‘General Hospital’ star Anthony Geary of Luke and Laura fame dies at 78

Anthony Geary who rose to fame in the s and s as half the daytime TV super couple Luke and Laura on General Hospital has died He was Related Articles Nick Reiner charged with killing parents Crews use sandbags to shore up breach in levee near Seattle after failure prompts flood warning US Jewish groups urge heightened defense at constituents events after Hanukkah attack in Australia Trial begins for Wisconsin judge accused of helping immigrant evade federal officials Purse pirates UPS ripped off seasonal workers with unfair pay practices lawsuit alleges We are deeply saddened by the passing of Anthony Geary whose portrayal of Luke Spencer helped define General Hospital and daytime television ABC declared in a announcement confirming his death Geary died Sunday in Amsterdam of complications from a surgical procedure three days prior The entire General Hospital family is heartbroken over the news of Tony Geary s passing Frank Valentini executive producer of the ABC show stated in a report Monday Tony was a brilliant actor and set the bar that we continue to strive for In a career spanning more than years Geary earned eight Daytime Emmy awards as Luke Spencer after joining the soap in Luke s pairing with Genie Francis Laura Webber Baldwin as she was known at the time propelled the two onto magazine covers and into the cultural mainstream The wedding of Luke and Laura was a pop custom phenom done in two parts drawing guest appearances that included Elizabeth Taylor A record million viewers watched He was a powerhouse as an actor Shoulder to shoulder with the greats No star burned brighter than Tony Geary He was one of a kind As an artist he was filled with a passion for the truth no matter how blunt or even a little rude it might be but reliably hilariously funny Francis announced in a declaration FILE Christian Jules Le Blanc left poses with Anthony Geary and Maura West right winners of the awards for outstanding lead actor and actress in a drama series for General Hospital at the nd annual Daytime Emmy Awards at Warner Bros Studios April in Burbank Calif Photo by Richard Shotwell Invision AP File FILE Anthony Geary holds up his Emmy as poses for photographers after winning Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series at the st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in New York May AP Photo Tina Fineberg File FILE Anthony Geary accepts the award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series for his work on General Hospital at the rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on April AP Photo Chris Pizzello File Show Caption of FILE Christian Jules Le Blanc left poses with Anthony Geary and Maura West right winners of the awards for outstanding lead actor and actress in a drama series for General Hospital at the nd annual Daytime Emmy Awards at Warner Bros Studios April in Burbank Calif Photo by Richard Shotwell Invision AP File Expand In addition to his role as Luke Geary had numerous TV and stage credits including stints on other soaps The Young and the Restless and Bright Promise Geary played Luke on and off until though he returned for a cameo in He lived a quiet life with husband Claudio Gama in Amsterdam In a interview Geary spoke of the countless highs and lows of playing Luke I felt like I had to be Luke hours a day or people would be disappointed he noted As far as I m concerned they are mythic creatures They come from two sides of the universe together and have a mutual connection which is basically lust and appreciation for individuality They love the eccentricity in each other Geary s Luke began as a small-time hitman recruited to dismantle the relationship of Laura and her first husband Scotty Baldwin Their story arc turned darker when Luke sexually assaulted Laura The assault led to a redemption trail for Luke who evolved into a hero and even served as mayor of the show s small town Port Charles He was not created to be a heroic character Geary advised ABC s Nightline in He was created to be an anti-hero and I have treasured the anti-side of the hero and pushed it for a long time He s not a white hat or a black hat he s all shades of grey And that has been the saving grace of playing him all these years Geary was born to Mormon parents in Coalville Utah He was discovered while attending the University of Utah and performing on stage He joined a touring company of The Subject was Roses which brought him to Los Angeles Over the years he appeared frequently in stage productions alongside his screen work Geary s first appearance on TV was as Tom Whalom on an episode of Room He went on to appear in All in the Family The Partridge Family The Mod Squad Marcus Welby M D The Streets of San Francisco and Barnaby Jones