As one half of the soap opera couple that helped save "General Hospital" in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Genie Francis began playing Laura Vining Webber Baldwin Spencer Collins on February 8, 1977 (via Soaps.com) when she was just 14 years old. As a teen Laura, she was rebellious and began a romance with Scotty Baldwin, marrying him as soon as she was old enough. Then, in one of soap operas' most memorable plots, Laura was raped by Luke Spencer while still married to Scotty, but then the show changed course and re-wrote the rape as a seduction as Laura fell for Luke and then married him in the most-watched soap episode ever in 1981 (via TV Insider).
Francis chose to leave "GH" in 1982, but returned again in 1983 and 1984 for guest appearances, before a 1993 comeback that lasted until 2002. Francis also hopped to other soaps in between "General Hospital" stints, including with roles on "Days of Our Lives" and "The Young and the Restless" before returning to "GH" on a more permanent basis in 2015 (via IMDb). In 2018, she was taken off contract, but her loving legion of fans protested and Laura was brought back before the end of the year (via TV Insider) when she became Port Charles' mayor and she has remained a part of the soap's canvas ever since.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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