Luke and Laura Spencer - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Luke Spencer and Laura Webber are fictional character

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...

s and the signature supercouple

Supercouple

A supercouple or super couple is a popular or financially wealthy pairing that intrigues and fascinates the public in an intense or even obsessive fashion...

from the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

daytime drama 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....

. Luke

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 :...

is portrayed by Anthony Geary

Anthony Geary

Anthony Geary is an American actor. He has starred on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital as Luke Spencer from 1978 to 1984 and from 1993 to present.-Life and career:...

, and Laura

Laura Spencer

Laura Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. Laura was portrayed by Stacy Baldwin from 1974 to 1976, and since then has been played by Genie Francis, first from 1976–1982, and then from 1992–2002...

was portrayed by Genie Francis

Genie Francis

Eugenie "Genie" Francis Frakes is an American actress known for her portrayal of Laura Spencer on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital. She is currently playing Genevieve Atkinson on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless...

. Though other supercouples came before them, Luke and Laura are the most well-known outside of the soap opera medium, and are credited with defining the term "supercouple" and leading other soap operas to try and duplicate their success.

Despite having been rape

Rape

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...

d by a drunken Luke, Laura later falls in love with him. Originally, critics of the soap opera genre panned the choice of having a rape victim fall in love with her rapist. The unlikely pairing became popular in spite of Luke's past misdeed when the story shifted to focus on love and redemption.

The couple wed at the end of the hour long show on November 17, 1981; the event was watched by 30 million viewers and remains the highest-rated hour in American soap opera history. Viewers watched as the show designed their marriage to last for two decades and gave them two children. Today, their union still has a presence in fictional town 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...

. On Internet message boards

Internet forum

An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...

, the couple is often referred to as "L&L" or "LnL" (for Luke and Laura).

Writing

In 1978, General Hospital was close to cancellation due to low viewership. At that time, they were ranked lowest in the Nielsen ratings

Nielsen Ratings

Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...

. To save the show, ABC executive Jackie Smith hired Gloria Monty

Gloria Monty

Gloria Monty was an American TV producer working primarily in the field of daytime drama.She died of cancer at the age of 84.-Education:...

as the show's executive producer and Douglas Marland

Douglas Marland

Douglas Marland was an American actor and writer of soap operas.-Career:He began his soap opera career as an actor, appearing on the Irna Phillips series The Brighter Day and As the World Turns. He also did odd jobs on the side as a director for small theatre groups...

as head writer. Monty wanted to attract a youth based audience as a way of garnering higher ratings. To do this she and Marland brought troubled teenager Laura Vining (Genie Francis) to the forefront of the series. The character went from appearing a couple of times a week, to having fifty pages of script a day. "Gloria put sex and romance into Laura's life," Francis said, "and it bowled me over. Here I was doing things in front of 20 million people that I had never done in my life." Her early stories included killing her older lover, David Hamilton, for cheating on her with her mother

Lesley Webber

Lesley Webber, M.D. was a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. She was played by Denise Alexander from 1972-1984 on contract and from 1996-2009 recurring.-Arrival:...

and a popular romance with Scott "Scotty" Baldwin

Scott Baldwin

Scott Baldwin is a fictional character from the ABC soap operas, General Hospital and its now-defunct spinoff Port Charles. He is often remembered as the "odd man out" in GH's well-known love story of Luke and Laura Spencer. The character debuted on GH as a child in the 1960s...

. In response, General Hospital's ratings rose as younger viewers began watching for Laura. Teenagers connected with her because she was their age and experienced some of the same problems they did, yet also lived "the life of a 28 year old".

Anthony Geary

Anthony Geary

Anthony Geary is an American actor. He has starred on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital as Luke Spencer from 1978 to 1984 and from 1993 to present.-Life and career:...

joined the cast in 1978 in what was meant to be a 13-week stint as 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 :...

. His sister, 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...

, brought him to town to help her break up Laura's marriage to Scott Baldwin

Scott Baldwin

. By the end of Geary's contract, Luke was supposed to be killed off. Like Laura, Luke appealed to teenage viewers because of his "edgy volatility". Since viewers expressed interest in Luke and Laura, the writers decided to have Luke die in Laura's arms, after which she would reunite with Scotty. Due to the positive viewer response, the story moved towards a romance between Luke and Laura.

Rape

Pat Falken Smith

Patricia Falken Smith was a television writer, most famous for her stints as head writer of several soap operas, including General Hospital and Days of our Lives.-Biography:...

replaced Marland as head writer of General Hospital in 1979 since he wanted to go slower with Luke and Laura's story than Monty did. Smith wrote a controversial rape storyline between Luke and Laura. To prepare for the story, Geary and Francis both met with a social worker before taping the rape scenes. Originally intended to be a brutal attack, Monty rechoreographed the scene's blocking in order for the encounter to come off as a seduction. She also took strong language and violence out of the scenes. General Hospital's music director at the time, Jill Phelps, chose to use the Herb Alpert

Herb Alpert

Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...

song "Rise"

Rise (Herb Alpert song)

"Rise" is a song written by Andy Armer and Randy "Badazz" Alpert, and first recorded by trumpeter Herb Alpert. The instrumental track was included on Alpert's solo album Rise and released as a single in 1979. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in October of that year and remained...

during the rape scene and ensuing scenes that recalled the rape. "Every time Laura thought of the terrible rape by Luke, it was played to evoke that memory," Phelps said. "Consequently, we used it constantly for a while. Then we turned the story around so that he was no longer the rapist and that was no longer the appropriate piece of music." The song already ranked on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, but the exposure "Rise" gained from appearing on General Hospital helped bring it to number one. After the story aired in October 1979, it was looked back on as a rape and Laura was shown getting rape counseling. However, the writers decided to have the characters look back on the incident as a seduction

Seduction

In social science, seduction is the process of deliberately enticing a person to engage. The word seduction stems from Latin and means literally "to lead astray". As a result, the term may have a positive or negative connotation...

instead of a rape because the pairing resonated with the audience. "From that point on, we played [Luke's] regret and his total devastation," Geary said. "That's a story nobody wants to tell - that the rapist's life is as devastated as the person he rapes. His great love and regret and guilt are what caught the audience so off guard."

