Genie Francis
Encyclopedia
Eugenie "Genie" Francis Frakes (born Eugenie Ann Francis on May 26, 1962) is an American actress known for her portrayal of Laura Spencer
Laura Spencer
Laura Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. Laura was portrayed by Stacy Baldwin from 1974 to 1976, and since then has been played by Genie Francis, first from 1976–1982, and then from 1992–2002...

 on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....

. She is currently playing Genevieve Atkinson on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...

. She will soon appear in the web series PRETTY.

Personal life

Francis was born in Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...

. Her father, Ivor Francis
Ivor Francis
Ivor Francis was a Canadian actor and acting teacher. Francis began his acting career on the radio in his native Canada, but, during World War II, he served in the Royal Air Force...

, a Canadian actor of English descent, died in 1986 from the effects of multiple strokes. He played a brief role on General Hospital as an adoption counselor when his daughter was also on the show. Her mother, Rosemary Daley, is a former actress/model of Lithuanian descent. She has an older brother Ivor Jr., a younger brother Kenneth, and an older half-sister Shelley from her father's first marriage.

Genie met actor/director Jonathan Frakes
Jonathan Frakes
Jonathan Scott Frakes is an American actor, author and director best known for his role as Commander William T. Riker in the Star Trek franchise, as well as for his tenure as host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction ....

 while filming the television show, Bare Essence
Bare Essence
Bare Essence is an American television soap opera which aired on the NBC network during the 1982-1983 season.Bare Essence starred popular daytime soap actress Genie Francis and dealt with the intrigues of the perfume industry...

. After meeting again during the filming of the miniseries, North and South
North and South (TV miniseries)
North and South is the title of three American television miniseries broadcast on the ABC network in 1985, 1986, and 1994. Set before, during, and immediately after the American Civil War, they are based on the 1980s trilogy of novels North and South by John Jakes. The 1985 first installment, North...

, Genie and Jonathan started dating in 1985. They became engaged in 1986, and married on May 28, 1988. The couple has two children, Jameson Ivor Frakes, born in 1994, and Elizabeth Francis Frakes, born in 1997. They moved from Belfast, Maine
Belfast, Maine
Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,668. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River on Penobscot Bay, Belfast is the county seat of Waldo County...

 to Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...

 in 2008 and later moved to Calabasas, California
Calabasas, California
Calabasas is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California in the western United States. It is located in the hills in the southwestern San Fernando Valley and the Santa Monica Mountains between Woodland Hills, Agoura Hills, West Hills, and Malibu, California. As of the 2010 census, the city...

.

General Hospital (and other soaps)

Genie's most famous role, that of Laura Webber Spencer on General Hospital, would bring her instant stardom in the late 70's. Luke (Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary is an American actor. He has starred on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital as Luke Spencer from 1978 to 1984 and from 1993 to present.-Life and career:...

) and Laura became an international phenomenon and the most popular super couple in daytime history, appearing on the covers of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...

, Us Weekly
Us Weekly
Us Weekly is a celebrity gossip magazine, founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986. The publication covers topics ranging from celebrity relationships to the latest trends in fashion, beauty, and entertainment...

, and People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...

magazines. The television couple wed on November 17, 1981, with 30 million viewers tuning in to make this episode the highest-rated hour in soap opera history. At the peak of her success, Francis left the show in 1982 to try her hand at primetime television. Soon after, she landed a starring role in her own series, Bare Essence, which was not a success. Nevertheless, she remained a fan favorite and viewers were delighted when she returned to General Hospital in 1983 for a limited run to coincide with the departure of Luke when Geary decided to leave the series.

Through the years, other daytime soaps have pursued Francis because of her tremendous popularity. She appeared on Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...

as Diana Colville from 1987 to 1989 and on All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...

as con artist and incest victim Ceara Connor Hunter from 1990 to 1992. She reprised her role as Ceara on Loving
Loving (TV series)
Caden Grant Carlton loves Mika Ayako Ryan more.Loving is an American television soap opera which aired on ABC's daytime lineup from June 26, 1983 to November 10, 1995 for 3,169 episodes...

in November 1991. She then returned to GH in 1993. In 1994, when Francis became pregnant with her first child, the pregnancy was written into the show and Genie took six weeks off for maternity leave. However in early 1997 when she was pregnant again, she took a much longer absence from the show, staying away for nearly a year and a half.

In September 2002 she abruptly left General Hospital. She wanted to take the summer off, and General Hospital held her to the terms on her contract - GH would not give her the time off she requested, and as a result, she quit.

In June 2006, Francis began negotiating with the casting directors on the show in returning to the role of Laura Webber Spencer for a limited run through November. She returned to the show with spectacular fanfare to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Luke and Laura's wedding. The magic of Luke and Laura was recaptured, and the reunion garnered the show more publicity than it had seen in years. Though she reprised the role for only one month, Francis's stint was so successful that she garnered a Daytime Emmy
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...

