What Happened to B.J. on GENERAL HOSPITAL and Her Portrayer, Brighton Hertford

Tony and Bobbie’s daughter will never be forgotten by those who loved her, but mentions of the character can lead newer viewers to wonder who was B.J. on GENERAL HOSPITAL? Although Bobbie wasn’t B.J.’s biological mother, she loved her as much as humanly possible, and losing her little girl absolutely crushed her and her husband.
Barbara Jean “B.J.” Jones was the daughter of Dr. Tony Jones and his first wife, Tania Roskov, and was born in 1986. Tania named her after Bobbie because the nurse helped deliver the infant in the mother’s apartment during a power outage caused by a terrible storm that hit Port Charles. Years later, Tania died in a car accident and Bobbie legally adopted B.J. when she married Tony.
In one of GH’s most famous storylines, B.J. was left brain dead after her school van was hit by a drunk driver in 1994. Tony made the decision to donate his seven-year-old daughter’s organs so that her heart could be transplanted into her ailing cousin, Maxie Jones. The scene of Tony laying his head on little Maxie’s chest to hear his daughter’s heart beating within will never be forgotten by the viewers who saw it.

B.J.’s sacrifice saved Maxie’s life. (Photo Credit: ABC)
B.J. was brought up a couple more times over the years. In 2005, Maxie had a heart attack and had to undergo another heart transplant, but wanted to keep B.J.’s heart. She had visions of her late cousin urging her to live her own life, and Maxie recovered and graduated from high school. In 2009, Maxie dreamt of an alternative universe where she had died and B.J. had lived. In those scenes, Kirsten Storms (Maxie) played B.J. in a brunette wig.
Actress Brighton Hertford was just a child when she launched her show biz career playing B.J. on GH. As she grew into a teen, Hertford continued to appear in series like DAWSON’S CREEK, 7TH HEAVEN, and EVERWOOD. In recent years, she has appeared in various short films, and while according to her bio for the Salt Lake Acting Company she is working full time as an ed-tech consultant, she is still acting. In 2017 she starred as Heather in their production of the play, Mercury. You can see some of Hertford’s scenes from EVERWOOD in this acting demo reel.
Demo Reel for Brighton Hertford from Advanced Media LLC on Vimeo.
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