The rape was revisited in 1998 when Luke and Laura's son, Lucky, finds out about the incident. This time, the writers scripted it as rape instead of a seduction. Lucky struggled to come to terms with the reveal while Luke and Laura dealt with the unresolved issues surrounding the rape. In a 2000 interview with Soap Opera Digest, Geary said, that for the taping of the scenes, "Alan Pultz, who had directed the rape originally, used his original notes and directed me that day to recall all of that. I was able to finally put out what I think is Luke's definitive statement: that it was rape, it was ugly, he'd probably never recover. I was grateful that the directors and the writers were interested in what Luke's experience was and didn't try to spin it for audience control."

Adventure plots

After the rape storyline, the focus of General Hospital began to center on Luke and Laura's romance. Before, the show used to revolve around hospital stories including alcoholism

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...

, obesity

Obesity

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...

, mental disorders, and cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

. Luke and Laura's adventure based plots took the show away from the hospital. In the summer of 1980, the couple spent the summer on the run, an "unprecedented" type of storyline at the time. Monty imbued that plot with elements of Frank Capra

Frank Capra

Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...

's 1934 film, It Happened One Night
It Happened One Night
It Happened One Night is a 1934 American romantic comedy film with elements of screwball comedy directed by Frank Capra, in which a pampered socialite tries to get out from under her father's thumb, and falls in love with a roguish reporter . The plot was based on the story Night Bus by Samuel...

and the 1941 Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....

film The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)
The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett and a remake of the 1931 film of the same name...

. She later used Dr. No
Dr. No (film)
Dr. No is a 1962 spy film, starring Sean Connery; it is the first James Bond film. Based on the 1958 Ian Fleming novel of the same name, it was adapted by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather and was directed by Terence Young. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R...

and Tarzan

Tarzan

Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...

as the inspiration for their plot to stop Mikkos Cassadine from taking over the world. As the show became laden with "comic-book fantasies", ratings remained high, but the viewer demographics became younger.

In a 2008 interview with Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...

, Kin Shriner

Kin Shriner

Kin Shriner is an American actor, best known for playing Scott Baldwin on both daytime serials General Hospital and Port Charles .-Personal life:...

(Scotty Baldwin) said Monty planned to continue the Scotty, Laura, and Luke triangle for a longer period, but his 1980 departure forced a story change. He returned to the show a year later. Former head writer Thom Racina

Thom Racina

-Personal:He hails from Kenosha, Wisconsin, went to school in Albuquerque and Chicago, where he got a MFA in Theatre Arts and Directing.He is close friends with Sally Sussman Morina.-Positions held:Another World*Breakdown Writer: 1988*Script Writer: 1987...

intended to hold off the couple's marriage and allow them to be separated by Scotty for six more months. Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor

Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...

called General Hospital's studio after reading about the wedding's being postponed in a soap opera magazine. She made a deal to appear on the series if Luke and Laura married. Taylor appeared in five episodes as Helena Cassadine

Helena Cassadine

Helena Cassadine is a fictional character on the American soap opera General Hospital, famously originated by film actress Elizabeth Taylor in November 1981...

, the widow of Mikkos Cassadine, who Luke and Laura killed. Luke and Laura's wedding, which aired on November 16 and 17, 1981, achieved the highest ratings in the history of daytime television. Shortly after the wedding aired, Francis left the show, taking a portion of the audience with her. To hold onto the younger viewers, the show began focusing more on "action-adventure" and less on "complex characterizations and psychological drama". Francis returned briefly in 1983 to facilitate Geary's exit. Both actors returned in 1984 to reprise

Reprise

Reprise is a fundamental device in the history of art. In literature, a reprise consists of the rewriting of another work; in music, a reprise is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the...

their roles for six weeks. ABC brought them back hoping to raise General Hospital's ratings. Their return story involved a location shoot in Cuernavaca

Cuernavaca

Cuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established at the archeological site of Gualupita I by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago...

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

and an adventure involving Holly Sutton and Robert Scorpio

Robert Scorpio

Robert Xavier Scorpio is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, played by actor Tristan Rogers. Robert's birthday is September 15.-Appearances:Tristan Rogers originally played the role from December 1980 through February 25, 1992...

. The story aired from late-October through early December 1984, after which the actors departed again and did not return until the 1990s.