 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys since the 6th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony in 1979....

, which she ended up winning in June 2007. "Oh my goodness!" she said. "Thank you so much. I am overwhelmed. I've waited 31 years for this moment."

In December 2007, Francis had a starring role in the Hallmark Channel movie, "The Note," which earned her critical acclaim.

Genie Francis returned to General Hospital in August 2008 to reprise her role as Laura Webber Spencer. Francis told the AP, "It's a mother-daughter story. Years ago when I started playing the character as a 14-year-old girl, it was a mother-daughter story, only I was the daughter. So it's kinda cool this is full circle. It's nice to come back for visits. General Hospital is my home." She continued, "I would stay on, but General Hospital honestly doesn't seem to want that relationship with this character at the moment," said Francis. "They want little short doses during sweeps periods. It's not entirely up to me. I'm thrilled and delighted my audience stands behind me. If they didn't, you can be sure I wouldn't get to come back for these visits." Laura's character was written off as returning to France for treatment for her illness.

On January 31, 2009, Francis reprised her role of Peyton MacGruder in the Hallmark Channel movie, "Taking a Chance on Love." (The Note II).

In late March 2011, it was announced that Francis would be joining the #1 hit daytime serial "The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...

" as Genevieve Atkinson, the long absent birth mother of the late Cane Ashby. With Francis appearance on Y&R, she was reunited with former General Hospital co-star Tristan Rogers
Tristan Rogers
Tristan Rogers is an Australian–American actor. He is best known for playing Robert Scorpio on the ABC soap opera General Hospital...

, who currently portrays Colin Atkinson, the estranged biological father of Cane Ashby.

Her Store

Francis owns a store called The Cherished Home. It is located at 31 Searsport Avenue, Belfast, Maine 04915, and they also sell items online. The store sells cottage furnishings and home accessories.

Commercial endorsements

In May 2007, Francis began appearing in magazine advertisements as a spokeperson for the Medifast Diet, claiming she lost 30 pounds as of December 2007 using the diet.

Filmography

  • (2011): The Young and the Restless
    The Young and the Restless
    The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...

    as Genevieve Atkinson (May 27, 2011 to present)
  • (2011): Bar Karma
    Bar Karma
    Bar Karma is the first online community-developed network television series. Online users pitch their own ideas for scenes and twists online, using a tool designed by Will Wright called the Storymaker. Some are eventually chosen by the production staff, and are utilized to help create a new episode...

    as The Waitress
  • (2009): Taking a Chance on Love as Peyton MacGruder
  • (2007): The Note
    The Note (film)
    The Note is a television movie directed by Douglas Barr and starring Genie Francis and Ted McGinley. The movie aired on Hallmark Channel in December 2007. It is based on the novel by Angela Hunt. It was filmed on location in Hamilton, Ontario....

    as Peyton MacGruder
  • (2004): Thunderbirds
    Thunderbirds (film)
    Thunderbirds is a 2004 science-fiction adventure film loosely based upon the television series of the same name of the 1960s, directed by Jonathan Frakes....

    as Unnamed Newscaster
  • (2000): Roswell
    Roswell (TV series)
    Roswell is an American science fiction television series developed, produced, and co-written by Jason Katims. The series debuted on October 6, 1999 on The WB and moved to UPN for the third season. The last episode aired May 14, 2002...

    as Mother
  • (2000): Oh, Baby as Rachel
  • (2000): 3rd Rock From The Sun
    3rd Rock from the Sun
    3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2001 on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet...

    as Gwen McMichael
  • (1997): The Incredible Hulk as Betty Ross
  • (1995): Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
    Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
    Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...

    as Amber Lake
  • (1995): Terror in the Shadows
  • (1994): Camp Nowhere
    Camp Nowhere
    Camp Nowhere is a 1994 film directed by Jonathan Prince, written by Andrew Kurtzman and Eliot Wald, and starring Jonathan Jackson, Christopher Lloyd, Melody Kay, Andrew Keegan, and Marnette Patterson. The film also features Jessica Alba in her first film role...

    as Mrs. Spiegel
  • (1994): Roseanne as Laura
  • (1991): Loving
    Loving (TV series)
    Caden Grant Carlton loves Mika Ayako Ryan more.Loving is an American television soap opera which aired on ABC's daytime lineup from June 26, 1983 to November 10, 1995 for 3,169 episodes...

    as Ceara Connor Hunter
  • (1990 - 92): All My Children
    All My Children
    All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...

    as Ceara Connor Hunter
  • (1987 - 89): Days of our Lives
    Days of our Lives
    Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...

    as Diana Colville
  • (1984 (1986) (1990): Murder, She Wrote
    Murder, She Wrote
    Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...

