9 wildly popular actors even General Hospital super-fans might've forgotten appeared on the show


From Demi Moore to John Stamos and even Meghan Markle, the ABC soap opera has been a right of passage for many entering the acting world


Split image of Mark Hamill, Demi Moore and Meghan Markle© Getty
Beatriz ColonNew York Writer - New York
August 18, 2025
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How many times have you been watching a show that has been around for years and interrupted it with, "Oh look who it is!" or "I recognize them!"

There are certain shows that are a right of passage of sorts for actors trying to make it in Hollywood, like Law & Order, and General Hospital is definitely among them.

The soap opera has been airing since 1963, following the lives of a myriad of characters in the fictional town of Port Charles in upstate New York, and throughout its whopping 15,000 episodes, it has featured some pretty big stars.

Scroll below to see just a few of the epic actors you may have forgotten about that featured on the show, which is currently airing its 62nd season on ABC.

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© Getty

Demi Moore

Before she was part of the Brat Pack, Demi got her acting career started starring as journalist Jackie Templeton on the series, from 1982 to 1984.

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Elizabeth Taylor

The one and only had a guest role on the series in 1981, playing villainess Helena Cassadine, who famously crashed Luke and Laura's wedding.

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© WireImage

Eva Longoria

Desperate Housewives isn't Eva's only soap opera experience. She had an uncredited role in one episode of GH in 2000, and later also starred on The Young and the Restless as Isabella Braña from 2001 to 2003.

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James Franco

James, who broke out with his role on Freaks and Geeks in 1999, had a recurring role as a character aptly named Franco from 2009 to 2012.

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© Getty

John Stamos

Before he became known and loved as Uncle Jesse on Full House, similar to Demi, John got his start on General Hospital, starring as Blackie Perrish from 1982 to 1984, and in 1983, he earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series.

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© Getty Images

Kristin Davis

Though of course she will always be best known for playing Charlotte York on Sex and the City, before Carrie, Miranda and Samantha got together, Kristin starred as a nurse named Betsy Chilson on GH in 1991.

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Mark Hamil

Just five years before making his debut as Luke Skywalker in 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, Mark played Kent Murray on GH.

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© Getty

Meghan Markle

Before she was Rachel on Suits, and better yet, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan's first ever acting credit was as a nurse named Jill on a 2002 episode while she was still a student at Northwestern University.

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Ricky Martin

Though best known for his music, Ricky made an appearance on GH as a bartender named Miguel Morez in 1994.

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