Audrey March Hardy
Encyclopedia
Audrey Hardy is a fictional character
on the popular ABC
soap opera
, General Hospital
. She has been portrayed by Rachel Ames
on a contract basis from 1964 to 2002, and on a recurring basis from 2002 to 2007, making a guest appearance in 2009.
In the pre-Luke and Laura years of the soap, Audrey was one of the leading characters of the show, and a 1971 storyline in which she was accused of murder sent General Hospital to the number one spot in the daytime ratings for the first time. (SEE: Daytime TV ratings)
Audrey also crossed over to General Hospitals spinoff series Port Charles
in 1997 on several episodes, most notably in the pilot episode where she was bludgeoned by a psychopath, and underwent brain surgery.
In 2007, actress Rachel Ames
retired after 43 years on GH. Her final airdate aired in March 2007. However, an ABC spokesperson has said that the door will always been open for her to return. In 2009, Ames made the decision to return to General Hospital, making it her 45th year on the show.
, the chief of Internal Medicine
at General Hospital, Audrey decided to stick around and became a private nurse. Eventually, Steve and Audrey got engaged, but Audrey broke it off in order to accept a proposal from one of her clients, Randy Washborn. However, Audrey was soon diagnosed with lymphoma
, and Randy deserted her in her hour of need, she got back together with Steve and married him in 1965 after fully recovering from her illness.
Audrey later began working on a book with Dr. Phil Brewer, but the experience ended badly when Phil tried to seduce her. After some years of marriage to Steve, Audrey became concerned when she did not conceive. Believing Steve was sterile, Audrey had herself artificially inseminated without Steve's knowledge and became pregnant. When Steve found out, he was angry, but the two sorted out their differences and were looking forward to having a baby when Audrey was in a car accident and miscarried. Audrey was devastated and separated from Steve. Audrey soon flew off to Vietnam
in order to help war orphans.
When Audrey returned from Vietnam, she continued to push Steve away and shortly after their divorce was finalized, Audrey married Tom Baldwin in an effort to prove that she was over Steve. However, Audrey couldn't bring herself to sleep with Tom, and he ended up raping Audrey. After finding herself pregnant with Tom's child, Audrey filed for divorce and fled town, determined to protect her unborn child from her violent husband.
), forcing Audrey to resume her marriage to him. Predictably, Tom and Audrey's marriage quickly became unstuck. Tom kidnapped young Tommy and fled to Mexico. Tom was later presumed dead. Tommy was returned to Audrey.
During the kidnapping ordeal, Tommy had become ill with a heart ailment. Jim Hobart was quickly enlisted to perform the surgery. Tommy recovered. Audrey felt an enormous amount of gratitude towards the doctor. After Jim injured his hands in an accident and feared he would never be able to operate again, Audrey felt sorry for him and ended up marrying him, even though she still loved Steve. Predictably, Audrey was once again trapped in a loveless marriage, as Jim turned to alcohol to drown his sorrow over not being able to operate.
Jim and Audrey remained married for several years. In 1976, Jim eventually cleaned his act up and ended up leaving Audrey for a younger woman. Audrey was despondent and attempted suicide. Steve saved her. Sensing his chance, Steve quickly proposed to Audrey who accepted. The couple were finally set to marry. However in his excitement, Steve ended up falling down a flight of stairs. Audrey helped him recuperate. The two were finally remarried, only for Tom Baldwin to turn up alive!
Tom's return invalidated Steve and Audrey's marriage. Tom immediately set about reclaiming both Audrey and his son. However, he came to the realization both Audrey and Tommy did not want him around and eventually left town. Steve and Audrey were married for the third and last time in 1977. Steve officially adopted Tommy, making him a Hardy. Audrey had also become head of student nurses at General Hospital, and as a result became a mentor to nurses such as Bobbie Spencer
.
Terry, Rick and Jeff Webber
, the children of Steve's old friend Lars Webber, had arrived in Port Charles some time before Steve and Audrey's reconciliation. Steve and Audrey found themselves embroiled in their various dramas, including Jeff's disastrous marriage to Monica Bard
. Jeff ended up shooting himself. As he lay in hospital, Terry informed Steve of the existence of a letter from Helene Webber, Terry, Rick and Jeff's mother. Steve found the letter and was shocked to learn Jeff was in fact his son, conceived when he had had an affair with Helene many years before. Steve informed Audrey. The two agreed to keep the truth about Jeff's parentage to themselves.
