Laura Spencer (also Collins) is a fictional character from General Hospital, an American soap opera on the ABC network. Laura, originally played by Stacey Baldwin, was introduced in 1974 as the illegitimate daughter of Lesley Webber (Denise Alexander). The character was written out in the summer of 1976. In early 1977, Genie Francis took over the role of the rebellious teenage Laura. In 1978, thanks to the efforts of executive producer Gloria Monty's plan to entice younger viewers, the character's popularity skyrocketed in the late 1970s and early 1980s due to her pairings with Scott Baldwin (Kin Shriner) and, most famously, Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary); the latter became a popular supercouple among soap opera fans and viewers. Luke and Laura's 1981 wedding – which featured a guest appearance from Elizabeth Taylorwas viewed by 30 million people. In 1981, Francis quit the show, claiming unequal treatment compared to Geary, and the character was written out as having disappeared the following January. Francis returned for a brief stint in late 1983 to reunite Luke and Laura, and then again in late 1984 when Laura was revealed to be pregnant.

In 1993, Laura was re-introduced by producer Wendy Riche, along with Luke and their young son Lucky Spencer (Jonathan Jackson). Their stories consisted of their struggle to hide from mobster Frank Smith, the 1994 birth of their daughter Lulu Spencer and the introduction of Laura's illegitimate son Nikolas Cassadine (Tyler Christopher), who comes to town to save an ailing Lulu. Francis quit the series in June 2001 indefinitely when Luke and Laura divorced, however she returned in February 2002 on six month contract which concluded with Laura was written out after suffering a psychotic breakdown, after believing to have killed her adoptive father Rick Webber (Chris Robinson). Francis returned in 2006 to celebrate Luke and Laura's 25th wedding anniversary. The return stint, which only lasted a month, featured Laura's reunions with her children, Nikolas, Lucky (Greg Vaughan), and Lulu (Julie Marie Berman), and Laura's renewal of her wedding vows with Luke on their anniversary date. The return garnered Francis the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Francis returned to the series again in 2008 to help Lulu, who had also been institutionalized. In 2013, in honor of the show's 50th anniversary celebration, Francis reprised the role of Laura when the writers revisited the iconic Ice Princess plot, and Laura was briefly remarried to Scott. Although initial reports said the actress would stick around, Francis left the role again that August. Francis returned to the series in 2015, this time as part of Luke's exit storyline. Francis later signed a deal for her to remain with the series indefinitely.

Creation

Casting Child actress Stacey Baldwin originated the role of Laura Vining in 1974. Baldwin last appeared as Laura in August 1976. Genie Francis filmed her first scenes on December 28, 1976, and made her onscreen debut on February 8, 1977. The daughter of veteran actor, Ivor Francis, Genie Francis was new to acting and had recently appeared on the ABC drama series, Family opposite Kristy McNichol. Four months later, the then 14-year-old Francis booked the role of Laura. Francis signed a three-year contract with the series and a later admitted that she felt a bit trapped. "I signed away three years of my life. Never again" she said. "There was no light at the end of the tunnel." "It was a very small part" Francis said of the character when she initially booked the role of Laura. "I was just Lesley's long-lost daughter living in a commune" Francis said. Francis auditioned for the role of Laura twice and beat out 40 other actresses for the part. "It's hard to shut her off" Francis said of the character in 1979. "I will get home and I find that my body is sore from tension, or I'm still about to cry."

In 1983, Francis reflected on her early years with the series in an interview with Soap Opera Digest. Francis said, "The first year was a tremendous learning process, but then I got hold of it and took it on my own." The actress said "I was very nervous at the beginning, but when I learned to relax, I got better." She further explained her inexperience. "I was a kid and had never been on a soundstage before. No one told me what to do. They handed me a script and said, "Go!" I was panicked—really hungry" for instruction. She continued, "So what I did was observe actors and do everything they did. Then I started asking questions." In her early years, Francis remembered being terrified of going to the studio alone and was accompanied by a nanny hired by her parents. Francis developed a "close" father-daughter like relationship with her onscreen father, Michael Gregory who took her under his wing. Meanwhile, Francis was initially intimidated by veteran actress Denise Alexander who played her onscreen mother but the two would become close friends. "She really took me under her wing and when she saw me doing something wrong, she would tell me" Francis said. By the end of her first stint at General Hospital in 1982, Francis was reportedly making $150,000 a year.

Francis returned as Laura on October 29, 1993.

