Jeff Webber
Encyclopedia
Dr. Jeffrey "Jeff" Webber was a fictional character
on the popular ABC
daytime drama General Hospital
. Eventually, he was revealed to be the biological son of the series' patriarch, Dr. Steve Hardy
. He was portrayed by Richard Dean Anderson
from 1976 until 1981.
after graduating from medical school. Newlyweds Jeff and his wife Dr. Monica Bard Webber
(then Patsy Rahn) planned to join the staff of General Hospital following in the footsteps of Jeff's older brother, Rick Webber
, who had reportedly been killed in a plane crash over Africa. Steve Hardy
tapped the young married Webbers for a bold new experimental program at the hospital called Mr. and Mrs. Intern. For Steve, the Mr. and Mrs. Intern experiment was a noble gamble. He believed Jeff and Monica were a perfect choice. It was six months into their marriage. Steve assumed they were ideally happy, but in actuality, their marriage was a wreck, and Jeff feared everyone at GH was comparing him to his dead brother, Rick. He missed his brother greatly, as did his wife Monica, who had once been engaged to Rick.
Suddenly, Rick appeared alive, revealing he had been captured by African revolutionaries during a civil war and held prisoner for ten months. Monica and Rick were still in love. Jeff grew angry and jealous as their feelings developed into an affair. In response, he had an affair with Heather Grant, a scheming nanny who wanted Jeff to herself. She became pregnant but didn't tell anyone, not even Jeff. Suddenly, Jeff disappeared and no one knew where he was for a time, until he showed up at a Port Charles bar called Barney's Place where he was drunk and high on amphetamines. Jeff then stole a gun kept in the back of the bar, and was found unconscious with a bullet in his brain. On his deathbed, he was told by his sister Terri Webber while her own mother Helene was dying, she had revealed the location of a safe deposit box, containing a letter stating Jeff's real father was Steve Hardy.
In 1977, Jeff had a slow recovery from his bullet wound. Out of guilt, Monica reconciled with him. When Heather revealed to Jeff she was pregnant, Jeff told her to abort the baby so he could still be with Monica. Heather responded by faking a suicide attempt and demanding Jeff leave Monica. He refused. Heather then opted to move to New York and give birth to the baby and sell it to Peter and Diana Taylor for $10,000, though she told Jeff the baby had died. Monica, meanwhile, was shaken by the fact her previous lover Rick Webber had asked Lesley Faulkner
to marry him, and so Monica asked Jeff for a divorce. On the rebound, Jeff asked Heather to marry him, especially after learning their child had died.
In 1978, Jeff and Heather married, but early into their marriage, the newlyweds saw very little of each other as Heather had become the nanny of her own child, P.J. Taylor and Jeff was studying for his license. Soon, Heather discovered she was pregnant again. Jeff announced if the baby was a boy, he wanted to name him Steven Lars. Heather, however, lost the baby.
In the winter of 1979, Steve Hardy was forced to place General Hospital under quarantine due to an outbreak of the deadly Lassa Fever
. He himself fell ill with the fatal disease. Believing Steve was on his deathbed, his wife Audrey Hardy told Jeff that Steve was his real father. Meanwhile, Heather was obsessed to see her son whom she had sold to the Taylors. Heather planned to put LSD in Diana Taylor's drink and make her go insane. However the glasses were switched. Heather drank the LSD. She began to wildly hallucinate. Jeff had no choice but to ship her off to a sanitarium. It was then revealed baby P.J. Taylor was really Jeff Webber's son Steven Lars Webber. Peter Taylor died of a heart attack when he heard. In order to keep from losing her adopted son, Diana Taylor married Jeff, though he still did not know the child was his.
In 1980, while Heather was still in the sanitarium, Jeff fell in love with Audrey Hardy's niece Annie Logan and the duo hoped to wed. In 1981, they had broken up and Jeff had an affair with Diana, who finally revealed to him P.J. was his son. Shortly thereafter Diana was killed by Heather's mother, Alice Grant, who had tried to frame Annie for the murder.
Jeff took his son Steven and left Port Charles, later asking Heather for a divorce because he found someone else. In 1997, Jeff and his new wife traveled to Sarajevo
to help in the war effort. They sent their two daughters Sarah Webber and Elizabeth Webber
to live with their 'grandmother' Audrey. In 1998, Jeff wrote to his daughter Sarah and had her move to Sarajevo as well.
His children, especially Elizabeth, have stated numerous times Jeff and their mother were not very good parents. With the exception of Sarah, they have limited contact with both of them.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the popular ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
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....
. Eventually, he was revealed to be the biological son of the series' patriarch, Dr. Steve Hardy
Steve Hardy
Dr. Steve Hardy is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. John Beradino originated the role of Steve Hardy on April 1, 1963 and portrayed him until his death in 1996.- History :...
. He was portrayed by Richard Dean Anderson
Richard Dean Anderson
Richard Dean Anderson is an American television and film actor, producer and composer. He began his television career in 1976 as Dr. Jeff Webber in the American soap opera series General Hospital, then rose to prominence as the lead actor in the television series MacGyver...
from 1976 until 1981.
