General Hospital
Rick Hearst Returns to General Hospital as Ric Lansing!
Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com
Another casting great blast from the past from General Hospital! None other than very popular actor, and three-time Daytime Emmy winner, Rick Hearst is back filming at the ABC soap opera reprising his role as Ric Lansing, the brother of Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard)!
According to Soap Opera Digest, Rick will first air on the upcoming February 24th episode! And when fans last saw Ric Lansing in 2009, he was headed out to Los Angeles, but left with these parting words: “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be back.”
Hearst is also very familiar to soap audiences for his portrayal of Alan-Michael Spaulding on Guiding Light, Whip Jones on The Bold and the Beautiful, and Matt Clark on The Young and the Restless!
So what brings Ric back to Port Charles? Does he become involved in the Jerome vs. Corinthos mob war? What do you think about the news that Rick Hearst is returning to GH? Let us know!
General Hospital Fan Club Weekend brought out many of your favorites to the four day event; with the main cast gathering on Saturday, August 1. Fans near and far attended the weekend held this year at the Burbank Marriott Hotel. Whether it be the main cast event or the smaller more intimate events featuring two or three cast members a great time was had by all.
Some of the cast participating in the main cast event included: Cyrus Hobbi (Yuri), Gary James Fuller (James), Bradford Anderson (Spinelli), Viron Weaver (Wiley), Paige Herschell (Jacinda), Chris McKenna (Brennan), Josh Kelly (Cody), Kayden Brenna Tokarsi (Scout), Cassandra James (Terry), Laura Wright (Carly), Dominic Zamprogna (Dante), Carolyn Hennesy (Diane), Rick Hearst (Ric), Adrian Anchondo (ex-Marco), and Chloe Lanier (ex-Nelle).
In addition to, Van Hansis (Lucas), Cameron Mathison (Drew), Ryan Paevey (ex-Cassius), Easton Rocket Sweda (Leo), Maurice Benard (Sonny), Kristen Vaganos (Molly), Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis), Kate Mansi (ex-Kristina), Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth), Cynthia Watros (Nina), Kristina Wagner (Felicia) and more.
Take a look at some of the snaps from the main event arrivals below:
Photo: HutchinsPhoroi
GH’s Rick Hearst with on-screen daughter, Kristen Vaganos, plus Nancy Lee Grahn, and Kate Mansi.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
GH’s Maurice Benard on-hand to meet the fans.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto.com
Jack Brennan in the house … Chris McKenna.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
Adrian Anchondo, Van Hansis and Anchondo’s boyfriend, Days of Our Lives, Colton Little.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
GH’s Josh Kelly and his gal, the former Nelle Benson of Port Charles, Chloe Lanier.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
Who is James’ father? Not Cassius or Spinelli, actually. Actors Gary James Fuller, Ryan Paevey and Bradford Anderson!
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
One of General Hospital’s newest cast members, Kayden Brenna Tokarski attends her first GHFCW event.
Michael Fairman TV will be adding more images to this post in the day ahead.
So, were you glad to see so many of your GH favorites attending this year’s General Hospital Fan Club Weekend? Let us know via the comment section.
General Hospital
Vincent Pastore of ‘Sopranos’ Fame and ‘General Hospital’s’ Maximus Giambetti Dies at 80
Vincent Pastore, best known for his memorable role as Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on HBO’s The Sopranos has passed away.
The veteran actor was found dead on August 1st in his home in the Bronx, New York. Pastore was 80-years-old. The cause of death is yet to be determined.
As well as his role on The Sopranos, many soap fans will recall he played multiple smaller roles on the beloved One Life to Live from 1995 and 2004. However, in 2008, he landed the short-term role as Maximus Giambetti on General Hospital.
PASTORE WANTED TO BE ON GENERAL HOSPITAL
Maximus was the mobster father of Sonny Corinthos’ (Maurice Benard) bodyguards: Max (Derk Cheetwood) and Milo (Drew Cheetwood)
According to Soap Opera Digest, Pastore told Soaps In Depth back in 2009, after appearing in a SOAPnet promotional campaign as a celebrity fan of General Hospital: “‘I’d love to be on the show. So they called up GH’s casting director (Mark Teschner) and Bobby (Robert Guza Jr. ex-head writer, GH) and they wrote me in!”
Pastore was a huge General Hospital fan from way back, who at one point told producers that he would watch the ABC soap opera while working in bars and nightclubs in the 70s and 80s.
Throughout his decades long career, Pastore appeared in films including: Goodfellas, Carlito’s Way and Men of Respect, The Jerky Boys: The Movie and the 1996 HBO TV movie Gotti.