Later years

Monty, who left the series in 1986, returned in 1991 with the hope she would again raise the ratings of the show. She brought Geary back to General Hospital that same year as Luke's look-alike

Look-alike

A look-alike is a person who closely resembles another person. In popular Western culture, a look-alike is a person who bears a close physical resemblance to a celebrity, politician or member of royalty. Many look-alikes earn a living by making guest appearances at public events or performing on...

cousin, Bill Eckert. The actor had refused to return to the show as Luke without Laura. The unpopularity of the Bill Eckert character led to ABC's firing Monty, killing off Bill, and bringing Luke and Laura back, played by Geary and Francis. Upon their return, the actors took more control of the writing for their characters. Geary, along with a writer friend, Irene Suver, developed the story for Luke and Laura's return. Geary's contract allowed him to rewrite his dialogue at his discretion. Francis and Geary were also known for fighting over story direction with executive producer Wendy Riche

Wendy Riche

Wendy Riche is an American television producer. She has been executive producer of ABC Daytime's General Hospital and the co-creator and executive producer of its spinoff show Port Charles....

and the show's writers. The departure of head writer Richard Culliton

Richard Culliton

Richard Culliton is an American television writer known for his work on soap operas. He has won four Writers Guild of America Awards, including one as a Head Writer, and two Daytime Emmy Awards. He is an alumnus of Northwestern University...

days after a tense meeting with Geary caused rumors to circulate that the actor threatened to quit if Culliton were not fired. "The meeting did not go well, but I made no ultimatums and there was certainly no violence," Geary said. "I really don't know if I had anything to do with his departure, but I wouldn't shed any tears if I did." Francis supported Geary in what they considered to be standing up for the "integrity" of their characters and protecting the "Spencer franchise". "Sometimes people think we're difficult because of that, but we're only difficult because we want to live up to the high standards we've set," Francis said. "I actually like it when Tony gets out of line... He can go to horrid places I can't."

Luke, Laura, and Scott

While working at General Hospital, teenage Laura Webber meets and falls in love with Scott Baldwin

Scott Baldwin

(Kin Shriner

Kin Shriner

Kin Shriner is an American actor, best known for playing Scott Baldwin on both daytime serials General Hospital and Port Charles .-Personal life:...

). When Laura is seduced by the much older David Hamilton, in a plot to get revenge on her mother Lesley Webber

Lesley Webber

Lesley Webber, M.D. was a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. She was played by Denise Alexander from 1972-1984 on contract and from 1996-2009 recurring.-Arrival:...

(Denise Alexander

Denise Alexander

Denise Alexander is a well-known American soap opera actress, most known for her role as Lesley Webber on General Hospital, a role she originally played from 1973 to 1984 and 1996 to present....

), Scott breaks up with Laura and begins an affair with former prostitute, and now nurse, Bobbie Spencer

Bobbie Spencer

(Jackie Zeman). When Laura discovers the truth about David's plot, she accidentally kills him, eventually leading to Scott's rekindling their relationship. Bobbie, very much in love with Scott, gets her brother, 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 :...

, to help her break up the couple. Laura is put on probation

Probation

Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...

for David's death until she turns eighteen or is married. When Scott becomes overwhelmed by Laura's desire to marry, he gets drunk. Bobbie makes it look like the two have slept together. When Laura discovers this, she ends up injured in a car accident. Luke, who has developed feelings for Laura, convinces Bobbie to drop her vendetta

Vendetta

Vendetta may refer to:*Feud, a long-running argument or fight between parties-Film and television:* Vendetta, a 1919 German film featuring Harry Liedtke* Vendetta , an American drama produced by Howard Hughes...

.

In July 1979, Scott and Laura marry. Scott begins law school

Law school

A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...

, while Laura begins working at the Campus

Campus

A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...

Disco

Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...

, which is managed by Luke. Luke has become involved with mobster Frank Smith (then George Gaynes

George Gaynes

George Gaynes is a Finnish-born American actor of stage, screen and television.He may be best known as Commandant Eric Lassard in the Police Academy series, and to television fans as the curmudgeonly Henry Warnimont on the NBC series Punky Brewster, in which his wife, Allyn Ann McLerie,...

), who orders him to murder anti-mafia

Mafia

The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...

senatorial candidate Mitch Williams on election night. Luke, distraught over his unrequited love

Unrequited love

Unrequited love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such, even though reciprocation is usually deeply desired. The beloved may or may not be aware of the admirer's deep affections...

for Laura and the fact he would likely die during the murder attempt, vows to hold Laura before he dies. As the Herb Alpert

Herb Alpert

song Rise
Rise (Herb Alpert song)
"Rise" is a song written by Andy Armer and Randy "Badazz" Alpert, and first recorded by trumpeter Herb Alpert. The instrumental track was included on Alpert's solo album Rise and released as a single in 1979. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in October of that year and remained...

plays, Luke rapes Laura on the floor of the Campus Disco. A conflicted Laura admits to being raped, but does not name Luke as her attacker. When election night arrives, Laura throws Luke's keys away to keep him from killing Mitch. Instead, Luke's best friend Roy DiLucca (then Asher Brauner) performs the hit and is presumed dead after being shot by Mitch's security detail

Security detail

A security detail more often known as a PSD, standing for Protective Services Detail, Personal Security Detachment, or Personal Security Detail is a protective team assigned to protect the personal security of an individual or group. PSDs can be made up of military personnel, private security...

. Frank, furious at Luke's actions, demands Luke marry his daughter Jennifer Smith

Jennifer Smith (General Hospital)

Jennifer Smith is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. Lisa Marie portrayed the character in 1980, Roseanne Arnold in 1994, and Sally Struthers in February 2002.- Character history :...

(then Lisa Marie

Lisa Marie

Lisa Marie Smith is an American model and actress, who uses simply Lisa Marie as her professional name.-Early life:...

).

To get out of his marriage to Jennifer, Luke orders Laura to tell Scott he raped her. She refuses, and begins to get jealous when she observes Luke flirting with Jennifer. Scotty tells Laura she has to quit her job at the disco. On her last night shares a kiss with Luke. Horrified, Laura slaps him, but later accidentally becomes locked in his office, only to overhear Luke and Frank discussing mob business. When Frank discovers her, he forces Laura to continue to work at the disco. Laura tells Luke not to marry Jennifer to keep herself safe.