Character history
Dr. Jeff Webber was first introduced in the spring of 1976 when he arrived in Port CharlesPort Charles, New York (Fictional City)
Port Charles, New York is the fictional setting of the ABC Daytime soap operas General Hospital and its spin-offs Port Charles and General Hospital: Night Shift. It was later retroactively revealed as the setting of The Young Marrieds, a short-lived series which ran between 1964 and 1966...
after graduating from medical school. Newlyweds Jeff and his wife Dr. Monica Bard Webber
Monica Quartermaine
Dr. Monica Quartermaine is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. She is a member of the wealthy Quartermaine family. Her various affairs and quarrels with her husband Dr...
(then Patsy Rahn) planned to join the staff of General Hospital following in the footsteps of Jeff's older brother, Rick Webber
Rick Webber
Rick Webber was a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. He was portrayed by Michael Gregory from 1976 - 1978, and by Chris Robinson from 1978 - 1986, and again briefly in 2002, when the character was killed by Scott Baldwin....
, who had reportedly been killed in a plane crash over Africa. Steve Hardy
Steve Hardy
Dr. Steve Hardy is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. John Beradino originated the role of Steve Hardy on April 1, 1963 and portrayed him until his death in 1996.- History :...
tapped the young married Webbers for a bold new experimental program at the hospital called Mr. and Mrs. Intern. For Steve, the Mr. and Mrs. Intern experiment was a noble gamble. He believed Jeff and Monica were a perfect choice. It was six months into their marriage. Steve assumed they were ideally happy, but in actuality, their marriage was a wreck, and Jeff feared everyone at GH was comparing him to his dead brother, Rick. He missed his brother greatly, as did his wife Monica, who had once been engaged to Rick.
Suddenly, Rick appeared alive, revealing he had been captured by African revolutionaries during a civil war and held prisoner for ten months. Monica and Rick were still in love. Jeff grew angry and jealous as their feelings developed into an affair. In response, he had an affair with Heather Grant, a scheming nanny who wanted Jeff to herself. She became pregnant but didn't tell anyone, not even Jeff. Suddenly, Jeff disappeared and no one knew where he was for a time, until he showed up at a Port Charles bar called Barney's Place where he was drunk and high on amphetamines. Jeff then stole a gun kept in the back of the bar, and was found unconscious with a bullet in his brain. On his deathbed, he was told by his sister Terri Webber while her own mother Helene was dying, she had revealed the location of a safe deposit box, containing a letter stating Jeff's real father was Steve Hardy.
In 1977, Jeff had a slow recovery from his bullet wound. Out of guilt, Monica reconciled with him. When Heather revealed to Jeff she was pregnant, Jeff told her to abort the baby so he could still be with Monica. Heather responded by faking a suicide attempt and demanding Jeff leave Monica. He refused. Heather then opted to move to New York and give birth to the baby and sell it to Peter and Diana Taylor for $10,000, though she told Jeff the baby had died. Monica, meanwhile, was shaken by the fact her previous lover Rick Webber had asked Lesley Faulkner
Lesley Webber
Lesley Webber, M.D. was a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. She was played by Denise Alexander from 1972-1984 on contract and from 1996-2009 recurring.-Arrival:...
to marry him, and so Monica asked Jeff for a divorce. On the rebound, Jeff asked Heather to marry him, especially after learning their child had died.
In 1978, Jeff and Heather married, but early into their marriage, the newlyweds saw very little of each other as Heather had become the nanny of her own child, P.J. Taylor and Jeff was studying for his license. Soon, Heather discovered she was pregnant again. Jeff announced if the baby was a boy, he wanted to name him Steven Lars. Heather, however, lost the baby.
In the winter of 1979, Steve Hardy was forced to place General Hospital under quarantine due to an outbreak of the deadly Lassa Fever
Lassa fever
Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus and first described in 1969 in the town of Lassa, in Borno State, Nigeria, in the Yedseram river valley at the south end of Lake Chad. Clinical cases of the disease had been known for over a decade but had not been connected...
. He himself fell ill with the fatal disease. Believing Steve was on his deathbed, his wife Audrey Hardy told Jeff that Steve was his real father. Meanwhile, Heather was obsessed to see her son whom she had sold to the Taylors. Heather planned to put LSD in Diana Taylor's drink and make her go insane. However the glasses were switched. Heather drank the LSD. She began to wildly hallucinate. Jeff had no choice but to ship her off to a sanitarium. It was then revealed baby P.J. Taylor was really Jeff Webber's son Steven Lars Webber. Peter Taylor died of a heart attack when he heard. In order to keep from losing her adopted son, Diana Taylor married Jeff, though he still did not know the child was his.
In 1980, while Heather was still in the sanitarium, Jeff fell in love with Audrey Hardy's niece Annie Logan and the duo hoped to wed. In 1981, they had broken up and Jeff had an affair with Diana, who finally revealed to him P.J. was his son. Shortly thereafter Diana was killed by Heather's mother, Alice Grant, who had tried to frame Annie for the murder.
Jeff took his son Steven and left Port Charles, later asking Heather for a divorce because he found someone else. In 1997, Jeff and his new wife traveled to Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
to help in the war effort. They sent their two daughters Sarah Webber and Elizabeth Webber
Elizabeth Webber
Elizabeth Spencer may refer to:*Lady Elizabeth Spencer , wife of Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke*Elizabeth Spencer, Baroness Hunsdon*Elizabeth Spencer , American novelist...
to live with their 'grandmother' Audrey. In 1998, Jeff wrote to his daughter Sarah and had her move to Sarajevo as well.
His children, especially Elizabeth, have stated numerous times Jeff and their mother were not very good parents. With the exception of Sarah, they have limited contact with both of them.