Top 10 Stars You Forgot Were on General Hospital

Before she became famous in movies like “St. Elmo’s Fire” and “Ghost,” Demi Moore played the meddling investigative reporter Jackie Templeton. Though just shy of 20 at the time, Moore’s smoky voice and big hair go a long way in hiding her inexperience. She handles herself like a pro against “GH” veterans Anthony Geary and Genie Francis. As the dogged reporter searching for her sister, Moore agitated a lot of storylines in her two-year stint, and the character clearly left a mark on the series. Jackie would return in 2020 after a near thirty year absence, but with actress Kim Delaney in Moore’s place.

The denizens of Port Charles, New York had to do something to maintain those svelte physiques. Like millions of home viewers, they relied on the encouragement and energetic, ultra positive instruction of Richard Simmons. When he made his debut on the show in 1979, Simmons was a rising star in the arena of TV fitness. He played a fictionalized version of himself on the show, and gave aerobics lessons to classic characters like Monica Quartermaine and Lesley Webber. But Simmons wasn’t just ornamental. He was a full-blown character in himself. He returned to guest star for the show’s 50th anniversary in 2013, and even had major beef with legacy character Lucy Coe.

Before he was livin’ la vida loca, the Puerto Rican pop star was an actor in telenovelas. Upon arrival at “General Hospital,” he was sporting long, Fabio-like locks as aspiring singer Miguel Morez. Miguel was not a permanent character, but he left an impression on many of the soap’s swooning viewers. Much of his storyline involved bringing tension to the supercouple pairing of Brenda Barrett and mobster Sonny Corinthos. He even played a major part in one of the show’s most heartbreaking storylines, as he was the one who found young B.J. Jones after her fatal run-in with a drunk driver. Although Martin has since returned to acting, he's yet to return to this role.

Early in her career, the future “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” star originated the role of a young girl who is adopted into the powerful Quartermaine Family. Tamblyn first appeared as Emily in 1995, and over her six years with the show, she acted out every kind of melodramatic soap opera storyline you can imagine. From love triangles to kidnappings to addiction, Tamblyn’s time in the role was pretty fraught. Tamblyn left the show in 2001, and actress Natalia Livingston took over the role when the character returned in 2003. Tamblyn’s career really took off after she left the show, starring in her own primetime series, “Joan of Arcadia,” and from there, she embarked on a lucrative film career.

General Hospital is a long way away from the Starship Enterprise, so viewers were probably kind of surprised to see Commander Sulu in Port Charles. George Takei played Mr. Diem, the informal mayor of the Asian Quarter neighborhood. Diem is portrayed as an ominous, cagey diplomat who is in league with the Wus, a local crime syndicate. He played an antagonistic role in a 1985 storyline about the kidnapping of Robert Scorpio and Anna Devane’s daughter, Robin. Takei and the cryptic character only appeared for a couple months before Diem was poisoned by his criminal allies.

This “Grey’s Anatomy” star is no stranger to dramatic hospital settings where the most unhinged things can happen. Given that both shows air on ABC, Chandra Wilson basically works right next door. She’s also a huge “GH” fan, and got to demonstrate her knowledge on a memorable appearance on “The Queen Latifah Show.” Wilson has gotten the full “General Hospital” experience. She’s played three different roles since 2014. First as obsessive compulsive patient Tina Estrada. Returning in 2018, she played a different role as Dr. Massey. Then, she returned once more in 2019 as fashion editor Sydney Val Jean reporting on the scene at the annual Nurses’ Ball.

Before she became the embattled and reluctant Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was just an aspiring actress and theater student at Northwestern University. In 2002, the fresh-faced future royal landed one of her first TV roles on the soap. She’s credited as Jill, a nurse who works at the eponymous hospital. Jill only appeared in an episode or two. Her part is small and fleeting, and she’s really just there to move the plot along. The performance probably would have been hidden in endless hours of archival footage if not for Markle’s fame later in life.

The former “Full House” star has been a certified heartthrob since the 1980s. But John Stamos first came to public attention as Blackie Parrish, the brooding and sensitive foster son of Lesley and Dr. Rick Webber. Introduced in 1982, Blackie was a troubled teenager with a passion for music, a talent Stamos shares. Stamos was widely praised for his performance, even scoring a Daytime Emmy nomination for the role. The tragic ending of Blackie’s romance with young Lou Swenson gave him a heartbreaking sendoff in 1984. Despite the character’s popularity, Stamos left the role for good, and neither the actor nor the character has returned.

Soap operas tend to be where stars get their start in the business, not where they go after stardom finds them. But when controversial actor and filmmaker James Franco approached the “General Hospital” producers, he was at the height of his fame. Playing the aptly-named Franco, an artist who develops a sick fascination with longtime series lead Jason Morgan, the actor certainly made an impression. Franco insisted his appearance on the show was a performance art piece in itself, intended to make viewers question whether soap operas are a legitimate art form. You could argue the utility of trying to make this point to an entire audience full of soap opera viewers, but his appearance garnered the then-forty-year-old series some welcome press.

At the time, the 1981 wedding of Luke Spencer and Laura Webber was the most watched daytime TV event ever. Elizabeth Taylor was not only Hollywood royalty, she was also a devout fan of the show, and when she specifically asked to be written into the event, the writers came through. Her character, the vengeful and glamorous widow Helena Cassadine, makes quite a splash from the jump. She curses the married couple on their wedding day, and makes it her entire mission to ruin their lives. Though Taylor would leave the role after her week of appearances were completed, she actually ended up dating Anthony Geary, the actor who played Luke. Meanwhile, the villainous Helena continued to terrorize the Spencers for decades.

Who’s your favorite extra special “GH” guest star? Let us know in the comments.