Hospital" is the longest running American television serial drama, airing on ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a general hospital (hence the title), in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the city was named Port Charles, New York. The series premiered on April 1, 1963. This is a list of notable characters who significantly impacted storylines and began their run, or significantly returned, from the years 1970 to 1979.