Jon Lindstrom's Two Runs On General Hospital Followed The Same Pattern
Even though Jon Lindstrom has played both Dr. Kevin Collins and his twin brother Ryan Chamberlain on "General Hospital" for decades, the two characters couldn't be more different. Kevin is a nice guy who has used his position as a psychiatrist to help the good citizens of Port Charles. Ryan, however, was a homicidal fiend with a proclivity for blonde women, and has terrorized such people as Felicia Scorpio (Kristina Wagner) and Ava Jerome (Maura West).
While Kevin and Ryan were vastly different, there was one thing both had in common: each were only supposed to appear for a short time on the sudser, but ended up sticking around for the long haul. Lindstrom wasn't a stranger to soaps and how they work, having appeared on "Rituals" in 1985, as well as a brief run playing Mark McCormick on "Santa Barbara" from 1985 to 1986. In 2006, he joined "As the World Turns" playing fan favorite Craig Montgomery for four years starting in 2006, where he met his future wife, the Emmy winning Cady McLain.
In the grand scheme of soap operas, most actors end up having short runs, with only a select few actually lasting for several years, and Lindstrom expected his time to be limited when he began playing Ryan. Little did he know, he would not only prove to be incredibly popular, he would be asked back not once, but twice during his run on "GH," and continues to this day.
Ryan was only supposed to terrorize Port Charles briefly
In 1992, Jon Lindstrom debuted on "General Hospital" as pediatrician Dr. Ryan Chamberlain, a role that was only supposed to run through the summer. But, the unhinged serial killer was extremely popular. "When I started this, I was supposed to be on for 12 weeks –16 weeks tops. I'd come in for a short run since the story was to have a beginning, a middle and an end," he told the Los Angeles Times in May 1993.
"I'm the hated envy of all my friends. All of my acting friends that is," he stated, further adding, "Not only am I working, but I've also got a great part to play. Ryan is without a doubt the best role I've ever had." His notoriety reached epic proportions as he would be spotted in public, to the shock of fans. He explained that while shopping, people would recognize him, become briefly frightened, and then praise his acting.
As Ryan's story started to wind down, the producers realized they wanted to keep Lindstrom. He'd been offered the role of Damian on "As the World Turns," but "GH's" then-head writer Claire Labine came up with the concept for Kevin Collins and turned the idea over to talented writer and visionary Michele Val Jean, who developed the character. Ryan was ultimately presumed dead in a fire in 1995, but Lindstrom would stay on as Kevin.
Kevin's 2013 return was intended to be brief
After portraying Kevin on the spin-off "Port Charles" through its 2004 cancellation, Jon Lindstrom did not return to "General Hospital" until reprising his role in 2013 for its 30th anniversary celebration. That stint was also supposed to be a brief guest spot, but the fans wanted more, so Kevin has stayed ever since.
Kevin ended up falling in love with the iconic Laura Spencer (Genie Francis), and in 2017 they got married. But she didn't know he was secretly keeping a not-dead Ryan Chamberlain in a mental health facility with the intent of curing him. Unfortunately, things got out of control when Ryan took Kevin's place and terrorized Ava Jerome. Eventually being captured, he ultimately escaped with the evil Heather Webber (Alley Mills), and they took their unwitting daughter, Esme Prince (Avery Pohl), on a wild ride of carnage until he was finally killed (presumably for real this time).
In April 2024, Lindstrom looked back on his career, telling First for Women: "Here I am, 32 years later. It's become this huge, wonderful piece of my life and to be around to celebrate ["General Hospital's"] 60 years and now 61 is great." He further emphasized the show's importance in the television landscape, stating, "Everybody just feels an innate sense of pride about being with this show that's so emblematic of the genre and is such an iconic piece of American television culture."