General Hospital Actors You May Not Know Passed Away

Stuart Damon's character, Dr. Alan Quartermaine, a medical doctor who had issues with drug addiction, was introduced on "General Hospital" in 1977. He continued to portray the character up until 2013. But on June 29, 2021, a Facebook post from ABC entertainment reporter George Pennacchio announced the actor died at the age of 84 after "struggling with renal failure for the last several years." Pennacchio shared that Damon's son Christopher revealed the late actor "loved playing Alan and was always so appreciative of that role and that job."

During a 1995 Soap Line interview (via YouTube), Damon shared that a traumatic experience involving Christopher helped him better play Dr. Quartermaine when his character's wife, Dr. Monica Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson), was diagnosed with breast cancer. "What I bring as Stuart is the experience of almost losing my son Christopher to diabetes when he was seven years old when he went into a coma," the "General Hospital" star explained, "and the emotion that comes back from that possibility of losing a family member is very accessible to me even after this amount of time."

Dedicated "General Hospital" fans may recognize Chris Pennock as district attorney Mitch Williams on two 1978 episodes and one episode from 1979. He also scored a gig scaring audiences as multiple characters in "Dark Shadows" during the early 1970s. In addition, the actor was featured on "As the World Turns," "Melrose Place," and "Days of our Lives."

Pennock passed away in February 2021. The outlet included the official Dark Shadows News Facebook account's post in wake of his passing, which revealed that he had "died peacefully in his sleep in hospital on February 12 at the age of 76" and "is survived by his beloved wife Lynn and daughter Tara." During a 2013 interview with The Method Actor Speaks, Pennock revealed that he was not a fan of Tim Burton's 2012 film "Dark Shadows." 

"It didn't work and I'll tell you why," Pennock said. "Because they didn't take it seriously, they sort of made fun of it and you can't do that. You know, we were popular because it was like playing Greek tragedy. We took it very seriously, it was like life and death."

Us Weekly reported that John Ingle died in September 2012. The publication noted ABC put forth an announcement, disclosing he passed on "after a courageous battle with cancer." 

In a 2012 interview, shortly before his passing, the 84-year-old noted that he portrayed his "General Hospital" character Edward Quartermaine during a period of "18 years, except the two years [he] split and worked on 'Days of Our Lives,'" where he portrayed Mickey Horton. As fans are aware, his "General Hospital" character was best known for being the C.E.O. of ELQ and causing countless problems for his wealthy family. The actor explained that while he was "paid well" during his time on "Days of Our Lives," he "didn't feel like [he] belonged there." 

Ingle also noted that he was an acting teacher "with wonderful students" until "85, when [he] retired from teaching." He went on to mention that he had "five daughters, nine grandchildren, and three new great-grandbabies." He noted his family is "very close" and that his daughters "text each other back and forth constantly."

Sonya Eddy's Epiphany Johnson took over as the head nurse on "General Hospital" in 2006 after Audrey Hardy's retirement from the position in the previous year. Epiphany is a tough single mom who tangles with local mobster Sonny Corinthos –- who was responsible for her son's death –- although she later helps him recuperate from a debilitating gunshot wound. Epiphany also leads the nurses in a successful protest against budget cuts to hospital staff.

Eddy, a native of Concord, California, joined the cast of "General Hospital" as a recurring actor in 2006 and appeared in more than 500 episodes of the series while also serving as a series regular on the prime-time spin-off, "General Hospital: Night Shift," from 2007 to 2008. Eddy graduated from stage work to television and film roles in the mid-1990s and worked steadily in both mediums. Her small screen credits included recurring roles on "Those Who Can't" and "Legit" as well as guest spots on "Seinfeld" and "Joan of Arcadia." She also appeared in films such as "Barbershop" and took a scary turn as a vengeful mom in "V/H/S/99."

Eddy was cast in several productions as a nurse, including "Seven Pounds" and "Year of the Dog," all while supporting scholarship campaigns for nursing students. Eddy died on December 19, 2022 at the age of 55 from an infection after non-emergency surgery.