Two years passed and in the winter of 1979, Port Charles
was hit by an epidemic of Lassa Fever. General Hospital was placed under quarantine as Steve worked tirelessly for a cure. As Steve began to fall victim to the disease, Audrey decided to tell Jeff the truth. Shortly afterwards, the cure was formulated. Everyone afflicted by the disease was cured. Both Rick and Jeff were angry at Steve and Audrey. It took many months before everyone was reconciled.
Steve and Audrey were overjoyed when it was revealed Jeff's son Steven Lars was still alive, but heartbroken when Jeff decided to leave town with him. Some years later, Tommy (now known as just Tom) also left Port Charles to attend college. Tom returned in 1987, and Steve and Audrey were thrilled. Audrey had doubts when Tom married an African-American doctor, Simone Ravelle, fearing her son's interracial marriage would not be accepted. (The union of Tom Hardy and Simone Ravelle was the first interracial marriage on a daytime soap opera.)
In 1993, Audrey organized a surprise party for Steve's 30th anniversary at General Hospital. However, tragedy later struck Audrey when she was attacked by psychopath Ryan Chamberlain, who in his delusional state, had mistaken her for his abusive mother. Fortunately, Audrey quickly recovered.
Audrey was disappointed when Tom and Simone divorced in 1995. She did not approve of Simone's relationship with Justus Ward. The following year, Audrey was devastated when Steve died of a heart attack. In the aftermath, General Hospital went bankrupt. It was revealed Steve had known about the hospital's financial situation for months. Steve's fatal heart attack was quickly attributed to the stress which he had been under in trying to deal with the worsening crisis. Audrey was comforted by Gail Baldwin, Monica Quartermaine
, and Kevin Collins during this difficult time. Steve's death later caused a considerable strain between Tom and Audrey. Tom believed the Cassadines were responsible for bankrupting the hospital and joined forces with Luke Spencer
in a vendetta to bring the Cassadines down. Audrey, however, refused to believe the Cassadines were responsible. Tom eventually left town. Audrey, meanwhile, was thrilled to learn one of her closest friends, Lesley Webber (Rick Webber's former wife), was still alive.
In 1997, Audrey was attacked during a hostage crisis at General Hospital. Jeff's daughter, Sarah Webber, came to help Audrey while she recovered. Sarah was followed quickly by her younger sister Elizabeth. While Sarah was the perfect granddaughter, Liz was more rebellious and quickly gained a reputation as a troublemaker. However, Liz was raped on February 14, 1998 by a seedy man named Tom Baker. The situation caused great anguish. Audrey refused to acknowledge the rape and continually told Liz she should just try and move on with her life. Eventually Sarah confronted Audrey. Audrey ended up revealing to Liz the details of her own rape at the hands of Tom Baldwin decades before. In the end, Audrey and Liz became closer. Audrey was finally able to lay the demons of her past to rest.
As Liz matured, Audrey argued with her about her choice of friends, like Lucky Spencer
, for instance. Liz grew tired of Audrey's interference in her life and moved out.The two later reconciled. Audrey would later support Liz, as Liz's life came in many ways to resemble Audrey's. Liz married and later divorced Ric Lansing
, and became a single mother to Cameron following a one night stand with Zander Smith. Audrey was thrilled when Liz announced her intention to become a nurse.
On April 17, 2002 General Hospital aired its 10,000th episode. The show commemorated this event by having the staff of the hospital throw a surprise party for Audrey, in honor of her 10,000th shift as a nurse at GH. The episode featured clips and montages from the show's previous 39 years. The plot device of a major party in Audrey's honor also served as recognition of Audrey's status as the show's longest-running character, and Rachel Ames' status as the show's senior cast member.
After Rachel Ames was put on recurring status in 2003, Audrey was seen much less often. Audrey later went on a cruise for most of 2005, but returned to Port Charles when Liz finally married the longtime love of her life Lucky Spencer
. In 2006 Liz and Lucky separated. Liz moved in with Audrey once again.
In 2007, Ames made the decision to retire. After a two year absence, she made the decision to return to the canvas on October 15, 2009 when Audrey returned for Lucky & Elizabeth's engagement party.
Steven Lars Webber returned in December. On Christmas Eve, he & Audrey served food to the homeless.
Audrey hosted Thanksgiving at her home in 2010. She had Steve, Elizabeth, Nikolas, and the kids over.