    as Victoria
  • (1983): Bare Essence
    Bare Essence
    Bare Essence is an American television soap opera which aired on the NBC network during the 1982-1983 season.Bare Essence starred popular daytime soap actress Genie Francis and dealt with the intrigues of the perfume industry...

    as Patricia 'Tyger' Hayes
  • (1982-83): Bare Essence
    Bare Essence
    Bare Essence is an American television soap opera which aired on the NBC network during the 1982-1983 season.Bare Essence starred popular daytime soap actress Genie Francis and dealt with the intrigues of the perfume industry...

    as Patricia 'Tyger' Hayes
  • (1985, 1986, and 1994)): North and South
    North and South (TV miniseries)
    North and South is the title of three American television miniseries broadcast on the ABC network in 1985, 1986, and 1994. Set before, during, and immediately after the American Civil War, they are based on the 1980s trilogy of novels North and South by John Jakes. The 1985 first installment, North...

    as Brett Main Hazard
  • (1976 - 08): General Hospital
    General Hospital
    General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....

    as Laura Vining - Spencer
    Laura Spencer
    Laura Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. Laura was portrayed by Stacy Baldwin from 1974 to 1976, and since then has been played by Genie Francis, first from 1976–1982, and then from 1992–2002...

     #2 (Fall 1976 to January 1982, 1983 to 1984, October 29, 1993 to September 6, 2002, October 26, 2006 to November 22, 2006, August 25, 2008 to November 12, 2008)

Music

In November 2009, Genie along with her brothers, Ivor Jr. and Kenneth released "It's Christmas Time Again." They decided to donate a part of all record sales to the Children's Mission in Cuernavaca. Genie decided to donate all of her proceeds/sales to this mission. This endeavor was a family project involving various members of her family.

Awards (won)

  • Daytime Emmy Awards
    • (2007) Daytime Emmy Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for General Hospital
      General Hospital
      General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....


  • Soap Opera Digest Awards
    Soap Opera Digest Awards
    The Soap Opera Digest Awards were an awards show held by the daytime television magazine Soap Opera Digest. The awards were founded in 1984 to replace the less-lavish Soapy Award; those awards shows had run since 1977. The Soap Opera Digest Awards are meant to promote excellence in the soap opera...

    • (1997) Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actress for General Hospital
      General Hospital
      General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....


  • Soapy Awards
    Soapy Awards
    The Soapy Awards were an award presented by Soap Opera Digest magazine to the best work on American soap operas from 1977 until 1983. Unlike their successors, the Soap Opera Digest Awards, this accolade lacked a great deal of glamour. The statue itself was a tall geometic crystal were presented...

    • (1981) Soapy Outstanding Actress for General Hospital
      General Hospital
      General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....

    • (1980) Soapy Outstanding Actress for General Hospital
      General Hospital
      General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....


  • Young Artist Awards
    • (1981) Young Artist Award
      Young Artist Award
      The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...

       Best Young Actress - Daytime TV Series for General Hospital
      General Hospital
      General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....


Awards (nominated)

  • Daytime Emmy Awards
    • (2002) Special Fan Award America's Favorite Couple for Luke and Laura Spencer
      Luke and Laura Spencer
      Luke Spencer and Laura Webber are fictional characters and the signature supercouple from the American daytime drama General Hospital. Luke is portrayed by Anthony Geary, and Laura was portrayed by Genie Francis...

       on General Hospital
      General Hospital
      General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....


-Shared with Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary is an American actor. He has starred on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital as Luke Spencer from 1978 to 1984 and from 1993 to present.-Life and career:...

  • (1997) Daytime Emmy Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for General Hospital
    General Hospital
    General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....


  • Young Artist Awards
    • (1982) Young Artist Award
      Young Artist Award
      The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...

       Best Young Actress in a Daytime Series for General Hospital
      General Hospital
      General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....

    • (1980) Young Artist Award
      Young Artist Award
      The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...

       Best Juvenile Actress in a Daytime Series for General Hospital
      General Hospital
      General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....


See also

  • General Hospital
    General Hospital
    General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....

  • North and South
    North and South (TV miniseries)
    North and South is the title of three American television miniseries broadcast on the ABC network in 1985, 1986, and 1994. Set before, during, and immediately after the American Civil War, they are based on the 1980s trilogy of novels North and South by John Jakes. The 1985 first installment, North...

  • Luke and Laura Spencer
    Luke and Laura Spencer
    Luke Spencer and Laura Webber are fictional characters and the signature supercouple from the American daytime drama General Hospital. Luke is portrayed by Anthony Geary, and Laura was portrayed by Genie Francis...

  • Supercouple
    Supercouple
    A supercouple or super couple is a popular or financially wealthy pairing that intrigues and fascinates the public in an intense or even obsessive fashion...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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