What Is Former General Hospital Star Anthony Geary Doing Now?
The year 2015 marked the end of an era for Anthony Geary. After 44 years playing Luke Spencer on "General Hospital," the veteran actor decided it was time to walk away from the daytime soap and embark on an exciting new chapter. Geary first joined the cast of "GH" in 1978. He was initially brought onto the show for a 13-week story arc but was later promoted to a series regular after his on-screen romance with Laura Spencer (Genie Francis) became a huge hit among fans. For his work on the drama, Geary has won a record-setting eight Daytime Emmy awards for outstanding lead actor in a drama series. In a chat with TVLine, Geary revealed what ultimately led him to retire from his role after a long tenure.
"I'm just weary of the grind and have been for 20 years. I really don't want to die, collapsing in a heap, on that 'GH' set one day. That wouldn't be too poetic," he said. He then clarified that while he was to move permanently to Amsterdam, he was not retiring from acting just yet. "I don't like that word, 'retirement,'" Geary said. "I'm an actor, a showbiz kid. This year marks 50 years for me in the business ... and I'm not about to bring that to an end." Adding, "I will always act. I will always be looking for another project." Almost a decade after leaving "General Hospital," what has been life like for Geary?
Anthony Geary continued acting
Anthony Geary has opened up to Entertainment Weekly about his future life plans following his shocking departure from "General Hospital" in 2015. The actor — who originally hails from Utah — said he wanted to retreat to Holland, where he's owned a home for years, and pursue a career in musical theater. He said, "I've been studying voice for the past 10 years. I would like to do musical theater in Holland or near London." He also talked about focusing on his writing and improving his language skills so he could audition for a local theater company in the Netherlands. "I would like to experience what it's like to play an American in a Hungarian movie or play a Hungarian in a Dutch movie," Geary — who speaks Dutch — said. "I think that would be a fascinating experience."
Since leaving "GH," Geary has continued to appear in several acting projects, including the British film "Fish Tank" in 2009 and the romance-comedy "Alice and the Monster" in 2012. However, he's mostly led a life out of the spotlight. In a 2019 feature for Soaps in Depth, Geary opened up about his life since moving to Amsterdam. "It's better than I hoped it would be," he gushed. "I'm very grateful and very happy. Amsterdam opens the imagination, and I want to be out in it!" He added, "I'm so grateful to be able to live in this amazing city. I love the lifestyle, the beautiful historical buildings, the art, and the culture."
He returned to General Hospital for a brief cameo appearance
Anthony Geary made thousands of "General Hospital" fans happy when he returned for one final appearance as Luke Spencer in 2017. Per Soap Opera Digest, it was to help facilitate Jane Elliott's own departure from the show after 39 years playing his love interest, Tracy Quartermaine. However, it was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo appearance, as Geary was only on for a little over 60 seconds for the scene. Prior to his surprise return, the actor told Entertainment Weekly that he wouldn't mind returning to "General Hospital" to shoot a few more episodes. "If the story is interesting to me and it works out, I may come back to the show for six weeks or so," he said at the time.
Geary didn't think the show had fully explored Luke Spencer's full potential yet. "He's an infinitely fascinating character. He's one you can take out of modern context, put in the 16th century, and give him a sword," he said, adding, "I really don't think we have exhausted what he can do. It depends on the writers and how far they want to look." At the time, the actor said he would be down for a comeback should the writers come up with a "something... a twist." However, the iconic Luke Spencer was killed off the show in 2022 off-screen. This unexpected revelation jump-started an exciting storyline featuring several popular "GH" characters from the '80s teaming up to solve the mystery of his death. A Tony Geary return now seems unlikely, but Luke's legacy lives on.