In TV, besides The Sopranos, Pastore’s credits included: Law & Order, The Practice, Son of the Beach, Queens Supreme, Hawaii Five-0, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, plus the miniseries The Last Don II. Most recently, Vincent was a series regular on Gravesend and guest starred on Yellowjackets.
Pastore is survived by his daughter, Renee, son-in-law and granddaughter.
Share your remembrances and condolences for Vincent Pastore on his memorable role on ‘The Sopranos’ and his time on ‘General Hospital’ via the comment section below.
As had been teased since Jason Morgan’s (Steve Burton) captivity by the WSB and his release on General Hospital, he is clearly having issues speaking about what happened to him, after he was dragged away from Port Charles when he took the fall for Rocco (Finn Carr) who shot WSB director Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes).
Now. as Jason tries to reacclimate to life back in Port Charles, he has already displayed that he wants to do better for his son, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) and the people he loves and to show up for them.
In addition, things took a turn on the Friday, July 31 episode where after Sonny (Maurice Benard) questioned Jason if he was having an issue with Ric (Rick Hearst) working side by side with his half-brother, Jason had something to say.
Courtesy/ABC
An emotional Jason tells Sonny, “I can’t work for you anymore.” The moment left Sonny dumbfounded, and viewers won’t know the pick-up of the conversation till Monday’s August 3 episode of GH.
Could it be that this time Jason will cut ties with Sonny and the mob for good? If so, it would be the end of an era for Jason and Sonny, sort of the Batman and Robin of GH with a twist.
Previous teases from the GH co-head writing team of Chris Van Etten and Elizabeth Korte, and Burton himself on his podcast That’s Awesome ,seem to indicate there is a change coming for Jason that sends him off in a different path in his life.
However, we should learn Jason’s reasons shortly, and if Sonny can talk him back into the mob, or can just wish Jason the best and let him go. But now the question becomes, if Jason exits life as Sonny’s right hand man and henchman, what do you see him doing with his life? We do know that Jason is aware that Dr. Tristan Roberts (Dean Geyer) has tied to the WSB, since he escorted him to Port Charles via Jakarta on the plane which may be a clue.
Weigh-in below: Do you want Jason to go work for the Quartermaines and truly join the family in full? Do you see him doing something to help those in need, or do you see him going undercover with the WSB to expose some of the treacherous things they perpetrated on him and others, or do you see Jason doing something completely different with his life? If so, what? Let us know your hopes and thoughts for Jason in the comment section below.
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WOW! February sweeps should be amazing! Can’t wait.
And this is the issue. Ron and Frank know that Franco, Silas, Kiki, Sabrina etc, do not drive ratings, yet these characters and their story lines dominate. They then bring in some vets to get people to tune in, and as you so astutely point out, during sweeps.
Actors and characters who generate ratings should be on contract and have main story lines. Doesn’t it stand to reason that ratings would be consistently higher? I think it’s pretty obvious what the pattern is here.
You have a valid point GH50.
I want rick back…hope he’s returning and that wasn’t just a tease…he’s one of my fav vets on the show great actor always has real chemistry on the show I want him back!!! But….I also want my boy steve Burton back to I’m so mad about that I could scream…want Robin back as well…I agree with previous posts concerning vets and newbies we need the vets with bigger story lines for sure…
I’ve been waiting for this! If only Faih Rosco wasn’t dead!
That has never stopped GH. How fun that would be.
I was teasinng Cynthia a while back that you never know! LOL!
Dead is NEVER dead!
awesome… i said it two weeks ago with Molly…that he was needed…now could be interested if he sides with Julian….
Rick is a great actor and the character of Ric Lansing has been missed. But I fear this is just more bait before the switch. Just more of the Ron/Frank shell game. The Newbies consistently dominate the show but then you get a vet returning to make sure people tune in. They’ll probably give in and meet Genie Francis’s demands and bring her back in the next few months as well, but not give Laura the proper story and respect she deserves.
They know the show can’t survive on the likes of Howarth, Castillo, Easton, Alderson etc, but instead of trimming their stories or cutting them entirely, they pull casting stunts with vets to get people to tune in, then when fans are just about disgusted and ready to tune out, they wave a treat in front of our faces so we come back.
I wish Ron and Frank would abandon their personal agenda and stop manipulating and then disappointing the fans. Why not just write and produce GH? Have the Vets and legacy characters have main story lines and include some newbies. I’m sure that formula would work and I bet ratings would be more consistent and higher.
And speaking of ratings, yes they were up during the polar vortex, the following week, Jan 13-17, ratings are down double digits. People tuned in and saw an entire week of Franco, Silas etc and didn’t rush to come back. Ratings will be up again this week Jan 20-24, but again, blizzard and freezing temps.
