General Hospital’s Anthony Geary Says Goodbye to Luke Spencer

After 37 years, Emmy winning actor Anthony Geary says farewell to the character of Lucas Lorenzo Spencer and General Hospital on Monday, July 27. Geary made the decision to exit his role of Luke this summer, noting that it was the ideal time to go both personally and professionally with the recent culmination of the Luke story.

“I signed on for a 13 week stint on General Hospital in 1978. Apart from an eight year hiatus in the 1980’s, Luke Spencer has been my alter ego ever since. I’d like to thank ABC, my producers and the GH audience for a long and exciting ride,” Geary said.

“The name Anthony Geary is synonymous with daytime television. Tony is a true thespian, one who appreciates and respects his craft and his fellow actors, and someone who has been recognized by his peers with a record eight daytime Emmy awards,“ said Vicki Dummer, Executive Vice President, Current Series, ABC Entertainment Group. “We (ABC) are enormously grateful to Tony for his indelible body of work. He has been engaging daytime audiences for decades, all whom have laughed, cried and cheered at the outlandish antics of daytime’s true anti-hero. Professionally, Tony continues to challenge himself and finds new ways to invigorate the character of Luke, a role he originated, by breathing life into him and taking him from script to screen each weekday afternoon. As a 30+ year fan of General Hospital, his farewell is particularly bittersweet, but the door is always open for Tony, (and, of course Luke Spencer) to return to the hallowed halls of General Hospital. There will be plenty of adventure, excitement, romance and mystery in the weeks ahead all leading up to Tony’s goodbye,” she added.

Luke is going out with one last adventure as he desperately tries to save his son, Lucky (Jonathan Jackson), from a mysterious villain. Luke has been forced to break off his engagement with his love, Tracy (Jane Elliot). Once he reluctantly ended things with Tracy, Luke and his ex-wife Laura (Genie Francis), joined forces to save their son’s life. Along the way, they will encountered familiar faces from Luke’s past including Holly (Emma Samms), their son Ethan (Nathan Parsons) and more. After several twists and turns, will Luke get to Lucky in time or will the lives of every member of the Spencer family be changed forever?

GH fans can join the conversation by using #FarewellTony and sharing their own favorite memories, moments and well wishes throughout the month.

General Hospital celebrated its 52nd anniversary on April 1, 2015, making it the longest running American soap opera currently in production as well as the longest running scripted drama on television currently in production. GH has won the prestigious Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Drama a record eleven times. It was created by Frank and Doris Hursley. Frank Valentini is the executive producer and Ron Carlivati is the head writer. General Hospital airs weekdays on the ABC Television Network.