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General Hospital star Genie Francis is getting a bookend statuette at this year's ceremony in October. The actress has been chosen to receive the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award. She previously won the Daytime Emmy in 2007 in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Laura Webber Collins (then, Laura Spencer).
The Daytime Emmy Goes To
“I want to offer my deepest gratitude to the leadership of NATAS for honoring me with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award," Francis shared in a statement. "This [coming] February marks 50 years since I first portrayed Laura on General Hospital.
"Stepping onto that set at just 14, I could never have imagined the extraordinary journey that lay ahead. I am deeply grateful to have been welcomed onto your television screens and into your homes for five decades; for the love, support, and loyalty I’ve been given; and for the privilege of being a small part of your lives," the actress added.
"Thank you to NATAS, my colleagues, the daytime community, and, most of all, the viewers," Francis concluded. "My career in daytime television has truly been the adventure of a lifetime, and I am deeply honored by this recognition.”
"We are thrilled to celebrate Genie Francis’s remarkable career," said Adam Sharp, President and CEO, NATAS. "From Port Charles and beyond, she has left an indelible mark on the landscape of daytime television, and she continues to tackle bold topics as a courageous storyteller to this day."
The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are set for October 30 in Hollywood, California.
It Started Out in Port Charles Town
Francis made her debut as Laura Vining on GH in 1977 as the long-lost daughter of Denise Alexander's Dr. Lesley Faulkner (later, Webber). Executive producer Gloria Monty and head writer Douglas Marland thrust the young star into a front-burner story in which Laura's romance with Scotty Baldwin (Kin Shriner) was thwarted by ambitious Bobbie Spencer (the late Jacklyn Zeman), a student nurse, looking to escape her past as a call girl in Florida.
In a shocking storyline, Laura accidentally killed her older, nefarious lover, David Hamilton (the late Jerry Ayres), and blocked the incident from her mind, temporarily. Lesley took the rap for the killing and was convicted in a court of law. Ratings skyrocketed.
Viewer response to the David Hamilton (accidental) murder storyline, featuring Francis and Alexander, was instrumental in GH becoming what Newsweek magazine called in 1981, TV's Most Popular Show.
Later, Francis was paired with Anthony Geary's Luke Spencer, and their relationship led to GH becoming a pop culture phenomenon. A record 30 million viewers tuned in to see the duo's 1981 wedding that included GH fan Elizabeth Taylor coming onto the show as Helena Cassadine.
Francis left GH in early 1982. She starred in the popular mini-series Bare Essence (based on the novel of the same name) as Tyger Hayes, and reprised the part for the short-lived NBC series, also titled Bare Essence. The actress also starred in North and South as Brett Main, and she returned to daytime, first as Diana Colville on Days of our Lives. Then, she brought Ceara Connor to All My Children and Loving.
Francis also played the complicated Genevieve Atkinson on The Young and the Restless opposite Peter Bergman (Jack) and Eric Braeden (Victor).
In 1993, Francis returned to GH as Laura, much to the delight of soap fans everywhere. Laura's story continued as she gave birth to her daughter, Lulu (Alexa Havins), mourned her son, Lucky (Jonathan Jackson), and then saw him return to life (as so many have), welcomed her mother, Lesley, back from the dead, divorced Luke, remarried Scotty, divorced Scotty again, and then found happiness and stability with Dr. Kevin Collins (Jon Lindstrom).
Trending
It's appropriate that Laura is the mayor of Port Charles, as she's the heart and soul of the city, just as Francis is the heart and soul of GH, as evidenced by the popular hashtag #GenieIsGH.
Soap Central congratulates Francis on this prestigious honor.
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