Suspecting Laura returns his feelings, Luke traps her on a sailboat and forces her to admit her love for him. Rather than making love to her, Luke again orders Laura to turn him in for raping her. Laura refuses. Luke realizes he should marry Jennifer, since he is in too deep with the mob to ever be with Laura. Laura writes Luke a letter, which Scott finds on the day of Luke's marriage to Jennifer. Scott interrupts the ceremony on Frank's yacht and knocks Luke overboard, leading everyone to believe he had died. Eventually, Luke reveals to Laura he is alive. He has stolen Frank's encoded black book

Black book

- History :* The Black Book, the list of people to be arrested by the Gestapo following a planned Nazi invasion of Britain in the Second World War* Black Book , a compilation of documentary reports about the actions of Nazis against Jews in Eastern Europe during the Holocaust- Literature :* The...

, which holds the details of all of his criminal dealings. Realizing they could be free of the mob and be together if they could decode the book, the two flee Port Charles as Frank Smith's men pursue them.

While on the run, the two dance at Wyndahm's Department Store, before ending up in the rural town of Beecher's Corners. They pose as newlyweds and are able to evade Frank's men and eventually find enough evidence to have Frank arrested. They celebrate by making love, and decide to return to Port Charles. When they return, the press bombards them with questions. Laura, still traumatized from the press attention she had gotten after David Hamilton's murder, declares she still considers herself Scott's wife. A heartbroken Luke rejects her, despite the fact Laura has decided to divorce Scott.

Ice Princess saga

While Laura attempts to find Scotty, who has fled to Mexico, she continues to pursue Luke and moves into the same apartment building as him. Meanwhile Luke takes a job with wealthy Edward Quartermaine

Edward Quartermaine

Edward Louis Quartermaine is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. The character was created in 1978, originally played by David Lewis. When ill health forced Lewis to step down from the role in 1989, the character was killed off in a plane crash. Lewis' voice was still...

(then David Lewis

David Lewis (actor)

David Lewis was an American actor, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known for playing Edward Quartermaine from 1978 to 1993 on the American soap opera General Hospital....

) and his niece Alexandria (Renee Anderson), who are searching for the Ice Princess, the world's largest uncut diamond. Also in pursuit of the diamond is Mikkos Cassadine (John Colicos

John Colicos

John Colicos was a Greek-Canadian actor. He was a distinguished stage actor in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.-Career:...

), a wealthy Greek tycoon bent on world domination. Luke and Laura reconcile and decide to get married when Robert Scorpio

Robert Scorpio

(Tristan Rogers

Tristan Rogers

Tristan Rogers is an Australian–American actor. He is best known for playing Robert Scorpio on the ABC soap opera General Hospital...

), an agent for the World Security Bureau (WSB), informs Luke the statue the diamond is hidden in also contains a formula for a dangerous substance called "carbonic snow", powerful enough to freeze Port Charles.

Alexandria, to be working with Mikkos' brothers Victor and Tony (Thaao Penghlis

Thaao Penghlis

Thaao Penghlis is an Australian actor. He is better known for roles in the U.S. daytime soap operas such as Days of our Lives, Santa Barbara, and General Hospital, but he has also guest-starred on a number of crime dramas, such as Kojak, Cannon, Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, Hart to Hart, Nero Wolfe, ...

and Andre Landzaat

Andre Landzaat

André Landzaat is a Dutch actor. He played Tony Cassadine in the soap opera General Hospital in 1981; for this, he won a Soap Opera Award. He used the popularity of the show to travel the United States to bring attention to the problem of missing children.Landzaat was born and raised in the...

), acquires the diamond and decides to deliver it aboard Titan, the Cassadine's yacht, and brings several Port Charles residents with her. Luke and Robert stow away on the yacht They are shocked to discover Laura has done so as well. The trio arrive at Mikkos' private island in the Atlantic, and discover he is planning on using the Ice Princess to hold the world for ransom, threatening to send the world into a new ice age. He also reveals Port Charles is to be used as an example, and soon the city is plunged into a blizzard, despite it being the middle of the summer. Alexandria and Tony are killed when they try to stop Mikkos. Luke is able to figure out the correct password to turn off Mikkos' machine. After struggling with Luke, Mikkos is killed. Luke, Laura, and Robert are hailed as heroes when they return to Port Charles. As Luke and Laura prepare to marry, Lee Baldwin

Lee Baldwin

Lee Baldwin is a fictional character on the popular ABC daytime dramas General Hospital, and the now canceled Port Charles. Peter Hansen originated the role in 1965. Lee Baldwin is the adoptive father of Scott Baldwin. A recovering alcoholic, Lee is a pillar in the community and has a thriving law...

(Peter Hansen

Peter Hansen (actor)

Peter Hansen is an American actor, best known for his role as a lawyer, Lee Baldwin, on the soap opera General Hospital. He played the role from 1965 to 1986 and again from 1992 to 2004...

) reveals he drunkenly burned Scotty and Laura's divorce papers. Lee attempts to find Scott in Mexico, but when they are unable to, Laura decides to have a Mexican divorce

Mexican divorce

In the 1960s, many Americans traveled south to obtain a "Mexican divorce". A Mexican divorce was easier, quicker, and less expensive than a divorce in most states. Celebrities who obtained a Mexican divorce include Johnny Carson, Katharine Hepburn, Richard Burton, Marilyn Monroe, and Don Hewitt. It...

, risky since the divorce would be invalid should Scott ever contest it.

