Anthony Geary

Anthony Geary (born Tony Dean Geary; May 29, 1947 – December 14, 2025) was an American actor.

His career spanned more than four decades, and began in episodic television. He appeared as a guest on several primetime series and transitioned into a career predominantly in the soap opera genre. His first soap role was David Lockhart (1971–1972) on Bright Promise (1969–1972), and he later joined The Young and the Restless as George Curtis. His breakout role came in 1978 when he joined the cast of General Hospital as Luke Spencer. For his work as Luke, Geary went on to earn a record eight Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series prior to his retirement.

In addition to his role as Luke, Geary had a prominent supporting role in the "Weird Al" Yankovic comedy UHF (1989); other notable films include Johnny Got His Gun (1971), Disorderlies (1987), Scorchers (1991), Teacher's Pet (2004) and Fish Tank (2009).

Early life

Tony Dean Geary was born on May 29, 1947, in Coalville, Utah, to Dana (née Anderson) and Russell Dean Geary. He was one of four children. Dana was a homemaker and bookkeeper; Russell was a contractor who owned his own construction business. Geary was raised in the Mormon faith by his parents, who were both members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1984, he remarked to The San Diego Union-Tribune that although he credited his faith-based upbringing with giving him a "solid family base," he also expressed a sense of repression stemming from its philosophies and prejudices.

One of the 53 students who graduated from North Summit High School in Coalville, he went on to attend the University of Utah on a full theatre scholarship. In 1967, while he was in his sophomore year, he relocated to Los Angeles, after being discovered by Jack Albertson, and joining a touring company of The Subject Was Roses.

Career

Geary made his first appearance on television in an episode of Room 222 and later appeared on All in the Family as Roger, a "quirky" and "effeminate" character who is presumed to be gay by the series' lead character, Archie Bunker, due to the way in which he dresses and presents himself during the series' fifth episode, "Judging Books by Covers". He also appeared on The Mod Squad, Mannix, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Streets of San Francisco, The Partridge Family, and Barnaby Jones.

Geary's first daytime role was on the NBC soap opera Bright Promise from 1971 to 1972. He later joined the cast of The Young and the Restless as rapist George Curtis; after six-months in the role, Geary was asked to re-sign with the soap, with plans to "rehabilitate" the role. He declined the offer, opting to shift focus towards motion pictures.

In 1978, Geary was hired for a 13-week story arc to play Luke Spencer on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Luke Spencer began as a hit man and rapist who fell in love with - and subsequently married - his victim, Laura Webber (played by Genie Francis). His portrayal of Luke Spencer on General Hospital became a regular role, and the pairing of Luke and Laura became a sensation. The 1981 wedding of Luke and Laura holds the record as the highest-rated soap opera episode of all time.

Geary holds the distinction of winning a record eight Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He was first nominated in 1980, and had his first win in 1982. Geary was nominated again in 1983, before leaving the show in 1984.

Over the next several years, Geary took roles in various theater and television productions, as well as in several films, but did not reach his desired level of success in those endeavors. Despite the popularity of his work as Luke Spencer, filmmakers pigeonholed Geary based solely on the fact that he was a "soap actor". Oliver Stone initially cast him in Salvador but rescinded the offer after learning about him being a soap actor. In a conscious effort to distance himself from General Hospital, he actively sought a role in "Weird Al" Yankovic's film debut UHF (1989), that of the quietly eccentric scientist Philo (named for television pioneer Philo Farnsworth). Geary, a fan of Yankovic, went so far as to grow his hair out like Albert Einstein's and stay in character as Philo when meeting the film's casting team; he immediately landed the role.

In 1991, Geary returned to General Hospital as Luke's cousin and look-alike Bill Eckert; Geary expressed a desire to play a different character than Luke. However, due to poor feedback from the viewing public, Bill Eckert was killed off, and Geary resumed the role of Luke in 1993, when Genie Francis returned to General Hospital.

He was nominated in 1997 and 1998 for Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor, and had his second win in 1999, and his third in 2000. He received another nomination in 2003, and had his fourth win in 2004. When Geary won for the fifth time in 2006, he set the record for the most lead actor wins. Geary received another Emmy nomination in 2007, and in 2008, he again set a record for most lead actor wins with his sixth Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor.

Geary set a record in 2012 with his seventh Daytime Emmy win and again in 2015 for his eighth win for Outstanding Leading Actor in a Drama Series after 16 nominations for the same role of General Hospital's Luke Spencer. Geary publicly announced on Friday, May 8, 2015, that he would be leaving his role on General Hospital.  Geary finished taping his last scenes on the General Hospital set on June 23, 2015. His last air date was July 27, 2015. He later made a cameo appearance on a May 2017 episode to facilitate the retirement of co-star Jane Elliot, who played Luke's former on-screen wife Tracy Quartermaine. Days prior to Geary's death, he filmed a scene with former General Hospital co-star Anders Hove, which will serve as his final acting credit.

The comedy movie UHF was an exception to Geary's dramatic roles. He also appeared in 1987's Disorderlies, with hip-hop trio the Fat Boys, and appeared in more than 50 stage plays, including the award-winning one-man show titled Human Scratchings in 1996.

Personal life

Geary is the uncle of Brendan Steele, an American professional golfer. In 2010, during an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show, Geary disclosed he had a brief relationship with Elizabeth Taylor in the early 1980s. 

He met Claudio Gama in February 1995, and they married in February 2019. Following Geary's retirement in 2015, the couple moved to the Netherlands, where Geary had owned a home in Amsterdam "for years".

Geary died in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on December 14, 2025, at the age of 78. His death was attributed to complications that arose following a surgical procedure three days earlier.

Numerous figures from the entertainment industry, some of whom were former co-stars or collaborators, paid tribute to Geary, including Maurice Benard, Sarah Joy Brown, Genie Francis, Kimberly McCullough, Emma Samms, Rick Springfield, and John Stamos; additionally, General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences issued statements in regards to his death. In a series of posts on Twitter, Francis described herself as spoiled, thanks to Geary, in regards to "leading men for the rest of my life".