In March 2011, Audrey was at a book club when Jake was hit by a car and died. Nikolas took Cameron & Aiden to his house because Audrey was too emotionally overcome to take care of them.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the popular ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
. She has been portrayed by Rachel Ames
Rachel Ames
Rachel Ames is an Emmy Award Winning American actress. She is the longest-running performer on ABC's longest-running daytime serial, General Hospital, playing Audrey Hardy, R.N. from 1964 to 2007. She also played Audrey Hardy on the General Hospital spin-off series Port Charles...
on a contract basis from 1964 to 2002, and on a recurring basis from 2002 to 2007, making a guest appearance in 2009.
In the pre-Luke and Laura years of the soap, Audrey was one of the leading characters of the show, and a 1971 storyline in which she was accused of murder sent General Hospital to the number one spot in the daytime ratings for the first time. (SEE: Daytime TV ratings)
Audrey also crossed over to General Hospitals spinoff series Port Charles
Port Charles
Port Charles was a daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from June 2, 1997 to October 3, 2003. It is a spin-off of the serial General Hospital, which has been running since 1963 and takes place in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York...
in 1997 on several episodes, most notably in the pilot episode where she was bludgeoned by a psychopath, and underwent brain surgery.
In 2007, actress Rachel Ames
Rachel Ames
Rachel Ames is an Emmy Award Winning American actress. She is the longest-running performer on ABC's longest-running daytime serial, General Hospital, playing Audrey Hardy, R.N. from 1964 to 2007. She also played Audrey Hardy on the General Hospital spin-off series Port Charles...
retired after 43 years on GH. Her final airdate aired in March 2007. However, an ABC spokesperson has said that the door will always been open for her to return. In 2009, Ames made the decision to return to General Hospital, making it her 45th year on the show.
1964-1969
Audrey March arrived at General Hospital in 1964 in order to visit her sister, Lucille. Even though she was a registered nurse, Audrey had forsaken the profession for the more glamorous lifestyle of an airline stewardess. However, after noticing Dr. Steve HardySteve Hardy
Dr. Steve Hardy is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. John Beradino originated the role of Steve Hardy on April 1, 1963 and portrayed him until his death in 1996.- History :...
, the chief of Internal Medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
at General Hospital, Audrey decided to stick around and became a private nurse. Eventually, Steve and Audrey got engaged, but Audrey broke it off in order to accept a proposal from one of her clients, Randy Washborn. However, Audrey was soon diagnosed with lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
, and Randy deserted her in her hour of need, she got back together with Steve and married him in 1965 after fully recovering from her illness.
Audrey later began working on a book with Dr. Phil Brewer, but the experience ended badly when Phil tried to seduce her. After some years of marriage to Steve, Audrey became concerned when she did not conceive. Believing Steve was sterile, Audrey had herself artificially inseminated without Steve's knowledge and became pregnant. When Steve found out, he was angry, but the two sorted out their differences and were looking forward to having a baby when Audrey was in a car accident and miscarried. Audrey was devastated and separated from Steve. Audrey soon flew off to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
in order to help war orphans.
When Audrey returned from Vietnam, she continued to push Steve away and shortly after their divorce was finalized, Audrey married Tom Baldwin in an effort to prove that she was over Steve. However, Audrey couldn't bring herself to sleep with Tom, and he ended up raping Audrey. After finding herself pregnant with Tom's child, Audrey filed for divorce and fled town, determined to protect her unborn child from her violent husband.
1970-1989
Audrey returned in 1971, and informed Lucille her son had died at birth. Audrey soon reconnected with Steve. It was quickly revealed Audrey was lying about her son. Audrey's son, whom she named Steve, was still alive and in hiding. Audrey believed if Tom found out about the baby he would contest the divorce, and so she had come up with a convoluted plot in which she would claim her child was dead, remarry Steve, and then convince him to adopt a baby which was in reality her 'dead' son. However, Mrs. Peggy Nelson, the woman who was looking after young Steve, soon realized what was going on and blackmailed Audrey. Peggy Nelson was murdered. Audrey was accused of the crime. Thanks to Steve, Audrey was acquitted. Her worst fears quickly came true when Tom reclaimed baby Steve (who was renamed TommyTom Hardy
Edward Thomas "Tom" Hardy is an English actor. He is best known for playing the title character in the 2008 British film Bronson, the character of Eames in Inception, and the villain Praetor Shinzon in Star Trek Nemesis...
