Five Things That Happened On November 20 In Soap History

In 1978, Anthony Geary debuted as Luke Spencer on General Hospital, a role that would catapult him to stardom and ultimately earn him a record-setting eight Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor. The character of Luke came to town at the behest of his younger sister, Bobbie Spencer (Jacklyn Zeman), who was looking for assistance in splitting up the object of her affection, Scotty Baldwin, and Laura Webber, her romantic rival. Geary had originally auditioned to play the role of politico Mitch Williams. He recalled to Soap Opera Digest in 2023, “After I found out they didn’t want me for Mitch Williams, Gloria’s [Monty, then-executive producer] office called my agents. She was directing an ABC Wide World Of Mystery, television movie that came on at 11 o’clock at night, and I went over and read and she gave me a part in that. Within a month, she called back and said, ‘Come in and talk to me. I have a part I want you to play.’ " Playing Luke, he noted, "I went full-out with antihero."

In 2003, Victor Newman (Eric Braeden, r.) began his tense reunion with his father, Albert Miller (George Kennedy), on Young and Restless, who had abandoned him as a child and was dying. In 2023, Eric Braeden noted to Soap Opera Digest that along with Victor's reunion with his mother, Cora, the reunion between Victor and Albert was one of his all-time favorite beats to play. "That whole story of Victor growing up in an orphanage, meeting his mother years later, then years after that, his father, are arguably the most favorite storylines I’ve ever played, probably because they rang so true and they are so intrinsically tragic," he said. Braeden praised Kennedy, as well, saying, "I admired [him] enormously as an actor and as a man. He didn’t miss a beat when he played that part.”

In 2012, General Hospital's Edward Quartermaine passed away following the real-life death of his portrayer, John Ingle. In the storyline, the iconic character died in his sleep, much to the heartbreak of his loved ones, including daughter-in-law Monica (Leslie Charleson, l.) and daughter Tracy (Jane Elliot). Edward, the partriarch of the Quartermaine family, was introduced in 1978 and was played by David Lewis until his retirement in 1993. Ingle assumed the role that year and exited in 2004. Before he returned in 2006, Jed Allan played Edward.

In 2015, Bo Brady (Peter Reckell) "died" in Hope Brady’s (Kristian Alfonso) arms on Days of Our Lives, appearing to succumb to a fatal brain tumor. The tragic twist occurred at the end of Peter Reckell's short-term return to the role that made him a daytime superstar, which he had last played in 2012. Bo's death was later reversed in 2022 when Reckell agreed to return for an arc on the streaming DAYS spinoff Beyond Salem.

In 2018, Tajh Bellow debuted as TJ Ashford on General Hospital. He was the third actor to play the role, following Kris Myers (2012) and Tequan Richmond (2012-18). In 2022, he admitted as a guest on Soap Opera Digest's podcast, Dishing With Digest, that he had almost quit acting before landing his GH gig. In 2021, he scored a Daytime Emmy nomination as Outstanding Younger Performer, telling Digest, "I have been an actor for 14 years, starting when I was 12. To put [the significance of the nomination] into words is difficult, but what it means to me is that perseverance is true, and hard work and caring still matters. It means so much to me and I’m still trying to process it. It feels better than I can even describe.”