Every writer and producer has “an agenda,” or as I think of it, a vision for the show. Just because you don’t like what you see doesn’t mean there’s some evil plot happening behind the scenes at GH.
I think we are all upbeat and hope full about Genie Francis coming back I would hope with the Victor story that she would be back soon. All of her fans miss her a lot.
Not the same without Genie Francis–she adds class to GH. And, boy, is it ever in need of class, right now!
Yesss! Finally! He’s the one I’ve been waiting for, cannot wait to see him!
Me too! I’ve been waiting on his return. I hope it’ll be a good storyline!
See…old favorites return, so just because Kim M. is leaving at the moment to do her thang, she can always come back again if she wants to and has the time…so whether you like them or not…much of Gh’s renewed success is because of Frank and Ron. Now i agree the show has some problems but if it werent for the current regime i sincerly doubt we’d be commenting on the show right now…it wouldve been gone two years ago!
I have been waiting for this for at least a year. So excited he’s coming back!!
Always liked him. Hope it’s not just a short visit…lots of drams there…his history with Sam, Molly’s dad…Sonny’s brother…Alexis’ ex…will he be on the Corinthos side or lash out at his brother. Maybe a tryst with Ava? Hmmmm……
A tryst with Ava…not THAT would be interesting! She IS kinda like Faith Rosco!
haha! I had forgotten about Faith Rosco!
FABULOUS!!!!! his storyline did not end the way it was intended and lets hope his return has him on Sonny`s side!!!
Omggggg !!!!!!! Liz and Ric!!!!’
it’s about time!!
Love that he is coming back on GH!!! Can’t wait for all the drama!!! Alexis with all her baby daddies in town!!!
This is great news (even though I still want Spin back and won’t give up on it). I adored LiRic until the writers trashed them, so I’d love to see that rebuilt again. Plus, I think he’s a great actor and another one that can do anything. I just hope RC writes for him because RC is a lot of flash but not a lot of substance so far. I need something else to keep me tuned in on a regular basis.
i cant wait!!!! i love ric!!! welcome back!!!
I can only hope that Ric Lansing,/Sonny’s brother will be in Sonny’s 2 man mob to make Sony’s mob a 3 man mob!!
hahah haa ‘mob’ my hind end lol ..
It is two old gangsta’s trying to get even with each other from the past, long gone mob…
But!! their family situations are awesome!!
Love the “Jerome family they are so messed up lol..
Love the Corinthos family and all their problems..
It really is about the 2 families trying to take the other down, no actual mob involved..
I dont know why you keep saying there is no mob involved. Lol. Mob…mafia…organized crime…career criminals…murderers…whatever name you use it still means the same thing. Thats what they are….mobsters…and thats what they do….crime.
He is an awesome actor!!! Loved him as Matt Clark in y r. GH is taking all the best ones!! GH rocks!!
Oh, god, all we need is more of Sonny’s cronies. Blech.
Amen.
YAY!!! YAY!!! YAY!!!!!
This is sooooooo AWESOME!!!!
So glad he’s back in Soap Land. His role as Alan-Michael is one of my earliest soap memories.
Yes!! Love this guy and love the character. Can you say Ric/Alexis/Julian triangle?!
Love that he is coming back. Looking forward to seeing Molly & RIc’s reunion. Heck looking forward to Sonny & Ric, Liz & Ric, Alexis & Ric too!
Great news, love Rick Hearst and his GH character Ric Lansing.
Love him. I can’t wait to see him.
I know I’m in the minority but I like the Jerome/Corinthos Mob war. I’ve been saying that Sonny needs someone to lean on that isn’t Sean, Duke or Olivia but family. I wanted Ric Lansing to come back from the start and I’m so glad he’s coming back. I know they have too many people on the show but he is welcome. Hope he stays long term (and get rid of Nathan).
You are not in the ”minority”
There are millions who like the mob stuff, it is just that they are all happy about those stories and are not on the boars complaining and bitching about it, ‘cus we are a happy mob lovers, no complaints..
We are legion!! We are are many!! We are the silent happy fans!!
does this mean Liz will bet a story or airtime then hey welcome back, but we’ll see!
Now if only they could get Tamara Braun back as the REAL Carly and have Laura Wright’s character as a fake, that would be marvelous.
He was overused in the past. His rivalry with Sonny went stale years ago . Hopefully. A new angle and a short stay
Ric with Ava Jerome would really rock the house! Just sayin! For everyone complaining about Frank and Ron, Would you rather have that soap killing dictator Jill farren Phelps back? I will gladly let you take her as she is killing my favorite soap Y&R.