Luke and Laura marry on November 17, 1981, in a lavish ceremony officiated by the mayor of Port Charles, with hundreds of residents from Port Charles and Beecher's Corners in attendance. Bobbie and Laura are able to come to an uneasy truce, since they both love Luke. However, Mikkos' widow Helena Cassadine

Helena Cassadine

Helena Cassadine is a fictional character on the American soap opera General Hospital, famously originated by film actress Elizabeth Taylor in November 1981...

(portrayed by Academy Award winning actress Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor

Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...

) arrives. She secretly places a curse on the couple during their reception, as she blames the duo for her husband's death. Later, Scott arrives. After catching Laura's bouquet, he declares he is contesting his divorce. As had occurred at Luke's aborted wedding to Jennifer, the men begin to fight. tThis time, Luke is the victor.

Scott is able to be talked out of contesting his divorce. In 1982, Laura mysteriously disappears off of a pier in Port Charles and is presumed dead. Jackie Templeton (Demi Moore

Demi Moore

Demi Guynes Kutcher , known professionally as Demi Moore, is an American actress. After minor roles in film and a role in the soap opera General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St...

) reveals her sister Laura Templeton (Janine Turner

Janine Turner

Janine Turner is an American actress who starred on the prime time television show Northern Exposure from 1990 to 1995. From 2000 to 2002, she appeared on the Lifetime original series Strong Medicine...

) disappeared under similar circumstances. The two friends discover a thief named David Gray was behind the disappearances. While Laura Templeton was not harmed, Gray revealed he had killed Laura Spencer, leading Luke to kill him during a fight. Luke, though still uncertain about his wife's ultimate fate, begins an affair with scam artist Holly Sutton (Emma Samms

Emma Samms

Emma Samms is a British television actress best known for her role as Holly Sutton on the American daytime soap opera General Hospital and for replacing Pamela Sue Martin as Fallon Carrington Colby on the primetime soap opera Dynasty.-Early life:Samms was born in Willesden, London, England, the...

). Their affair is cut short when Luke is presumed dead in an avalanche. Holly falls in love with Robert, despite Luke revealing he is alive. Increasingly lonely, Luke decides to run for mayor of Port Charles, and wins the election. While celebrating his victory, Laura Spencer reveals she is alive and had been kidnapped by the Cassadine family. Mikkos' cousin Stavros Cassadine (then John Martinuzzi) had spared her life since he had fallen in love with her. He forced her to marry him, though the marriage was invalid because she was already married to Luke. Stavros came to town to claim his wife, but was killed after falling down a flight a stairs after a struggle with Luke. The couple attempted to settle into their roles in politics, but found the roles stifling. In 1984, Luke and Laura decide to leave Port Charles and their enemies behind and travel the world, but not before Laura reveals she is pregnant. Later that year, Laura's mother Lesley appears to die in a car accident arranged by the Cassadine family.

Return to Port Charles

While traveling, Laura has Luke's son Lucas Lorenzo Spencer, Jr., who they nickname Lucky

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:...

(played by Jonathan Jackson

Jonathan Jackson (actor)

Jonathan Stevens Jackson is an American actor, best known for playing Lucky Spencer, son of supercouple Luke and Laura on the American daytime drama General Hospital...

). From prison, Frank Smith (now Mitchell Ryan

Mitchell Ryan

Mitchell Ryan is an American actor most recently known for playing Edward Montgomery on the sitcom Dharma & Greg. He also worked with his on-screen wife from Dharma & Greg, Susan Sullivan, in the short-lived series Julie Farr, M.D..Ryan was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and raised in Louisville,...

) tracks them down and bombs a truck in the parking lot of the Triple L Diner in Canada where the family had been hiding, killing one of their friends. Lucky arrives in Port Charles alone and meets Luke's aunt Ruby Anderson (Norma Connolly), and is shortly joined by his parents. Frank's son Damian Smith (Leigh McCloskey

Leigh McCloskey

Leigh Joseph McCloskey is an American film and television actor.-Career:McCloskey was classically trained as an actor at the Juilliard School in Lincoln Center, New York. As an actor, he is perhaps most widely known for his role as Mitch Cooper on the CBS soap opera Dallas...

) convinces Luke his family will remain unharmed if he joins Frank's protege Sonny Corinthos

Sonny Corinthos

Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera General Hospital. Maurice Benard has played the role, that of a manic depressive Mob boss living in Port Charles, since the character's storyline originated on August 13, 1993...

(Maurice Benard

Maurice Benard

Maurice Benard is an American actor. He is known primarily for his portrayal of romantic mobster Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital, a role he has portrayed since 1993.-Career:...

) in a scheme to smuggle in illegal aliens. Luke and Sonny agree to break Frank out of prison. The friends also agree to kill Frank once they do. Frank, however, uses Laura as a shield so he can escape. Luke and Laura attempt to track Frank down. They enlist the help of Jennifer Smith (now played by Roseanne Barr

Roseanne Barr

Roseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...

), who has since married slimy Billy "Baggs" Boggs (portrayed by Barr's then husband Tom Arnold

Tom Arnold (actor)

Thomas Dwaine "Tom" Arnold is an American actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films, perhaps most notably True Lies . He was the host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period for four years.-Early life:...

). Luke is finally able to kill Frank, though his children would continue to torment the couple.

Laura reveals she is pregnant again, and gives birth to a daughter named Lesley Lu Spencer and nickname Lulu

Lulu Spencer

Lesley Lu "Lulu" Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. She is the daughter of supercouple Luke and Laura Spencer. She has notably been portrayed by Julie Marie Berman, who debuted in the role in November 2005...

