Anthony Geary

Anthony Geary
Geary in 2013
Born (1947-05-29) May 29, 1947 (age 76)
OccupationActor
Years active1970โ€“2015, 2017

Anthony Geary (born May 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for playing the role of Luke Spencer on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital. He originated the role of Luke in 1978 and received a record eight Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series prior to his retirement. Geary had a prominent supporting role in the "Weird Al" Yankovic comedy UHF (1989); other notable films include Johnny Got His Gun (1971), Disorderlies (1987), Scorchers (1991), Teacher's Pet (2004) and Fish Tank (2009).

Early life

Anthony Geary was born May 29, 1947, in Coalville, Utah, a son of a contractor father and homemaker mother.

Career

Geary made his first appearance on television in an episode of Room 222 and later appeared in All in the Family, The Mod Squad, Mannix, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Streets of San Francisco, and Barnaby Jones. Geary's first daytime role was in NBC soap opera Bright Promise from 1971 to 1972.

He played George Curtis, who was a rapist, in The Young and the Restless from August to November 1973 and in 1978 was hired for a 13-week story arc to play Luke Spencer in ABC soap General Hospital. Luke Spencer began as a hit man and later became a rapist who fell in love with and subsequently married his victim, Laura Webber (played by Genie Francis). His portrayal of Luke Spencer on General Hospital was well received and grew into a full contract role. The 1981 on-screen wedding of his character and Laura Webber holds the record as the highest-rated soap opera episode of all time.

He holds the distinction of winning a record eight Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He was first nominated in 1980 and had his first win in 1982. Geary was nominated again in 1983, before leaving the show in 1984. Over the next several years, he took roles in various theater and television productions, as well as in several films, but not at the level of success he had hoped for. Despite the popularity of his work as Luke Spencer, filmmakers such as Oliver Stone pigeonholed Geary based solely on the fact that he was a "soap actor". In a conscious effort to distance himself from General Hospital, he actively sought a role in "Weird Al" Yankovic's film debut UHF (1989), that of the quietly eccentric scientist Philo (named for television pioneer Philo Farnsworth). Geary, a fan of Yankovic, went so far as to grow his hair out like Albert Einstein's and stay in character as Philo when meeting the film's casting team; he immediately landed the role.

Anthony Geary holding his 8th Daytime Emmy next to General Hospital Online creator May Lee, April 26, 2015

In 1991, Geary returned to General Hospital as Luke's cousin and look-alike Bill Eckert, due to the actor's desire to play someone other than Luke. However, due to poor feedback from the viewing public, the character was killed off and Geary resumed the role of Luke in 1993. Tony appeared in more than 50 stage plays, including an award-winning one-man show titled Human Scratchings in 1996. He was nominated in 1997 and 1998 for Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor, and had his second win in 1999, and his third in 2000. He received another nomination in 2003, and had his fourth win in 2004. When Geary won for the fifth time in 2006, he set the record for the most lead actor wins. Geary received another Emmy nomination in 2007, and in 2008, he again set a record for most lead actor wins with his sixth Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor.

Geary set a record in 2012 with his seventh Daytime Emmy win and again in 2015 for his eighth win for Outstanding Leading Actor in a Drama Series after 16 nominations for the same role of General Hospital's Luke Spencer. Geary publicly announced on Friday, May 8, 2015, that he would be leaving his role on General Hospital.[citation needed] Geary finished taping his last scenes on the General Hospital set on June 23, 2015.[citation needed] His last air date was July 27, 2015.[citation needed] He later made a cameo appearance on a May 2017 episode to facilitate the retirement of co-star and former on-screen wife Tracy (played by Jane Elliot).