), forcing Audrey to resume her marriage to him. Predictably, Tom and Audrey's marriage quickly became unstuck. Tom kidnapped young Tommy and fled to Mexico. Tom was later presumed dead. Tommy was returned to Audrey.
During the kidnapping ordeal, Tommy had become ill with a heart ailment. Jim Hobart was quickly enlisted to perform the surgery. Tommy recovered. Audrey felt an enormous amount of gratitude towards the doctor. After Jim injured his hands in an accident and feared he would never be able to operate again, Audrey felt sorry for him and ended up marrying him, even though she still loved Steve. Predictably, Audrey was once again trapped in a loveless marriage, as Jim turned to alcohol to drown his sorrow over not being able to operate.
Jim and Audrey remained married for several years. In 1976, Jim eventually cleaned his act up and ended up leaving Audrey for a younger woman. Audrey was despondent and attempted suicide. Steve saved her. Sensing his chance, Steve quickly proposed to Audrey who accepted. The couple were finally set to marry. However in his excitement, Steve ended up falling down a flight of stairs. Audrey helped him recuperate. The two were finally remarried, only for Tom Baldwin to turn up alive!
Tom's return invalidated Steve and Audrey's marriage. Tom immediately set about reclaiming both Audrey and his son. However, he came to the realization both Audrey and Tommy did not want him around and eventually left town. Steve and Audrey were married for the third and last time in 1977. Steve officially adopted Tommy, making him a Hardy. Audrey had also become head of student nurses at General Hospital, and as a result became a mentor to nurses such as Bobbie Spencer
Bobbie Spencer
Barbara Jean "Bobbie" Spencer is a fictional character and popular long running character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. She made her first appearance in 1978 and is the mother of popular character Carly Corinthos Jacks...
.
Terry, Rick and Jeff Webber
Jeff Webber
Dr. Jeffrey "Jeff" Webber was a fictional character on the popular ABC daytime drama General Hospital. Eventually, he was revealed to be the biological son of the series' patriarch, Dr. Steve Hardy. He was portrayed by Richard Dean Anderson from 1976 until 1981.-Character history:Dr...
, the children of Steve's old friend Lars Webber, had arrived in Port Charles some time before Steve and Audrey's reconciliation. Steve and Audrey found themselves embroiled in their various dramas, including Jeff's disastrous marriage to Monica Bard
Monica Quartermaine
Dr. Monica Quartermaine is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. She is a member of the wealthy Quartermaine family. Her various affairs and quarrels with her husband Dr...
. Jeff ended up shooting himself. As he lay in hospital, Terry informed Steve of the existence of a letter from Helene Webber, Terry, Rick and Jeff's mother. Steve found the letter and was shocked to learn Jeff was in fact his son, conceived when he had had an affair with Helene many years before. Steve informed Audrey. The two agreed to keep the truth about Jeff's parentage to themselves.
Two years passed and in the winter of 1979, Port Charles
Port Charles, New York (Fictional City)
Port Charles, New York is the fictional setting of the ABC Daytime soap operas General Hospital and its spin-offs Port Charles and General Hospital: Night Shift. It was later retroactively revealed as the setting of The Young Marrieds, a short-lived series which ran between 1964 and 1966...
was hit by an epidemic of Lassa Fever. General Hospital was placed under quarantine as Steve worked tirelessly for a cure. As Steve began to fall victim to the disease, Audrey decided to tell Jeff the truth. Shortly afterwards, the cure was formulated. Everyone afflicted by the disease was cured. Both Rick and Jeff were angry at Steve and Audrey. It took many months before everyone was reconciled.
Steve and Audrey were overjoyed when it was revealed Jeff's son Steven Lars was still alive, but heartbroken when Jeff decided to leave town with him. Some years later, Tommy (now known as just Tom) also left Port Charles to attend college. Tom returned in 1987, and Steve and Audrey were thrilled. Audrey had doubts when Tom married an African-American doctor, Simone Ravelle, fearing her son's interracial marriage would not be accepted. (The union of Tom Hardy and Simone Ravelle was the first interracial marriage on a daytime soap opera.)
1990-2007, 2009-Present
In time, Audrey and Simone grew close, and Simone even confided in Audrey when she fell pregnant following an affair with Harrison and didn't know if the baby's father was Tom or Harrison. Audrey was overjoyed when she learned Simone's baby, Tommy, was indeed Tom's.In 1993, Audrey organized a surprise party for Steve's 30th anniversary at General Hospital. However, tragedy later struck Audrey when she was attacked by psychopath Ryan Chamberlain, who in his delusional state, had mistaken her for his abusive mother. Fortunately, Audrey quickly recovered.