Though she appeared on Broadway and numerous primetime television series, Susan Brown was perhaps best known for her long association with daytime soap operas, including "General Hospital." Turns on "The Edge of Night" and "The Young and the Restless," among other soaps, preceded her joining the cast of "General Hospital" in 1977 as Dr. Gail Adamson, who married Peter Hansen's Lee Baldwin and served as the stepmother and over-protective parent to his son, Scott (Kin Shriner). 

After netting a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1979, Brown left the series in 1985, though she continued to make recurring appearances on the series until 2004. She also played Gail on the "General Hospital" spin-off, "Port Charles," from 1997 to 2001.

In addition to her work on "General Hospital," Brown had multiple episode runs on "As the World Turns" and "Santa Barbara," as well as extensive credits on dozens of episodic series, from "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "Mission: Impossible" to "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Frasier." She also owned an interior decorating business and counted many fellow actors among her clients. Her acting career closed in 2004 with an appearance on "General Hospital" that paid homage to the late Anna Lee. Brown, who had Alzheimer's disease, died on August 31, 2018, at the age of 86.

Best known for his kind-hearted or comically befuddled roles on "Punky Brewster" and the "Police Academy" film series, actor George Gaynes played one of Port Charles's most despicable bad guys, mobster Frank Smith, on "General Hospital" from 1979 to 1980. Smith was a thorn in the side of Anthony Geary's Luke Spencer for decades, but Gaynes was replaced by actor Mitchell Ryan from 1993 to 1994 and by "Green Book" actor Joe Cortese in 2015.

Gaynes, born George Jongejans in Finland, came to acting after serving in the Royal Dutch Navy during World War II. His baritone voice was ideal for Broadway and musicals, followed by character work in episodic TV work and several features in the 1960s and '70s. Turns as a self-impressed soap star on "Tootsie" and as the eccentric Commander Eric Lassard in six "Police Academy" movies minted him as a comic actor with a gift for stealing scenes. He was a familiar face to '80s TV audiences as the doting Henry Warnimont on "Punky Brewster" and for humorous recurring characters on "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd" and "Hearts Afire."

Gaynes returned to his theater roots for Louis Malle's "Vanya on 42nd Street," a filmed version of Anton Chekhov's play "Uncle Vanya," adapted by David Mamet in 1994. He retired from acting after appearing in the 2003 Ashton Kutcher comedy "Just Married" and died at his daughter's home in North Bend, Washington at the age of 98 on February 15, 2016.

Known to "Star Trek" devotees for playing "redshirts" –- those Enterprise crew members in red tunics who invariably met terrible fates –- on two separate episodes of "Star Trek: The Original Series," actor Jerry Ayres was also a familiar face on many other primetime series and did a year-long run on "General Hospital" as the creepy David Hamilton. Hamilton worms his way into the home of his old college roommate, Rick Webber, in order to seduce his wife, Lesley. When that plot fails, he turned his attention to Rick's daughter, Laura, who accidentally kills him in a fit of rage.

Ayres was a staple of episodic TV before and after his "General Hospital" appearances. In addition to his two tours on "Star Trek," he enjoyed guest roles on "The Invaders," "Mod Squad," and five episodes of "The F.B.I." In the 1980s, he earned repeat turns on "CHiPs" and "Trapper John, M.D." Ayers capped his TV career with a year-long run on "The Bold and the Beautiful" before dying of natural causes on May 14, 2013 at the age of 76.

Though best known as the villainous crime boss Stefano DiMera on "Days of Our Lives," actor Joseph Mascolo also appeared in several other daytime series, including a short stint on "General Hospital" in 1989. Mascolo's memorable, operatically evil turn as Stefano on "Days of Our Lives" naturally meant that he played similar roles in his other soap assignments, and Nicholas Van Buren on "General Hospital" was no exception. 

Known to authorities as Domino for the trademark tiles he left at every crime scene, Van Buren came to Port Charles in search of a fabled jewel and artifact that would grant him access to a lost Chinese empire. Though he thwarted police across the globe, Van Buren proved no match for Robert Scorpio and his daughter, Robin, whose scheme led to his imprisonment.

