The Tragic Life Of General Hospital's Genie Francis

Genie Francis is the backbone of Port Charles on "General Hospital," transforming quite a bit over the years. Her career goes all the way back to 1976, and you would think that because her character Laura Collins has become so legendary, Francis would be leading a charmed life. While yes, she's successful and iconic, her journey wasn't without its stumbling blocks. Laura's surname has changed often over the years, but most people remember her as Laura Spencer, wife to the legendary Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary).

She got the role at age 15, and Francis wanted to be an actress from a young age. In an interview with Soap Opera Digest at 17 years old, which is posted on her website, Francis explained where it all started. "If you want something badly enough, you go out and get it. I'm really a black sheep," she said, adding: "'Cause I'm different. I was always different from the other kids at school. I just got bored with being a kid. When I was 10, I was already thinking of being an actress."

She admitted, though, that stardom was stressful. "I do feel pressured and sometimes I feel that I've almost gotten myself in over my head," explaining that because she faced one difficulty after another, "Everyone wants a piece of me! Sometimes it's overwhelming, but then I have to stand back and say, 'I asked for this.' And I did." These challenges would ultimately cause trouble in her life.

According to the website of "General Hospital" star Genie Francis, working long hours consumed her. "It was on my mind 24 hours a day. Every night I would close my bedroom door and sit on the floor, thinking in character about the story lines. I was 14-going-on-25.” But being so young limited how many hours she could work. She explained, "I hated every single minute of being 17. I couldn't wait to be an adult — officially.” 

Her rush to adulthood also made her self-conscious about her weight. In December 2018 she told Closer Weekly "I'm in a business that wants me to be that toothpick-figure girl, and I'm not. All girls start to freak out about their bodies when they're 12 to 14, but what intensified the experience for me was my character [Laura] being put on a diet, and then me taking predigested liquid protein, which people died from." She stated that was her introduction to "the dieting world." In 1977, The New York Times reported that 16 deaths were allegedly connected to the use of liquid protein. 

Having to act out her dieting in front of millions of viewers also made her insecure, and it involved starving herself. In 2016, she told ET "I've been on every diet there is, every fad, crazy diet. I've been in pain and about my body and my weight all my life." But Francis persevered and ultimately became an ambassador for Nutrisystem, losing 40 pounds.

On "General Hospital," Genie Francis' Laura Webber initially married Scotty Baldwin (Kin Shriner), but soon connected with Luke Spencer, and Luke and Laura married in 1981. Their wedding broke records as a staggering 30 million people tuned in for the nuptials, and the couple's stratospheric fame landed them on the covers of major magazines like People and Newsweek. 

But with almost no childhood and no social life, having been tutored on set instead of going to school, Francis succumbed to the incredible pressure brought on by her sudden fame. On an episode of "Lifetime Intimate Portrait" she stated, "My life was absolutely horrible at that time. It was so lonely and so painful and so desperate." Having no peers, she desperately wanted to fit in with the adults on the show, and joined them in the rampant drug use that was going on. "I knew the first time I took a hit of cocaine that I had a problem," she explained, and because it numbed her pain she thought, "Wow! I gotta get more of this!"

Anthony Geary had also fallen into drug use, and then-executive producer Gloria Monty stated that she would have tried to do something about it, had she known it was going on. "It was really a pretty intense situation. I'm very lucky that I'm alive today," Francis stated, also explaining that the behind-the-scenes drug use got covered up. This would lead to the first time she left "GH."

Genie Francis was 19 years old when she left "General Hospital" in 1981. "I made the decision to leave the show," she stated on Lifetime Intimate Portrait, adding, "In one morning. One awful, awful morning." She admitted that she'd been having an issue with drugs and alcohol for a year, explaining that on that morning she'd been partying for roughly 48 hours. She passed out in her home, and when her brother found her, she asked that he take her to the hospital. "I had a sprained ankle, which they bandaged. I had a burnt hand because I guess I had set my finger on fire." The next day, someone picked her up and brought her to her "GH" dressing room where hair and makeup artists worked on her, "So that nobody would see the state that I was in."

On Oprah's "Where Are They Now" she continued the story noting that at that point, an unnamed person told her, "'You know what they said about you?' And I said, 'No. What'd they say?'" The person responded with, "They said that 'it didn't matter if you lived or died because Tony [Geary] was the whole show.'" She explained that the statement was hurtful. "So I just decided, 'Yeah? I don't matter? I'm nothing? Okay, watch this: I'm gone.'" She admitted that her impulsive decision ended up hurting her as well.

After Genie Francis left "General Hospital" the first time, she told People in 1983 that the show, "Never really gave me an exit. It was unfair to me and unfair to the fans." She continued to move on with her life, landing a part in 1987 on "Days of Our Lives," but would later admit that acting on the show was tough on her career.

In May 2001, she told Soap Opera Digest that after working on the TV miniseries "North and South," she wanted to get back into daytime and snagged the role of Diana Colville on "Days." But she got some flack for doing another soap, explaining, "From that point on, my career was tarnished in a way. It was changed. It was a return to daytime, and the business viewed it in some ways as a step back. That was a wrong move in their eyes."

However, the sudser dashed any hopes she had of working simultaneously on other projects, as she remarked, "I had a nice miniseries career going, but because I was on-contract with ['Days'], they wouldn't let me do it. Once I was done with 'Days of Our Lives,' I was so unhappy that I actually quit acting for a year." She also told "Where Are They Now" that the shows that hired her simply wanted her for her fame.

Over the years, Genie Francis has returned to "General Hospital," but in 2002, she told TV Guide that she'd been wrestling with the thought of leaving again. "I was really disappointed when the death of Lucky [Spencer, Jonathan Jackson] storyline happened and I worked so hard, and I still couldn't receive an Emmy nomination," she said, adding that, "I wish I could have bounced back from that better, but that was a really big blow for me." She admitted that despite all of her effort, she felt unappreciated at the studio.

When she wanted some time off, then-executive producer Jill Farren Phelps claimed she couldn't legally ask for it. "Apparently, they put in my last contract that I had to give 120 days notice to get a six-week vacation. I had completely forgotten that it was there, and that made me really angry because I fought all along to have equality with my partner, Tony [Geary], and they don't impose that on him for his vacations, but they do impose it on me." Angered by this inequality, she decided to part ways once again.

Fortunately, she returned to the role that made her a star briefly in 2013, and then again in 2015 where she got on contract, and her character became Laura Collins after marrying Dr. Kevin Collins (Jon Lindstrom) in 2017, and is still there much to the happiness of the fans.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).