An exception to his series of dramatic roles is the part of a scientist/studio engineer in the comedy movie UHF. He also appeared in 1987's Disorderlies, with rappers the Fat Boys.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1970 Room 222 Tom Whalom Episode: "Choose One & They Lived Happily/Unhappily Ever After"
1971 All in the Family Roger Episode: "Judging Books by Covers"
1971 Johnny Got His Gun Redhead
1971–1972 Bright Promise David Lockhart Soap opera
1972 Blood Sabbath David
1972 The Mod Squad Johnson Episode: "Good Times Are Just Memories"
1972 The Partridge Family Greg Houser Episode: "Ain't Loveth Grand?"
1973 Mannix Eddie Decken Episode: "A Way to Dusty Death"
1973 Shaft David Oliver Episode: "Hit and Run"
1973 The Young and the Restless George Curtis Soap opera
1974 Doc Elliot Dennis Graham Episode: "The Carrier"
1974 Sorority Kill Tony
1971–1975 Marcus Welby, M.D. John Gavanelli 2 episodes
1974–1976 The Streets of San Francisco Gary Jelinek / Cajun / Joe Markham 4 episodes
1976–1977 Barnaby Jones Deputy Blake Jeffries / Nelson Mosley / Wilson 3 episodes
1977 Most Wanted Chops Episode: "The Driver"
1978 The Return of Captain Nemo Bork
1978 Project U.F.O. TV Series Darryl Biggs Episode: "Sighting 4010: The Waterford Incident"
1978 Starsky & Hutch Delano Episode: "The Trap"
1978 The Six Million Dollar Man Arta Episode: "The Lost Island"
1978–1984
1993โ€“2015
2017
General Hospital Luke Spencer
1983 Shaft of Love Doug Hathaway
1983 Intimate Agony Dr. Kyle Richards
1984 Antony and Cleopatra Octavius Caesar
1984 Sins of the Past Lt. Malovich
1984 The Impostor Cade
1985 Kicks Martin Cheevers
1985 Hotel Eli Gilmour / Phil Tanner 2 episodes
1986 You Are The Jury Sam Billings Episode: "The State of Ohio vs. James Wolsky"
1987 P.I. Private Investigations Larry
1987 Disorderlies Winslow Lowry
1987 Penitentiary III Serenghetti
1987 Perry Mason: The Case of the Murdered Madam Steve Reynolds
1988 You Can't Hurry Love Tony
1988 Pass the Ammo Stonewall
1988 It Takes Two Wheel
1988 Dangerous Love Mickey
1989 UHF Philo
1989 Night Life John Devlin
1989 Do You Know the Muffin Man? Stephen Pugliotti
1989 High Desert Kill Dr. Jim Cole
1989 Crack House Dockett
1989–1990 Murder, She Wrote Eric Grant / KGB Lt. Fyodor Alexandrov 2 episodes
1990 Sunset Beat Uncredited Role Made For TV Movie
1990 Sunset Beat Uncredited Role Episode: "One Down, Four Up" (TV Series)
1991–1993 General Hospital Bill Eckert (Also played by Geary in a Dual Role) Soap opera
1991 Night of the Warrior Lynch
1991 Scorchers Preacher
1993 Whistlestop Girl Andy
1994 Roseanne Luke Spencer Episode: "Suck Up or Shut Up"
1995 Burke's Law Clayton Cole Episode: "Who Killed the Centerfold?"
1998 Port Charles Luke Spencer
2004 Teacher's Pet John / Juan Voice
2005 Carpool Guy Carpool Guy
2008 General Hospital: Night Shift Luke Spencer Episode: "Past and Presence", (Part One & Part Two)
2009 Fish Tank Van Man
2013 Alice and the Monster George

Awards and nominations

List of acting awards and nominations
Year Award Category Title Result Ref.
1980 Soapy Award Best Actor General Hospital Won
1981 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Nominated
1981 Soapy Award Best Actor General Hospital Won
1982 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Won
1982 Soapy Awards Best Actor General Hospital Won
1983 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Nominated
1993 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actor General Hospital Nominated
1994 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actor General Hospital Nominated
1997 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Nominated
1998 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Nominated
1999 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Won
1999 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actor General Hospital Won
2000 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Won
2000 Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actor General Hospital Won
2003 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Nominated
2004 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Won
2006 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Won
2006 TV Land Award Most Wonderful Wedding (shared with Genie Francis) General Hospital Nominated
2007 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Nominated
2008 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Won
2009 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Nominated
2012 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Won
2015 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Won
2016 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series General Hospital Nominated

This page was last updated at 2023-12-26 16:50 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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