Anthony Geary, the eight-time Emmy Award–winning actor best known for his iconic role as Luke Spencer on the long-running soap opera General Hospital, has died at the age of 78.
Geary passed away on Sunday, December 14, following complications from surgery performed three days earlier.
Born on May 29, 1947, in Coalville, Utah, Geary began his television career in 1970 with a role on the ABC drama Room 222, where he played Tom Whalom. He went on to appear in Bright Promise as David Lockhart before joining The Young and the Restless in 1973 as George Curtis.
His breakthrough came in 1978 when he was cast as Luke Spencer on General Hospital, a role that would define his career. Geary remained a central figure on the series for nearly four decades before officially retiring in 2015. In addition to Luke, he also portrayed the character’s look-alike cousin, Bill Eckert, and returned briefly for a cameo appearance in 2017.
Geary’s portrayal of Luke Spencer earned him eight Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, cementing his status as one of daytime television’s most celebrated performers.
In a 2015 interview with TV Insider, Geary explained his decision to step away from the show, citing exhaustion from the demands of the role.
“I’m just weary of the grind and have been for 20 years,” he said. “I really don’t want to die, collapsing in a heap, on that GH set one day. That wouldn’t be too poetic.”
Beyond General Hospital, Geary appeared in numerous television classics, including All in the Family, The Mod Squad, Mannix and The Partridge Family.
He is survived by his longtime partner, Claudio Gama. The couple had no children.