. Luke's involvement in Sonny's business leads to a brief separation. They continue to be threatened by Damian Smith. When Damian is murdered, Laura is arrested for the crime. She is exonerated. It is revealed her lawyer Justus Ward

Justus Ward

Justus Ward was a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. He was the son of Bradley and Isobel Ward, and the grandson of Edward Quartermaine. The role was originated by former Cosby Show actor Joseph C. Phillips, who appeared as Justus from June 2, 1994 to July 1, 1998...

(then-Joseph C. Phillips

Joseph C. Phillips

Joseph Connor Phillips is an American actor and conservative Christian commentator and writer. He is best known for his role as Martin Kendall on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show.-Personal life:...

), who was the illegitimate grandson of Edward Quartermaine (now John Ingle

John Ingle

John Ingle is an American actor known for his role as scheming patriarch Edward Quartermaine on the ABC daytime drama, General Hospital.-Career:...

), was the killer.

Lulu is diagnosed with aplastic anemia

Aplastic anemia

Aplastic anemia is a condition where bone marrow does not produce sufficient new cells to replenish blood cells. The condition, per its name, involves both aplasia and anemia...

and needs a bone marrow transplant

Bone marrow transplant

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cell or blood, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cells, or umbilical cord blood...

, but none of her family members are a match. Laura's son by Stavros Cassidine, Nikolas, donates his bone marrow at a hospital in Switzerland. Nikolas arrives in Port Charles with his uncle Stefan (Stephen Nichols

Stephen Nichols

Stephen Nichols is an American actor, most notable for his roles on American daytime soap operas. He played the part of Steve Johnson on NBCs Days of our Lives from 1985-1990; after that, he had a stint on ABC's General Hospital as Stefan Cassadine from 1996-2003...

) where they decide to stay, creating tension in the Spencer family, especially when Stefan begins to romance Bobbie. Stefan had been Laura's only friend during her captivity. The two had developed romantic feelings for each other and were lovers. When he married Bobbie, Laura knew it was to make her jealous.

Stefan reveals Helena (now Constance Towers

Constance Towers

-Early life:Towers was born in Whitefish, Montana, the daughter of Ardath L. and Harry J. Towers. According to her official Web site, a contract from Paramount Pictures was offered to her at age 11 but was declined...

) had ordered him to kill Lesley. He instead saved her, though she was in a catatonic state. When mother and daughter are reunited, Luke conspires with Tom Hardy

Tom Hardy Sr.

Thomas Steven "Tom" Hardy Sr. was a fictional character on ABC soap opera General Hospital. He is the son of Audrey March Hardy and Tom Baldwin Sr.- External links:*********...

(Matthew Ashford

Matthew Ashford

Matthew Nile Ashford is an American actor best known for the long running role of Jack Deveraux on the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives.-Personal life:...

) to fake their deaths to keep them safe from Helena. When their ruse is uncovered, the mourning Nikolas, Bobby, and Stefan turn against the family. Stefan threatens to reveal to Luke he could be Nikolas' father, and forces Laura to leave town with Lesley. A fearful Laura takes her mother and Lulu to Switzerland, under the guise of getting better care for Lesley.

Marital woes

Laura returns in 1998, to discover Nikolas has been shot in front of Luke's club as a result of Luke's ties to Sonny Corinthos. She also discovers Nikolas told Lucky about Luke raping her, devastating Lucky who has fallen in love with rape victim Elizabeth Webber

Elizabeth Webber

Elizabeth Spencer may refer to:*Lady Elizabeth Spencer , wife of Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke*Elizabeth Spencer, Baroness Hunsdon*Elizabeth Spencer , American novelist...

(Rebecca Herbst

Rebecca Herbst

Rebecca Herbst is an American actress, best known for playing nurse Elizabeth Webber on the daytime drama General Hospital, a role she originated on August 1, 1997, and Suzee, an alien on the Nickelodeon show, Space Cases.- Personal background :Herbst was born in Encino, California. Her parents...

). Lucky slowly works towards repairing his relationship with his parents. Laura and Luke eventually separate when the truth about her past with Stefan is revealed, leading to Stefan and Bobbie divorcing. The marriage is further tested when Lucky appears to die in a fire, which the couple blame on Sonny. Helena, however, has kidnapped Lucky. She begins to brainwash him. Laura begins a relationship with Stefan. However, when Luke learns Lucky is alive, they suspect Stefan may have been involved in his disappearance. Laura ends things. The two focus all their energies on finding their son. When they do, they work together to help him recover from Helena's manipulations. Along the way, they must again deal with Jennifer Smith, now played by Sally Struthers

Sally Struthers

Sally Ann Struthers is an American actress and spokeswoman, best-known for her roles as Gloria Stivic on All in the Family, for which she won two Emmy awards, and as Babette on Gilmore Girls.-Personal life:...

.

The kidnapping of Lucky was a distraction for Helena's real plan, the revival of her presumed dead son Stavros (now Robert Kelker-Kelly

Robert Kelker-Kelly

Robert Kelker-Kelly is an American soap opera actor.He attended Wichita Collegiate School in Wichita, Kansas from 1977 to 1980, where he was active in the theatre and had major roles in several plays, including Rusty in Guys and Dolls, Bill Sikes in Oliver! and Sir Lionel in Camelot...

), who had been cryogenically frozen. Stavros once again pursues the Ice Princess in another plot to take over the world. Luke and Laura continue to reach out to Lucky (then-Jacob Young

Jacob Young

Jacob Wayne Young is an American actor and singer. He is perhaps best known for his role as JR Chandler on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children...

