Rachel Ames
Encyclopedia
Rachel Ames is an Emmy Award
Winning American
actress. She is the longest-running performer on ABC
's longest-running daytime serial
, General Hospital
, playing Audrey Hardy, R.N.
from 1964 to 2007. She also played Audrey Hardy on the General Hospital spin-off
series Port Charles
. Her contract was not renewed for General Hospital in 2003, but she still appeared as a recurring character from 2003 until 2007.
Ames has been nominated three times for a Daytime Emmy Award
as "Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama" for her role on General Hospital, and in 2004, was given a "Lifetime Achievement Award" Emmy.
In 1997, she appeared on ABC's special two-hour primetime preview of new daytime series Port Charles, a spin-off of the long-running Emmy winning hit General Hospital. Ames played her signature role of Audrey Hardy and needed extensive surgery.
Ames has also had dozens of TV guest-starring appearances (almost all before General Hospital) on series such as The Virginian
, Ironside
, Wagon Train
, Ben Casey
, Perry Mason
, Alfred Hitchcock Presents
, and six different appearances on Science Fiction Theater.
In the early years of her acting career, she was credited as "Judith Ames".
She and her husband, Canadian
actor Barry Cahill, have two daughters and two grandchildren. She is the daughter of actress Dorothy Adams
and actor Byron Foulger.
In 2007, Ames retired from General Hospital after 43 years. However, it was announced on October 1, 2009, that she would reappear as Audrey in mid-October after a two year absence from the show.
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
Winning American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress. She is the longest-running performer on 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...
's longest-running daytime serial
Serial (radio and television)
Serials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from...
, 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....
, playing Audrey Hardy, R.N.
Audrey Hardy, R.N.
Audrey March Hardy, RN, is a very long-running character on ABC's General Hospital. She was originated in 1964 by actress Rachel Ames, who played the role from its creation until 2003 as a contract cast member, then as a recurring cast member from then to date. Ames is the only actress to play...
from 1964 to 2007. She also played Audrey Hardy on the General Hospital spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
series Port Charles
Port Charles
Port Charles was a daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from June 2, 1997 to October 3, 2003. It is a spin-off of the serial General Hospital, which has been running since 1963 and takes place in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York...
. Her contract was not renewed for General Hospital in 2003, but she still appeared as a recurring character from 2003 until 2007.
Ames has been nominated three times for a Daytime Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
as "Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama" for her role on General Hospital, and in 2004, was given a "Lifetime Achievement Award" Emmy.
In 1997, she appeared on ABC's special two-hour primetime preview of new daytime series Port Charles, a spin-off of the long-running Emmy winning hit General Hospital. Ames played her signature role of Audrey Hardy and needed extensive surgery.
Ames has also had dozens of TV guest-starring appearances (almost all before General Hospital) on series such as The Virginian
The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
, Ironside
Ironside (TV series)
Ironside is a Universal television series which ran on NBC from September 14, 1967 to January 16, 1975. The show starred Raymond Burr as the wheelchair-using Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside. The character's debut was in a TV-movie on March 28, 1967. The original title of the show in the...
, Wagon Train
Wagon Train
Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
, Ben Casey
Ben Casey
Ben Casey is an American medical drama series which ran on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, *, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaffe intoned, "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity." Neurosurgeon Joseph...
, Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
, Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
, and six different appearances on Science Fiction Theater.
In the early years of her acting career, she was credited as "Judith Ames".
She and her husband, Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
actor Barry Cahill, have two daughters and two grandchildren. She is the daughter of actress Dorothy Adams
Dorothy Adams
Dorothy Adams was an American character actress. She was married to character actor Byron Foulger from 1921-1970. She was the mother of soap opera actress Rachel Ames...
and actor Byron Foulger.
In 2007, Ames retired from General Hospital after 43 years. However, it was announced on October 1, 2009, that she would reappear as Audrey in mid-October after a two year absence from the show.
Television filmography
- General HospitalGeneral HospitalGeneral 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 Audrey March HardyAudrey March HardyAudrey Hardy is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital...
(February 23, 1964 - March 23, 2007; October 19, 2009 - October 20, 2009) - Port CharlesPort CharlesPort Charles was a daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from June 2, 1997 to October 3, 2003. It is a spin-off of the serial General Hospital, which has been running since 1963 and takes place in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York...
- Audrey March Hardy (June 1, 1997 to 1998) - Ironside - Carolyn Channing (1969)
- Wagon TrainWagon TrainWagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
- Florence Yeager (1964) - Ben CaseyBen CaseyBen Casey is an American medical drama series which ran on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, *, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaffe intoned, "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity." Neurosurgeon Joseph...
(1964) - Arrest and Trial (1964)
- Wagon Train - Emily Dawson (1963)
- Science Fiction Theater--Y.O.R.D. (1955)