Genie Francis
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SOAP STAR STATS
Genie Francis (ex-Laura, GH)
Vital Statistics
- Birthdate:
- May 26
- Birthplace:
- Englewood, New Jersey
- Star Sign:
- Gemini
- Years On Show:
- 1976-'82, 1983-'85, 1993-'02, November 2006
- Marital Status:
- Married to Jonathan Frakes since 1988
- Children:
- Jameson Ivor (b. August 20, 1994) and Elizabeth Francis (b. May 30, 1997)
THE 411
Genie Francis, daughter of Canadian actor Ivor Francis, was born on May 26 in Englewood, New Jersey. At just the young age of 14, shortly after a guest appearance on the ABC series FAMILY, she landed the role of Laura Spencer on GENERAL HOSPITAL. The 1981 wedding of Luke and Laura remains the most watched event in daytime television history, with over 30 million viewers tuning in.
Ambitious to explore other opportunities, in 1982 Laura left GH and landed her own primetime series, BARE ESSENCE. The show was picked up by CBS from the television movie BARE ESSENCE. Although the television show was not a success, Francis met her husband, actor/director Jonathan Frakes (famous for co-starring in the television series, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION) during the filming of the movie. She took a leave of absence from GENERAL HOSPITAL in 1997 to have her second child, Elizabeth Francis. Her first child, Jameson Ivor, was born in 1994.
Although Francis turned down an offer to return to GENERAL HOSPITAL in 2004, she throughly enjoyed her month-long return in 2006, which coincided with the 25th annivseary of the legendary wedding. "I am very happy to be returning to my GENERAL HOSPITAL family and look forward to portraying a role that means a lot to me, as well as the fans who have supported the character throughout the years," she said at the time of the return.
After a few years in London, — "That was the first time in my life that I've ever been completely anonymous" — Francis and family moved to Maine, where she fulfilled a lifelong dream of opening a shop, The Cherished Home.
ET CETERA
Eight Random Facts
—was born Eugenie Ann Francis
—father is of English descent and mother is of Lithuanian descent.
—favorite music is Motown and favorite food is Italian.
—first date with husband Jonathan Frakes was at McDonald's.
—appeared on the cover of Newsweek with Tony Geary (for Luke and Laura’s wedding) in 1981
—first on-screen kiss (with GH’s Kin Shriner, Scotty) was also her real first kiss
—made her Broadway debut in The Wedding Singer with Tony Geary in 2006. They appeared in a surprise cameo role as their GENERAL HOSPITAL characters
—featured on Lifetime's INTIMATE PORTRAIT in 2001
OTHER ROLES
Other Soap Roles
DAYS OF OUR LIVES (Diana Colville, 1987-'89)
ALL MY CHILDREN (Ceara Connor Hunter, 1990-'92)
LOVING (Ceara Connor Hunter, 1991)
Guest-Starring TV Roles
FAMILY (Alice Dennison, 1976)
FAMILY FEUD (herself, 1978)
FRIDAYS (Co-Host, 1981)
FANTASY ISLAND (Christa Ackland, 1982)
BARE ESSENCE (Patricia "Tyger" Hayes, 1983)
NORTH AND SOUTH (Brett Main Hazard, 1985)
MIKE HAMMER (Susan Timmons, 1987)
HOTEL (Jenny Bernard 1984, Melinda Jenkins 1987)
MURDER, SHE WROTE (Victoria Brandon 1984-'90)
LOVING (Ceara Connor Hunter, 1991)
HEAVEN & HELL: NORTH & SOUTH, BOOK III (Brett Hazard, 1994)
ROSEANNE (Laura Spencer, 1994)
LOIS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (Amber Lake, 1995)
CYBILL (herself, 1995)
THE ROSIE O'DONNELL SHOW (herself, 1996)
THE INCREDIBLE HULK (Sister Rose Erak, 1997)
3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN (Gwen McMichael, 2000)
OH BABY (Rachel, 2000)
ROSWELL (Mother, 2000)
INTIMITE PORTRAIT: GENIE FRANCIS (herself, 2001)
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT (herself, 2006)
THE VIEW (herself, 2006)
TV Movie Roles
BARE ESSENCE (Tyger Hayes, 1982)
PERRY MASON: THE CASE OF THE KILLER KISS (Kris Buckner, 1993)
TERROR IN THE SHADOWS (Sarah, 1995)
Film Roles
Camp Nowhere (Mrs. Spiegel, 1994)
Teachers Pet (Marsha/Marcia, 2004)
Thunderbirds (Lisa Lowe, 2004)
LOOK WHO'S TALKING!
"Well, I hate to say it, but my biggest recollection of that day really was how physically uncomfortable I was. I was in spiky heels on this very mushy wet lawn. My dress was made out of something that wrinkled very easily, so I was not allowed to sit down once I put that dress on. I was in it from 6 a.m. to something like 7 at night. I just wanted to get into my tennis shoes and my sweats in the worst way! I also have a fond memory of doing the Virginia reel that afternoon. That's the part of the day that I really enjoyed." — on Luke and Laura's wedding, Soap Opera Weekly, 11/19/96
"Maine is nice because it's very unpopulated and peaceful. It's like going back in time. My husband and I trade off working, so it's great. People in Maine moved up to get away from civilization. They want solitude and they let me have it, too."— Weekly, 11/7/2006
THINK OF LAURA...
"Miss Francis brings a depth of emotional wounding as the tragic princess of all time that opens the floodgates for everybody. Hopefully the audience is going to get some kind of reward for this temporary time they have had her."— Anthony Geary (Luke) on Laura's 2006 return, Soap Opera Weekly, 11/21/06
AWARDS
Soapy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress (1980, 1981); Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Daytime TV Series (1981); Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress (1997); Daytime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress (1997). Won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress (2007).
