Earlier this year, it was reported that Anthony Geary will be leaving "General Hospital" after 37 years. Entertainment Weekly covered Geary's final day on the hit ABC soap opera, and there were tears and there was laughter as the actor filmed his final scenes on Wednesday, June 24, which will reportedly be aired this summer.
The actor, who has been on the program since 1978, was overwhelmed when cast and crew gathered to pay tribute to his performance in the role of Luke Spencer. According to EW, after shooting his last scene on the soap's Los Angeles set, 200 members of the cast and crew packed a soundstage to congratulate him on his amazing success playing the character.
It was reported that executive producer Frank Valentini played a video montage which included memorable scenes from over the years he has been on the soap. Geary was shown a scene from his very first "General Hospital" episode where he starred opposite Jacklyn Zeman, who played his sister Bobbie.
There were also some goodbye messages from his longtime colleagues like Emma Samms and other ABC celebrities. Whoopi Goldberg and the cast of "The Chew" also left messages congratulating the 68-year old actor on a job well done.
Genie Francis said that she was grateful to Geary for "putting up with me as a petulant teenager." Francis played the part of Laura, who was Luke's romantic partner on set, and Luke and Laura's relationship is still one of daytime's most popular romances of all time.
Geary joked that he won't miss watching a video of Luke and Laura's wedding in 1981. The episode garnered a record breaking 30 million viewers, which makes the nuptials the most-watched episode in daytime history.
Geary told EW that he is excited to reinvent himself and pursue whatever opportunity there may be after his "General Hospital" stint.
"They've done a wonderful job of wrapping up the character. So this seems like the ideal time to go," he said.
Geary won the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series award at the Daytime Emmys eight times for the role of Luke Spencer. He first won the award in 1982, then again in 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, and 2015.
