Anthony Geary (born Tony Dean Geary; May 29, 1947 – December 14, 2025) was an American actor. His career spanned more than four decades, and began in episodic television. He appeared as a guest on several primetime series and transitioned into a career predominantly in the soap opera genre. His first soap role was David Lockhart (1971–1972) on Bright Promise (1969–1972), and he later joined The Young and the Restless as George Curtis. His breakout role came in 1978 when he joined the cast of General Hospital as Luke Spencer. For his work as Luke, Geary went on to earn a record eight Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series prior to his retirement.
In addition to his role as Luke, Geary had a prominent supporting role in the "Weird Al" Yankovic comedy UHF (1989); other notable films include Johnny Got His Gun (1971), Disorderlies (1987), Scorchers (1991), Teacher's Pet (2004) and Fish Tank (2009).
Early life
Tony Dean Geary was born on May 29, 1947, in Coalville, Utah, to Dana (née Anderson) and Russell Dean Geary. He was one of four children. Dana was a homemaker and bookkeeper; Russell was a contractor who owned his own construction business. In 1984, he remarked to The San Diego Union-Tribune that although he credited his faith-based upbringing with giving him a "solid family base," he also expressed feeling a sense of repression stemming from its philosophies and prejudices.
Career
Geary made his first appearance on television in an episode of Room 222 and later appeared on All in the Family as Roger, a "quirky" and "effeminate" character who is presumed to be gay by the series' lead character, Archie Bunker, due to the way in which he dresses and presents himself during the series' fifth episode, "Judging Books by Covers". He also appeared on The Mod Squad; Mannix; Marcus Welby, M.D.; The Streets of San Francisco; The Partridge Family; and Barnaby Jones. He later joined the cast of The Young and the Restless as rapist George Curtis; after six-months in the role, Geary was asked to re-sign with the soap, with plans to "rehabilitate" the role. He declined the offer, opting to shift focus towards motion pictures.
Geary holds the distinction of winning a record eight Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He was first nominated in 1980, and had his first win in 1982. Geary was nominated again in 1983, the same year he exited the role. He briefly returned in 1984.
Over the next several years, Geary took roles in various theater and television productions, as well as in several films, but did not reach his desired level of success in those endeavors. Despite the popularity of his work as Luke Spencer, filmmakers pigeonholed Geary based solely on the fact that he was a "soap actor". Oliver Stone initially cast him in Salvador but rescinded the offer after learning about him being a soap actor.
In 1991, Geary returned to General Hospital as Luke's cousin and look-alike Bill Eckert; Geary expressed a desire to play a different character than Luke. he set the record for the most lead actor wins. Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor.
Geary set a record in 2012 with his seventh Daytime Emmy win and again in 2015 for his eighth win for Outstanding Leading Actor in a Drama Series after 16 nominations for the same role of General Hospital Luke Spencer. Geary publicly announced on Friday, May 8, 2015, that he would be leaving his role on General Hospital. Geary finished taping his last scenes on the General Hospital set on June 23, 2015. His last air date was July 27, 2015. He later made a cameo appearance on a May 2017 episode to facilitate the retirement of co-star Jane Elliot, who played Luke's former on-screen wife Tracy Quartermaine. Days prior to Geary's death, he filmed a scene with former General Hospital co-star Anders Hove, which will serve as his final acting credit.
Personal life
Geary was the uncle of Brendan Steele, an American professional golfer. In 2010, during an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show, Geary disclosed he had a brief relationship with Elizabeth Taylor in the early 1980s. He met Claudio Gama in February 1995, and they married in February 2019. Following Geary's retirement in 2015, the couple moved to the Netherlands, where Geary had owned a home in Amsterdam "for years".
Death and tributes
Geary died in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on December 14, 2025, at the age of 78. His death was attributed to complications that arose following a surgical procedure three days earlier.
Numerous figures from the entertainment industry, some of whom were former co-stars or collaborators, paid tribute to Geary, including Maurice Benard, Sarah Joy Brown, Genie Francis, Kimberly McCullough, Emma Samms, Rick Springfield, and John Stamos; additionally, General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences issued statements in regards to his death. In a series of posts on Twitter, Francis described herself as spoiled, thanks to Geary, in regards to "leading men for the rest of my life".
ABC announced they would re-air the July 17, 2015, episode of General Hospital in tribute to Geary on New Year's Day. At the conclusion of the serial's January 6, 2026, episode, a title card dedicated in his memory was displayed; a montage is to air at a later date. A compilation of commemorative moments from Geary's work as Luke aired on January 23, 2026, with anecdotes from cast members, including Nancy Lee Grahn, Francis, and Laura Wright. A full commemorative episode dedicated to Geary's role (Luke Spencer) aired on February 20.
Filmography
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Acting roles
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col"| Title
! scope="col"| Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Notes
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row"| 1970
| Room 222
| Tom Whalom
| Episode: "Choose One & They Lived Happily/Unhappily Ever After"
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 1971
| All in the Family
| Roger
| Episode: "Judging Books by Covers"
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 1971–1972
|Bright Promise
| David Lockhart
| Soap opera
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 1974
|Sorority Kill
|Tony
|
|-
! scope="row"| 1971–1975
|Marcus Welby, M.D.
| John Gavanelli
| 2 episodes
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 1974–1976
|The Streets of San Francisco
| Gary Jelinek / Cajun / Joe Markham
|4 episodes
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 1984
|Antony and Cleopatra
| Octavius Caesar
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| 1984
|Sins of the Past
| Lt. Malovich
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| 1984
|The Impostor
| Cade
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| 1985
|Kicks
| Martin Cheevers
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| 1985
|Hotel
| Eli Gilmour / Phil Tanner
| 2 episodes
|
|-
! scope="row"| 1986
|You Are The Jury
| Sam Billings
| Episode: "The State of Ohio vs. James Wolsky"
|
|-
! scope="row"| 1987
|P.I. Private Investigations
| Larry
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| 1987
|Disorderlies
| Winslow Lowry
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 1987
|Penitentiary III
| Serenghetti
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 2009
|Fish Tank
| Van Man
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 1981
|Daytime Emmy Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 1981
|Soapy Award
|Best Actor
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 1982
|Soapy Awards
|Best Actor
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 1993
|Soap Opera Digest Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor
| General Hospital
|
|
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 1994
|Soap Opera Digest Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor
| General Hospital
|
|
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 1997
|Daytime Emmy Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 1998
|Daytime Emmy Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 1999
|Daytime Emmy Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 1999
|Soap Opera Digest Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 2000
|Daytime Emmy Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 2000
|Soap Opera Digest Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 2003
|Daytime Emmy Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 2004
|Daytime Emmy Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 2006
|Daytime Emmy Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 2006
| TV Land Award
| Most Wonderful Wedding
| General Hospital
|
|
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 2007
|Daytime Emmy Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 2008
|Daytime Emmy Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 2009
|Daytime Emmy Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 2012
|Daytime Emmy Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 2015
|Daytime Emmy Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|-
! scope="row" align=center | 2016
| Daytime Emmy Award
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| General Hospital
|
| align=center |
|}