). When Stefan disappears and is presumed dead, Luke is the main suspect. Felicia reveals that she and Luke were having sex when Stefan went missing. Laura finally realized she and Luke were over. She began a new relationship with her first husband Scott Baldwin, making Luke jealous. The Spencers reconnected while trying to help Lucky. In the end Stavros fell to his death in a seemingly bottomless pit after struggling with Luke. Unable to deny the history between them, Luke tried to get back together with Laura after their divorce was final. Luke and Laura eventually reconciled and plan to marry again. Lesley's philandering former husband and Laura's beloved step-father Rick Webber

Rick Webber

Rick Webber was a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. He was portrayed by Michael Gregory from 1976 - 1978, and by Chris Robinson from 1978 - 1986, and again briefly in 2002, when the character was killed by Scott Baldwin....

(Chris Robinson

Chris Robinson (actor)

Chris Robinson is an actor who played Rick Webber #2 on General Hospital...

) returns to Port Charles. Laura begins to have disturbing flashbacks to when she was a young teen and in love with Scott. Laura starts to believe Ric had killed his former lover Theresa in the attic of their family home. Before her wedding, while trying to recover her memories of that night, Laura appears to kill Rick who she thinks is attacking her. Scott reveals Laura had killed Theresa when she discovered the two in a compromising position. He and Rick had drugged her and covered up the murder.

Laura, unable to cope with her role in two deaths, loses touch with reality. In 2002, Luke is forced to commit Laura to an insane asylum. As his presence only makes things worse, he gives Nikolas power of attorney over all of her medical decisions. Eventually, Laura slips into a catatonic state.

Laura's return

By September 2006, Luke is married to Edward's manipulative daughter Tracy Quartermaine

Tracy Quartermaine

Tracy Angelica Quartermaine Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital...

(Jane Elliot

Jane Elliot

Jane Elliot is an American actress, known for her role as Tracy Quartermaine, a role she has played on General Hospital and The City ....

). However, Robert's daughter, Dr. Robin Scorpio

Robin Scorpio

Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital and its prime time SOAPnet spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift, originated and portrayed by Kimberly McCullough since 1985. The character came to mainstream attention when she was diagnosed as HIV-positive...

(Kimberly McCullough

Kimberly McCullough

Kimberly Anne McCullough is an American actress, dancer, and director. She is best known for her longtime role as Robin Scorpio on the soap opera General Hospital, a role which she originated at the age of 7, playing the character from 1985-1996...

), announces a potential drug therapy that can help Laura recover. Despite knowing that it could lead to permanent catatonia, Luke decides to go ahead with the treatment as all of Laura's children desperately need her. Lucky (then-Greg Vaughan

Greg Vaughan

James Gregory Vaughan, Jr is an American actor.-Personal life:Vaughan is the son of James Gregory Vaughan, Sr., and Barbara Ann Alt. Greg has Greek & Native American ancestry....

) is recovering from a drug addiction and had an affair with Felicia's daughter Maxie Jones

Maxie Jones

Mariah Maximilliana "Maxie" Jones is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital currently portrayed by Kirsten Storms. She is the oldest daughter of supercouple Frisco and Felicia Jones. In 2009, Storms was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her role of Maxie Jones...

(Kirsten Storms

Kirsten Storms

Kirsten Renee Storms is an American actress. Her biggest break came when she was cast as Isabella "Belle" Black in the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives from 1999 to 2004....

), Lulu has recently had an abortion, and Nikolas is raising a young son on his own. On October 26, 2006, Laura awakens, and is surprised that so much time has passed. While Laura bonds with her children, Luke flies to the Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

and appears to divorce Tracy in order to give Laura the wedding they had been planning before her mental illness. Laura is able to remember killing Rick, and apologizes to her mother and family for what she put them through. Feeling stronger, Laura gets her children to start revealing their secrets so she can help them.

Luke is revealed to be keeping secret that the drug therapy is only a temporary solution, and Laura will eventually return to her catatonic state. Lulu is able to convince her cousin Carly Corinthos

Carly Corinthos

Caroline Leigh "Carly" Corinthos Jacks is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Originated by Sarah Brown on April 8, 1996, the role of Carly has been portrayed by Laura Wright since 2005...

(Laura Wright

Laura Wright

Laura Wright is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Cassie Layne Winslow on Guiding Light , and since 2005, her portrayal of Carly Corinthos on General Hospital; the latter garnered her the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2011.-Filmography:* 1991 - 1995:...

) to postpone her marriage to Jasper Jacks

Jasper Jacks

Jasper "Jax" Jacks is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital. He has been played by actor Ingo Rademacher from January 1996 to August 2000, and from August 2001 to July 2011. In January 2008, the role was temporarily filled by Gideon Emery...

(Ingo Rademacher

Ingo Rademacher

Ingo Rademacher is a German-born US-based Australian television actor. He has played the role of Jasper "Jax" Jacks on the American daytime soap opera General Hospital almost continuously since 1996.-Career:...

), allowing her parents to use the supplies already in place. On November 16, 2006, Luke and Laura remarry on their 25th wedding anniversary. A drunken Tracy has to be removed from the ceremony, and scheming Maxie manages to sneak into the ceremony and catch Laura's bouquet, much like Scott had 25 years before. On November 20, Luke reveals that Laura's illness is no longer mental but physical and she will soon revert to her catatonic state. Laura decides she wants an early Christmas as she may not be around for the real one, and is able to comfort Lulu when she reveals the truth about her abortion. When Luke arrives with the tree, Laura is confused, confirming that her catatonia is returning. After being escorted back to the asylum, Laura reveals to her daughter that she doesn't think she really killed Rick Webber and asks her to prove her innocence. After saying goodbye to her family, Laura returns to her chair and sits with Luke as he tearfully watches her slip back into silence.