Audrey was disappointed when Tom and Simone divorced in 1995. She did not approve of Simone's relationship with Justus Ward. The following year, Audrey was devastated when Steve died of a heart attack. In the aftermath, General Hospital went bankrupt. It was revealed Steve had known about the hospital's financial situation for months. Steve's fatal heart attack was quickly attributed to the stress which he had been under in trying to deal with the worsening crisis. Audrey was comforted by Gail Baldwin, Monica Quartermaine
Monica Quartermaine
Dr. Monica Quartermaine is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. She is a member of the wealthy Quartermaine family. Her various affairs and quarrels with her husband Dr...
, and Kevin Collins during this difficult time. Steve's death later caused a considerable strain between Tom and Audrey. Tom believed the Cassadines were responsible for bankrupting the hospital and joined forces with Luke Spencer
Luke Spencer
Lucas "Luke" Lorenzo Spencer, Sr. is a fictional character in the American television soap opera General Hospital, and has been played by Anthony Geary since 1978.-Early years :...
in a vendetta to bring the Cassadines down. Audrey, however, refused to believe the Cassadines were responsible. Tom eventually left town. Audrey, meanwhile, was thrilled to learn one of her closest friends, Lesley Webber (Rick Webber's former wife), was still alive.
In 1997, Audrey was attacked during a hostage crisis at General Hospital. Jeff's daughter, Sarah Webber, came to help Audrey while she recovered. Sarah was followed quickly by her younger sister Elizabeth. While Sarah was the perfect granddaughter, Liz was more rebellious and quickly gained a reputation as a troublemaker. However, Liz was raped on February 14, 1998 by a seedy man named Tom Baker. The situation caused great anguish. Audrey refused to acknowledge the rape and continually told Liz she should just try and move on with her life. Eventually Sarah confronted Audrey. Audrey ended up revealing to Liz the details of her own rape at the hands of Tom Baldwin decades before. In the end, Audrey and Liz became closer. Audrey was finally able to lay the demons of her past to rest.
As Liz matured, Audrey argued with her about her choice of friends, like Lucky Spencer
Lucky Spencer
Lucas Lorenzo "Lucky" Spencer, Jr. is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. He is the son of legendary super couple Luke Spencer and Laura Webber.-Casting:...
, for instance. Liz grew tired of Audrey's interference in her life and moved out.The two later reconciled. Audrey would later support Liz, as Liz's life came in many ways to resemble Audrey's. Liz married and later divorced Ric Lansing
Ric Lansing
Richard "Ric" Lansing was a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. The character was played by soap opera veteran Rick Hearst from 2002 to 2009.- Casting and background :...
, and became a single mother to Cameron following a one night stand with Zander Smith. Audrey was thrilled when Liz announced her intention to become a nurse.
On April 17, 2002 General Hospital aired its 10,000th episode. The show commemorated this event by having the staff of the hospital throw a surprise party for Audrey, in honor of her 10,000th shift as a nurse at GH. The episode featured clips and montages from the show's previous 39 years. The plot device of a major party in Audrey's honor also served as recognition of Audrey's status as the show's longest-running character, and Rachel Ames' status as the show's senior cast member.
After Rachel Ames was put on recurring status in 2003, Audrey was seen much less often. Audrey later went on a cruise for most of 2005, but returned to Port Charles when Liz finally married the longtime love of her life Lucky Spencer
Lucky Spencer
Lucas Lorenzo "Lucky" Spencer, Jr. is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. He is the son of legendary super couple Luke Spencer and Laura Webber.-Casting:...
. In 2006 Liz and Lucky separated. Liz moved in with Audrey once again.
In 2007, Ames made the decision to retire. After a two year absence, she made the decision to return to the canvas on October 15, 2009 when Audrey returned for Lucky & Elizabeth's engagement party.
Steven Lars Webber returned in December. On Christmas Eve, he & Audrey served food to the homeless.
Audrey hosted Thanksgiving at her home in 2010. She had Steve, Elizabeth, Nikolas, and the kids over.
In March 2011, Audrey was at a book club when Jake was hit by a car and died. Nikolas took Cameron & Aiden to his house because Audrey was too emotionally overcome to take care of them.