GENERAL HOSPITAL Comings and Goings: The Biggest Casting Shockers Ever!

The popular role of Carly has been played by four different actresses since the character debuted in 1996. Originally portrayed by Sarah Brown, Tamara Braun took over the role in 2001. She was replaced with Jennifer Bransford in 2005, and later that same year, Laura Wright stepped into Carly’s shoes and continues to play her to this day!

The iconic role of Luke Spencer was played by Anthony Geary from the character’s introduction in 1978 until the actor saddened soap fans by announcing his retirement from daytime in 2015. Over the years, Geary racked up a record eight wins as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his work on GH. His alter ego’s wedding to Genie Francis’ Laura continues to be the highest rated episode of a soap ever.

Kirsten Storms became a fan-favorite with GH viewers when she took over the role of the spunky Maxie Jones in 2005. However, an extended medical leave in 2011 necessitated recasting the role with Jen Lilley for almost a year. Then again in 2016, Molly Burnett played Maxie while Storms took another leave of absence. Luckily for fans, this time it was only for a few months!

In the summer of 2016, GH fans were devastated when Bryan Craig announced he would be leaving the role of Morgan Corinthos after three years. Although rumors were that the young actor had quit the soap, he revealed that wasn’t true, and lamented that the news had leaked out and made his character’s explosive demise less surprising.

When Steve Burton began playing Jason Quartermaine in 1991, he became a big hit with GH viewers who followed his adventures even as he became Jason Morgan after a car accident scrambled his brain. When Burton chose to leave GH in 2012 after more than two decades on the soap, fans were devastated and Jason was shot dead by Cesar Faison. Two years later, in 2014, Jason was revealed to be alive, although his look had changed as he was now being played by Billy Miller!

After three decades of playing the irascible Alan Quartermaine, Stuart Damon had become a mainstay of GH, so it was only natural that fans were upset when the character was tragically killed off. Although Damon continued to appear as Alan’s ghost for a while after his death and then years later with periodic visits here and there, the family just wasn’t the same without its patriarch.

Introduced as the son of Rick Springfield’s character Noah Drake in 2005, Patrick was a bit of a womanizer who finally found love and settled down with fellow doctor Robin. Jason Thompson became half of the supercouple fans nicknamed “Scrubs” and cemented his place in viewers’ hearts. Naturally those hearts were broken when Thompson left GH in early 2016, joining the cast of Y&R as the new Billy Abbott (a role previously played by Billy Miller, who had joined GH as the new Jason!).

After the cancellation of OLTL, some actors crossed over to GH and Michael Easton’s John McBain was one of the few who stuck around Port Charles. During this time, he reprised his PORT CHARLES role of vampire Caleb Morley for a few months as part of a special storyline that tied in some threads from the defunct supernatural GH spin-off. Unfortunately, the legal issues with Prospect Park over OLTL forced ABC to place Easton in a new role, that of doctor Silas Clay. However, after two years, that character was murdered. Fans were overjoyed in 2016 when Easton once again returned to GH in yet another new role, this time doctor Hamilton Finn!

When Theresa Castillo joined GH as nurse Sabrina Santiago, the character was a nerdy pushover, but over time she eventually came out of her shell and found love with Jason Thompson’s Patrick. The couple was very popular, but Patrick ultimately ended up true love Robin, leaving Sabrina adrift. Just as the young nurse began to find happiness again with Michael and had given birth to her first child, Sabrina was tragically murdered by Paul Hornsby leaving fans heartbroken.

The daughter of legendary GH supercouple Luke and Laura, Julie Berman took over the role in 2005 when the character was aged to a young adult. Although she was romantically involved in many different relationships, when Lulu met Dante, they became a supercouple! So when Berman left in 2013, Y&R and GL alum Emme Rylan had her work cut out for her taking over the popular role, but she was more than up for the challenge!

Kelly Sullivan was just as popular as her predecessor, Megan Ward, when she took over the role of Kate Howard in 2011. Kate’s romance with Sonny and the alternate personality storyline where she regressed to her previous identity as Connie Falconeri made her a fan favorite with viewers. So they were shocked when the soap had Ava shoot and kill Connie to keep her quiet about Julian’s true identity!

GH fans were stunned when it was announced that Tyler Christopher was taking some time off from the show and SUNSET BEACH alum Nick Stabile would play Nikolas temporarily. When Stabile’s short stint ended and there was no word on Christopher’s return, fans began to worry, and eventually Christopher confirmed the news that he would not be back as the Cassadine prince!

GH surprised everyone when they announced that Tonja Walker would be returning to the soap she called home in the '80s when she played the villainous Olivia Jerome. They remained mum about which role she would be playing, but fans definitely had their suspicions!

GH scored quite a coup when they cast primetime soap vixen Donna Mills as the scheming Madeline Reeves! The actress, best known as Abby on KNOTS LANDING in the ‘80s, joined GH in 2014 in the recurring role. Although it was meant to be a short-term role, Mills returned later that year for another stint and then again in 2015. And who knows when she might turn up again to cause more trouble in Port Charles!

Click here to see how the stars of GH have changed over the years!