On May 29, 2015, Entertainment Weekly reported that Francis would once again make a return to the series, beginning June 5. Francis revealed she would continue to appear on the series following Anthony Geary's exit, which she was originally intended to be returning for. Francis promised she would continue to be seen through the fall sweeps period.

In October 2015, it was reported that Francis has inked a deal with the series and will remain in the role of Laura. In January 2018, Daytime Confidential reported that Francis has been demoted to recurring status. On July 31, 2018, TV Insider announced that Francis would be returning as a series regular.

Characterization In 1979, the character was described by Soap Opera Digest's Joanne Douglas as "scheming, self-centered" and "frequently tormented." As a teen, Laura is very restless which often gets her into trouble. According to Douglas, Laura's actions are her attempts to obtain her freedom from her parents. According to Francis, teen girls identified with the "typically rebellious" Laura. Mary Murphy of TV Guide described the character as a confused teenager, struggling "to love and be loved." Murphy also described Laura as "conniving, and often bittersweet." Francis described Laura as "passive" and said "[She] was sweet for a long time." Francis stated that she appreciated how the writers transitioned Laura from being a girl to a young woman; as she gets older, Laura becomes a fighter and displays a lot of strength. Though Laura's actions are not always noble, Francis explained that Laura's intentions are always pure, and she does not intend to hurt anyone. However, Francis acknowledged the character's growth and wisdom. Upon her character's return in 1983, Francis said Laura is "more sophisticated" and "more mature." After her 1993 return, Francis voiced her concerns that the character had become "a little too good... a little too on high moral ground" Francis explained. The actress continued "What I loved about Laura the first time around was the she was so human. She always wanted to do the right thing, but sometimes she couldn't. Lately, she's been too much in control." She further stated, "What I don't like to play is this perfect person who is beyond human error."

Development

Early storylines The character did not undergo any real character development until almost two years into Francis's tenure as Laura. At the time, the series was facing cancellation and ABC brought on Gloria Monty as executive producer to save it. The new show runner's first order of business was to attract younger viewers by putting the teenage Francis' Laura front and center. Francis reminisced about Monty's conversation with her parents and her eagerness for more work in 1976. "She told my parents, ‘My idea is to use your daughter to capture this young audience.’ I was absolutely champing at the bit to prove myself as an actress, so I welcomed the opportunity with a lot of gusto." Suddenly, Francis found herself with a very demanding work schedule in which she arrived on set at 7:30 am and sometimes did not finish work until midnight. The young actress also had study 30 to 50 pages of dialogue daily. Instead of 2 shows a week, Francis was onscreen every day. After Monty restructured the series around the character, Laura dreams of living independent from her parents and starts thinking about marriage. "Gloria put sex and romance into Laura's life and it bowled me over" Francis said. "Here I was doing things in front of 20 million people that I had never done in my own life." Some of the character's earliest storylines include running away to a commune at age 15, Laura's affair with David Hamilton (Jerry Ayres), who was in love with her mother Lesley. Only eight months after Monty's hiring, she had Laura kill Hamilton. Though teenagers couldn't relate to the murder itself, they could relate to the feelings of betrayal and Laura's strained relationship with her mother. Francis credited the storyline with allowing her to prove herself as an actress. "It was a romance with an older man." In a 1996 interview with Soap Opera Update, Francis said that the David Hamilton storyline "really did drive the character and make her who she was." According to Francis, during the ordeal Laura is "freaked out about looking good to the rest of the world because she was in the scandal sheets as a slut."

In the summer of 1977, Kin Shriner was cast in the role of Scott "Scotty" Baldwin to play opposite Francis's Laura. Scotty and Laura would eventually be paired together in a romantic story. Francis said "We did a first-love story with real-life sex, romance and heartbreak. ... It's every teen-ager's story." According to Shriner, "Laura was the big love of Scotty's life." Their end leaves Scotty "jaded" and screwed up. Scotty was Laura's first kiss, and Shriner was Francis's first kiss. Francis said, "I'd been pecked before, but this was a real kiss!" With a new love in her life, Laura inquires about birth control. "It was the first time I was nervous" Francis admitted. Laura and Scotty have a year long courtship which includes "parental disapproval," Scotty supporting Laura during the David Hamilton murder trial, and the interference of Bobbie Spencer (Jacklyn Zeman) who wants Scott for herself. Finally, in July 1979, over the course of six episodes, Scotty and Laura are married. Francis and Shriner became quite close during their onscreen romance. Though Laura did love Scotty, their marriage also helps to "improve her social standing" and allows her to rise above her tragic past as a murderer. At some point, art imitated life and Francis and Shriner dated for nearly a year.

Beginnings of Luke and Laura