GH: 30 Years of Nancy Lee Grahn's Alexis in Photos

On September 26, 1996, Nancy Lee Grahn first appeared on General Hospital as Alexis Davis, the complex, passionate, resilient and frequently embattled attorney who has become one of the signature characters of Port Charles and the very definition of a flawed heroine. Join Soap Opera Digest in celebrating her 30th anniversary with a look back at Alexis’s three decades on GH — and Grahn’s two-time Daytime Emmy-winning run — from her early days as a secret Cassadine to the many family dramas, romances, friendships and legal battles that followed.

CATHY BLAIVAS/ABC

Alexis arrived in Port Charles in 1996 and took on Kevin Collins as her first client, but she was ultimately revealed to be Mikkos Cassadine's illegitimate daughter and the half sister of Stefan Cassadine (Stephen Nichols).

ABC

Alexis was swept off her feet by Ned Ashton (Wally Kurth) in 1997.

ABC

A convoluted effort to help Chloe Morgan (Tava Smiley) keep her fashion business led to marital hijinks when Ned entered into a marriage of convenience with her, and Alexis and her friend/Chloe's beau Jax (Ingo Rademacher) likewise tied the knot to maintain their ruse.

Scott Garfield/ABC

Alexis' nephew, Nikolas (Coltin Scott), escorted her down the aisle in 2000 when she was poised to wed Ned. But she had a panic attack and fled the ceremony, and she and Ned called it quits.

ABC

Alexis was majorly thrown by her attraction to mob boss client Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard). Their 2002 one-night stand resulted in Alexis giving birth to a baby girl, Kristina, though it wasn't until 2004 that Sonny learned he was the father.

Tom Queally/ABC

Alexis went to extremes to gain access to baby Kristina in 2003 after she was busted for murdering Alcazar (who had been responsible for the death of her sister, also named Kristina). The infant was living at the Quartermaine mansion (under Ned's care), so she went undercover as the family butler, going by the name Dobson.

ABC/THOMAS NEWBERGER

Alexis tied the knot with attorney Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst), Sonny's half brother, in 2004, after Kristina was diagnosed with leukemia and Sonny went after custody of the little girl.

ABC/DANNY FELD

Alexis never dreamed that her 2005 search for the daughter she gave away as a teenager would lead her to the discovery that her baby girl grew up to be Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco)!

SCOTT GARFIELD/ABC

The domestic bliss Alexis enjoyed with Ric, their daughter Molly and Kristina went south in 2006 when he had a one-night stand with Sam — while Alexis was battling lung cancer, no less!

Adam Larkey/ABC/courtesy Everett Collection

Continuing her string of failed romances with bad boys, Alexis had a brief but passionate fling with Jerry Jacks (Sebastian Roché) in 2007.

RICK ROWELL/ABC

In 2010, Alexis and Diane Miller (Carolyn Hennesy) established their high-powered law firm, Miller & Davis.

ABC/Carol Kaelson

In 2010, Alexis was by Kristina's (then-Lexi Ainsworth) side when she was hospitalized after being beaten by her abusive boyfriend, Kiefer Bauer. Alexis wound up responsible for Kiefer's death when she ran him over with her car.

HOWARD WISE/JPI

Alexis and Shawn Butler (Sean Blakemore) became an item in 2012, but the relationship fell apart over his ties to Sonny's business.

JPI

Alexis crossed paths with Sam's biological father, Julian Jerome (William deVry) again in 2013, when he returned to Port Charles posing as Derek Wells.

JPI

Alexis and Julian happily wed in 2016, but their bliss was short-lived. The marriage crumbled over his ongoing mob ties and a particularly shocking act of violence — him holding a knife to her neck.

HOWARD WISE/JPI

Alexis began drinking heavily after her ordeal with Julian. She bonded with Finn (Michael Easton) over their recovery journeys and the two slept together in 2018, but his unresolved feelings for Anna nipped things in the bud.

VALERIE DURANT/ABC

Sparks flew between Alexis and therapist Neil (Joe Flanigan) in 2019, but after they slept together in 2020, she woke up to the grisly sight of him dead in her bed!

ABC

An off-the-wagon Alexis accidentally stabbed Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) in 2021 while intoxicated, earning herself an trip to Pentonville.

Craig Sjodin/ABC

Alexis was released from prison and became the editor-in-chief of The Invader, which Shawn had purchased. In 2023, she hired Gregory Chase (Gregory Harrison), Finn and Chase's father, and they kissed on New Year's Eve. Sadly, he succumbed to ALS the following year.

ABC

In one of the most crushing blows in Alexis's dramatic life, Sam was murdered in 2024.

ABC

In 2025, Alexis teamed up with Ava Jerome (Maura West, l.) and Kristina (Kate Mansi) to hold Ric hostage in her basement. Ric had been blackmailing Alexis with evidence that could have landed Kristina in jail for attempted murder.

ABC

Alexis secured an acquittal for Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) when she was tried for shooting Drew (Cameron Mathison), but she had mixed feelings about her 2026 victory, given that Willow was guilty as charged.

Nancy Lee Grahn General Hospital

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General Hospital: Celebrating 30 Years of Nancy Lee Grahn as Alexis Davis in Photos

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