After Laura's return to catatonia

Lulu begins investigating Rick's death, and starts to suspect Tracy's brother Alan Quartermaine (Stuart Damon

Stuart Damon

Stuart Damon is an American actor. He is known for thirty years of portraying the character Dr. Alan Quartermaine on the American soap opera General Hospital, for which he won an Emmy Award in 1999....

) and his wife 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...

(Leslie Charleson

Leslie Charleson

Leslie Charleson is an American actress most famous for her work in daytime television.-Biography:Charleson was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Her career began on short-lived soap A Flame in the Wind in 1964...

) of the murder, since Monica and Rick had been lovers. However, when Alan dies from a heart attack, Lulu intercepts a letter from Alan to her father revealing that Scott actually killed Rick. Lulu teams up with her boyfriend Logan Hayes (Josh Duhon

Josh Duhon

Josh Duhon is an American actor. He was born Joshua Wilson Duhon in McKinney, Texas, and stands 6'. Josh Duhon joined the cast of General Hospital in March 2007 as Logan Hayes, Lulu Spencer's eventual love interest...

) to prove Scott's guilt, while Scott attempts to gain guardianship of Laura. After telling Lulu that Luke raped Laura, Scott is able to gain custody of her, only to have Luke kidnap Laura and send her into hiding. Logan reveals himself to be Scott's son, and his relationship with Lulu begins to unravel after interference from Maxie. Laura, meanwhile, is returned to Shadybrook and Nikolas is again given guardianship. Desperate to get Lulu back, Logan attacks Maxie and when he realizes that Lulu has witnessed this he breaks into the penthouse she is sharing with her new boyfriend Johnny Zacchara

Johnny Zacchara

John "Johnny" Anthony Zacchara is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital and the contract role has been portrayed Brandon Barash since 18 September 2007. Within the series, he is known as the son of mobster Anthony Zacchara.-Arrival:...

(Brandon Barash

Brandon Barash

Brandon Joseph Barash is an American actor.-Career:Early in life Barash caught the acting bug, he had aspirations of being a cardiac surgeon. In high school, he underwent knee surgery for the chance to play college basketball. His girlfriend at that time got him in the school's musical audition...

). Lulu is forced to kill him with a wrench, and after fleeing from police with Johnny, Lulu begins to lose her grip on reality and is eventually placed in the same asylum as her mother.

While at Shadybrook, Laura reveals to Lulu that she has been waking up but wants it kept from the family in case she relapses. Laura helps Lulu work through her guilt over Logan's death, though Lulu again questions her sanity when doctors reveal that the Laura she has been talking to is a figment of her imagination. Scott finds Lulu talking to her still catatonic mother, and begins threatening to have her arrested for Logan's death. Upon hearing her daughter in danger, Laura really wakes up and convinces Scott to leave with her to protect her daughter. Laura and Scott head to Los Angeles, where their first honeymoon took place, as Tracy and Luke pursue them. Laura and Luke are able to reunite, but their happiness is short lived when Laura learns that their last wedding was a fake and that Luke is still married to Tracy. Laura returns to Port Charles and after a joyful reunion with her family, decides to move to Europe to continue treatments to insure that she doesn't relapse. Unknown to her Scott Baldwin follows.

Cultural impact

Luke and Laura's November 17, 1981 wedding brought in 30 million viewers; it remains the highest rated soap opera episode in American daytime television history. Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor

Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...

made a cameo appearance

Cameo appearance

A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...

during the event, and Princess Diana

Diana, Princess of Wales

Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...

reportedly sent champagne. The couple was subsequently credited with having brought "legitimacy to daytime serials" by crossing boundaries and becoming celebrities in the mainstream media. "[They took daytime] out of the closet so people were not ashamed to say 'I watch a soap.' General Hospital and Luke and Laura...were like the super couple," said Lilana Novakovitch, a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

agent for soap opera stars. "They ended up being on the cover of People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...

magazine, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...

magazine; they gave credibility to soap opera fans."

Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...

columnist Carolyn Hinsey stated that she was at her Indiana University

Indiana University

Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...

sorority house when the wedding took place. "Laura Spencer — like the actress portraying her, Genie Francis — was only 19 at the time and leading a much more glamorous life than the girls in Indiana could imagine," she said. "The relationship had creepy overtones, given that Luke had raped Laura two years earlier, and yet it captured the imagination."

Francis said, "I didn't really understand how big it was. I really enjoyed all my time at work. The hard time was when I was not working. Fortunately, there were not many of those hours." Geary stated, "It just wasn't anything that I was prepared to deal with as an actor, because I was in daytime. We were international celebrities but still considered small-screen." Geary continued, "People didn't take it seriously and those that did took it too seriously. It was a very, very odd place to be."

The widespread media attention of Luke and Laura's wedding set the pairing up as "the model" for other soap opera supercouples. Shows wanted to duplicate their success, and, with the exception of rape for most of the couples, started incorporating the same type of action stories, romantic themes, and tales of intrigue which had originally contributed to Luke and Laura's popularity.

Today, Luke and Laura are regarded as daytime television's quintessential and most iconic

Cultural icon

A cultural icon can be a symbol, logo, picture, name, face, person, building or other image that is readily recognized and generally represents an object or concept with great cultural significance to a wide cultural group...

couple.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Writing

Rape

Adventure plots

Later years

Luke, Laura, and Scott

Ice Princess saga

Return to Port Charles

Marital woes

Laura's return

After Laura's return to catatonia

Cultural impact

See also

External links