Trained as a vocalist in musical theater and opera, Mascolo moved into TV and feature films in the 1970s. He amassed a number of TV credits, including appearances on "All in the Family" and "The Incredible Hulk," before joining "Days of Our Lives" in 1982. He would depart and return to the soap on numerous occasions over the next four decades while also turning up on "Santa Barbara" and "The Bold and the Beautiful." He retired from playing Stefano altogether after suffering a stroke in 2015 and died on December 8, 2016, at the age of 87, with complications from Alzheimer's disease the cause of death.

One of Port Charles's longest-tenured patriarchs, Lee Baldwin debuted on "General Hospital" in 1963 as an addiction counselor and worked his way up to town mayor and board of directors for the titular hospital. Actor Peter Hansen started playing Baldwin in 1965, as both a contract and recurring character, and stayed for nearly four decades until his final appearance in 2004. During that time, Hansen also picked up a Daytime Emmy Award in 1979 for his performance.

A U.S. Marine Corps pilot who flew combat missions in World War II, Hansen became a contract player with Paramount Pictures in the 1950s and appeared in minor roles, often uncredited, in films like "The Greatest Show on Earth," "Brigadoon," and "The Ten Commandments." Television gave him more opportunities to show his talent, and he appeared in multiple episodes of "The Lone Ranger" before beginning his long run on "General Hospital." In the 1980s, Hansen returned to guest roles on primetime series like "Cheers" and "The Golden Girls," as well as supporting characters in films like "The War of the Roses."

Hansen also played Lee Baldwin on the spin-off series "Port Charles" but returned to the flagship program as a recurring character in 2000. The "General Hospital" universe remained his most consistent showcase until his death at the age of 95 at his home in Tarzana, California on April 9, 2017.

Billy Miller's acting career included stints on multiple daytime soaps, including "All My Children" and a run on "The Young and the Restless" that earned him five Daytime Emmy Award nominations (including three wins) between 2010 and 2013. He also replaced the outgoing Steve Burton as anger-prone Jason Morgan on "General Hospital" from 2014 to 2017, earning a sixth Daytime Emmy nod for his performance in 2018. When Burton returned to play Morgan in 2017, the "General Hospital" producers retooled Miller's character to become Morgan's twin brother, Drew Cain, which he played until his 2019 departure from the series.

A former model, Miller began appearing in guest roles on series like "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" in 2006 before joining "All My Children" in 2007. Between soap stints, he also enjoyed recurring roles on "Truth Be Told" and "Suits" and guest appearances on "Castle," as well as occasional turns in features like "American Sniper." Miller died at the age of 43 on September 15, 2023; in a statement issued after his death (via People.com), Miller's mother said that he had "fought a long, valiant battle with bipolar depression for years."

As a key figure in the "General Hospital" mythos, Nikolas Cassadine has been played by several different actors over the years. But his definitive and longest-running portrayal was by Tyler Christopher, who introduced the role to "General Hospital" viewers as a relative newcomer to the soap opera genre back in 1996. Christopher eventually took home multiple acting awards for his work on the show, including a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2016.

On October 31, 2023, Christopher died from some sort of cardiac event at just 50 years old. His "GH" co-star Maurice Benard confirmed the news on his Instagram account, adding, "Tyler was a truly talented individual that lit up the screen in every scene he performed and relished bringing joy to his loyal fans through his acting. Tyler was a sweet soul and wonderful friend to all of those who knew him." Benard also outlined some of the personal tribulations Christopher had experienced in recent years, noting that he had dealt with both bipolar depression and alcoholism while also advocating for improvements in the treatment of substance abuse and mental illness.

Christopher was also known to viewers of "Days of Our Lives" for an Emmy-nominated performance in the role of Stefan DiMera between 2018 and 2019. He also compiled plenty of credits outside the soap opera world, including appearances on shows like "Angel," "Felicity," and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."