Six General Hospital stars who made their mark on All My Children
Six General Hospital stars who made their mark on All My Children
Lisa Pellegrini Sat, August 8, 2026 at 2:26 AM UTC
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Genie Francis, Michael E. Knight, and Maurice Benard ©ABC
General Hospital fans always enjoy learning about previous roles that their favorite GH actors portrayed before they started life in Port Charles. It's especially fun when we discover that some of the GH actors appeared on another serial, sometimes at the same time! Here are six GH actors who had significant roles on All My Children.
Maurice Benard
Before playing Sonny, Maurice Benard played Nico on All My Children | Image: ABC
It's probably hard for any GH fan to imagine Maurice Benard in another soap role besides his 33-year-long role as Sonny Corinthos. But believe it or not, he actually started his soap career on AMC. He played Nico Kelly from 1987 to 1990 in Pine Valley. Like Sonny, Nico was also a mobster (reformed, though). Perhaps playing that role gave Benard some practice for his eventual role as Sonny on GH.
One of Nico's major love interests was Julie Rand (TV and film actress Lauren Holly). Long before the supercouples of Sonny and Brenda (Vanessa Marcil) and Sonny and Carly (Laura Wright), Benard's Nico was involved in two big romances, one with Julie and one with Cecily (Rosa Nevin). Women always fall for those dimples!
Genie Francis
Genie Francis played on All My Children in the 1990s | Image: ABC
Genie Francis is another GH actor many of us have a hard time imagining in another soap. After all, she began her run as Laura on GH back in 1977. Since Laura's legendary pairing with Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary), it is nearly impossible to visualize Francis on any other serial.
But from 1990 to 1992, she played Ceara Connor on AMC. Ceara was the niece of beloved Myrtle Fargate (Eileen Herlie). Sadly, the young woman had a tragic past as her own father had molested her. After her father, George (Stephen Joyce), came to Pine Valley, Ceara was forced to deal with her past. She ended up fatally shooting her father after he tried to attack her again.
Fortunately, Cearsa found love with Jeremy Hunter (Jean LeClerc). Alas, her life was cut short when, after she migrated over to AMC's sister soap, Loving, she was shot dead. While Ceara went to that great soap in the sky, Francis returned to GH the following year in 1993 as Laura Webber Spencer.
Michael E. Knight
Michael E. Knight played Dixie's great love, Tad, on All My Children | Image: ABC
Many GH fans likely remember Michael E. Knight as Tad Martin on AMC, a role he played (on and off) from 1982 to 2011. He also lent his voice as Tad in the 2013 AMC online revival on The Online Network. What AMC fan could ever forget the supercouple of Tad and Dixie (Cady McClain)? And who could ever forget how Dixie "died" after eating poisoned pancakes, but later, Tad was shocked to discover that she was really alive?
Now, many GH fans would like to see Martin Grey become a couple with Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot). Given their stormy relationship, they could go from enemies to lovers someday, but could they ever reach the supercouple status that Tad and Dixie shared on AMC? We're not sure how that's possible, but we will keep an open mind!
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Cameron Mathison
Cameron Mathison played con man Ryan on All My Children | Image: ABC
Cameron Mathison's GH character Drew Cain has been arguably one of the most obnoxious characters on the show for the past two years. But before he started on GH, he played con man turned hero Ryan Lavery on AMC from 1998 to 2002. He later returned to the show in 2003 and remained until the end of its run in 2011.
One fun aspect about Mathison's time on AMC is that he played with actresses many of us have seen on other soaps. Ryan was once married to Annie, played by Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea on The Young and the Restless). He was also married to Greenlee, played by Rebecca Budig (who once played Hayden on GH and who now plays Taylor on The Bold and the Beautiful). This almost feels like a Six Degrees of Cameron Mathison kind of thing, doesn't it?
Finola Hughes
Finola Hughes played Anna's twin, Alex, on All My Children | Image: ABC
Finola Hughes joined AMC in 1999 as Alex Devane, the twin sister of GH's Anna. Alex was a complex and intense character, the kind that soaps thrive on. Alex was obsessed with Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart) for a long stretch of time. She volunteered herself and Anna to be part of a twin study that caused Anna to be stuck with some of Alex's memories. Poor Anna even thought that bad-guy Peter August (Wes Ramsey) was her son, when in fact, he turned out to be Alex's.
Alex was romantically involved with brothers Dimitri Marick (Michael Nader) and Edmund Grey (John Callahan). A woman in love with two brothers? If that isn't a wildly popular soap trope, then we don't know what is.
Hughes also played Anna on AMC, which is where she was reunited with her daughter, Robin (Kimberly McCullough).
Alexa Havins
Alexa Havins got her start in soaps as Babe on All My Children | Image: ABC
Alexa Havins originated the role of Babe Chandler on AMC in 2003 (die-hard fans recall that Babe's birth name is "Arabella"). Like Mathison, she also starred with numerous actors and actresses who have played familiar characters in other soaps. Jacob Young, who played her on-again off-again husband, J.R. Chandler, once played Rick on The Bold and the Beautiful and also played Lucky on GH. Babe's mother was portrayed by Bobbie Eakes, who played Macy on The Bold and the Beautiful.
Babe had a fiery spirit, very much like GH's Lulu Spencer, which is evidently why Havins was able to slip so effortlessly into the role of Lulu when she started on GH in 2024.
Can you think of any other GH actors who once starred on AMC? Tell us in the comments section!
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
