Don’t worry! While daytime icon Genie Francis is leaving GENERAL HOSPITAL, it’s only for a summer vacation and she will be bringing back Laura soon enough! “I’ve had such a fun time on GH and I’ve absolutely loved what the writers gave me to work with this season,” the actress told TV Insider. “And there are some really great storylines planned for the fall — but for now, I’ve decided to take the summer off.”
While Francis was happy with her recent storyline that saw Laura discovering she had two brothers she’d never known about — sketchy-but-well-meaning attorney Martin Grey and evil-to-the-core Cyrus Renault — she’s looking forward to taking a break from work. “I am very much looking forward to spending time with my family and relaxing a bit,” she confided. “I promise, though, I will be back to Port Charles before you know it!”
Francis took over the role of Laura from Stacey Baldwin in 1977 and became a daytime star due to her pairings with Kin Shriner’s Scotty and Anthony Geary’s Luke. After quitting the show in 1982, she returned for a couple of brief stints before her big comeback in 1993. Exiting again in 2002, Francis made visits in 2006, 2008, and 2013 for GH’s 50th anniversary before returning again in 2015 on a more permanent basis. In 2007, Francis took home the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her work as Laura and has received three other nominations, most recently this past year in the Lead Actress category.
There are no details as to when, exactly, Francis will last air or when she will be heading back to work at GH, so it’s unclear as to whether Laura will be written off or simply not shown on screen for the duration of her portrayer’s vacation. Keep watching GH to see what happens, and keep checking back at SoapsInDepth.com for updates on Francis’ inevitable return and what’s next for Laura!