Anthony Geary, Who Played Luke Spencer on ‘General Hospital,’ Dies at 78
Anthony Geary, an eight-time Daytime Emmy winner for playing Luke Spencer on the long-running soap opera “General Hospital,” died due to complications from a medical procedure. He was 78.
His husband, Claudio Gama, confirmed the news to TV Insider, saying, “It was a shock for me and our families and our friends. For more than 30 years, Tony has been my friend, my companion, my husband.”
Geary grew up in Utah, moving to Los Angeles in the late-1960s to pursue a career in Hollywood. His first role was in an episode of “Room 222,” which helped him land small parts in “All in the Family,” “Dan August,” “Mod Squad,” “The Partridge Family” and the film “Johnny Got His Gun.” In his early career, he was credited as Tony Geary.
His breakout came in 1978, when Geary was tapped to play the street-savvy hustler Luke Spencer on ABC’s “General Hospital.” Luke’s romance with Laura Webber (played by Genie Francis) culminated in an on-screen wedding that was watched by 30 million live viewers. The 1981 installment remains the highest-rated soap opera episode in American TV history. Geary and Francis’ scripted relationship became a cultural phenomenon, and the two actors graced the cover of Newsweek in 1981.
Geary’s character also brought new themes to “General Hospital” that expanded the show beyond the medical genre, including espionage storylines, mob intrigue and overseas subplots.
From 1978 to 2017, Geary appeared in 1,997 episodes of “General Hospital.” He was nominated for 17 Daytime Emmys and won a record-breaking eight. He retired from the role in 2015 and appeared in a cameo in an episode in 2017. Geary moved to Amsterdam with Gama, and the two got married in 2019.