So “Ms. 3X3’s” trio of babydaddies will finally be complete, present and accounted for on the GH canvas….nice one, just what Port Charles needs: another creepy freak blast from the past…as if Scotty and his gross, sleazy, disgusting love scenes with Lucy aren’t stomach-churning enough…now we’ll have another twisted legacy predator to lurk in Port Charles! And yet, Noah Drake can’t return with all the upheaval in his son’s life? The Frisco-dissing continues so as to further tarnish his character’s reputation, making a return highly unlikely and the nearest Blackie will seemingly ever reach to making a reappearance in his hometown will be on those adorable yogurt spots that run between the show’s scenes.
Why are they bringing him back? To wreck his character just like they did to all the vets. Glad I stopped watching this show so I don’t have to watch them destroy more of the vets but sad I waited two years to years to stop. I have watch GH for 38 years but it should of been 36 years with all the crap they have written.
What do you mean, “wreck his character?” His character was a spineless POS to begin with! We are talking about the guy who chained a pregnant woman to a wall and kept her hidden while he was married to Liz! This is the man who tried to take Molly away from her mother who was fighting cancer! Who threatened to send Alexis to jail for smoking pot to relieve her pain if she didn’t give up custody of Molly. And this is the same man who is weak and impotent standing in the shadow of his half brother Sonny. I hate that he’s coming back. It just may be what keeps me from watching altogether. I would rather watch Robin and her self-righteous, judgmental, bossy attitude every day than see Rick come back. And make no mistake, he is NO vet. Please don’t ever put him the same category as Luke, Laura, Monica, and Tracy. THEY are vets.
Thank you, Rusty! I can totally understand people enjoying Hearst as an actor based upon his previous soap characters, but I’ll never get how one can derive pleasure from his portrayal of Ric. That is one very sick, slimy dude and I was thrilled when he left Port Charles the last time around…..the whole Sonny, Trevor, Ric storyline was disgusting, as was the Sam-Ric romp. I realize at the time KM’s role was that of a bad girl who detested her birth mother and was seeking revenge, but since then she has evolved into a much better person and a mother herself, so I hardly look forward to her being reminded of her darker days. Unnecessary, just plain unnecessary….
Outstanding news! GH just keeps getting better and better!
I have some well-intentioned advice to the GH fans who don’t like show right now. Write a letter explaining what you don’t like about the show and why. Send it to Frank Valentini and all of the executives at ABC. This would be a rational way to share your opinion with people who have the ability to change the show. Posting theories about how Valentini and Ron Carlivati are purposely shutting out veterans, have “an agenda” or are secretly working to get the show canceled and other wild conspiracy theories are not helping your cause or the actors you care so much about– and I know you do. These posts just make you seem loony and therefore not listened to.
I really think RH is a great talent but somehow they will screw this up unless it is a pet of RC or a newbie he just can’t write for them. Have not been impressed by one past actor he has brought back. Anna/FH started out fine now she is presented as a keystone cop.
Excellent news! Great actor, great character. GH continues to be on fire!
Glad Ric Lansing is back! We know Molly will be happy but what about Alexis and Liz?
OMG!! He is such a great actor.. Thank You, my prayers have been answered.. :0
why is everyone complaining about GH?? Yes its been slow lately but there is always the calm before the storm!! Don’t worry it will be must see TV soon enough!!!!!!
Sarah Brown and Laura Wright have been the best Carlies, not Tamara Braun.
Rick is brilliant! Am SO looking forward to seeing him on screen.
Glad to see Rick coming back!!!
I think Rick should be the Jerome family attorney.
Uncle rick will hook up with Ava n poor little Morgan will not like that yet another family member has stolen another gf..
How about Rick some how being the one that rescues Carly?
Yeah Dante needs to meet his uncle..hmm how will that work out I wonder.
Ohhhh I missed this notice. awesome!
It would be nice if he came back with family loyalty. Hes a great actor and nice on the eyes let him be arrogant in a good way. Please no more sleezy schemes like before
Ric is back because he is funding Baird Enterprises which funds Julian Jerome. Ric has always wanted to get revenge on Sonny and this is his revenge. He will reconnect with Molly. If Nicolas does not go back to Elizabeth, Ric will. This should set up an interesting dynamic and then there wil be play between Alexis and Ric. Ava will likely make a play but that will interfere with her plan to off her brother. No funding no family. Molly will have her father back. How will that play into the mix. Welcome back Ric. You always prove to be amazing.
Super excited!
thrilled he’s back !!!!!
Ric is so great on gh! Super excited to see where the relationship goes with Elizabeth this time. Hope Ric turns things around with everyone and can be portrayed as a good guy on the show and stick around for a very long time! Rick Hearst is so talented and attractive- he truly adds a lot to the show! He’s a Keeper!