From Withheld Pills to the Emmy Stage: Celebrating 48 Years of a ‘General Hospital’ Icon

48 years ago today, Daytime Emmy winner Jane Elliot made her debut on the soap opera General Hospital, and the daytime television landscape was changed forever.

On June 19, 1978, Tracy Quartermaine arrived at General Hospital in Port Charles, where she met her brother, Alan Quartermaine. Alan introduces Tracy to nurse Jessie Brewer. He explains that Tracy is there to help him work at the hospital’s new cardiac wing.

Tracy is also introduced to Lesley Webber (Denise Alexander).

Over the coming years, Tracy would be at the center of many of General Hospital’s most talked-about moments.

Two years after her debut, in May of 1980, Tracy was involved in one of the most iconic scenes in General Hospital history. Tracy was embroiled in a paternity suit against Alan over the paternity of his son Alan Quartermaine Jr.

Alan’s wife, Monica, had previously had an affair with Rick Webber, a fact Tracy was using against her brother as she argued that her son, Ned Quartermaine (Later Wally Kurth), was the rightful heir to the Quartermaine fortune.

Edward insisted that Tracy drop the suit; he warned her that if she didn’t, he would disown her and Ned. Tracy refused, causing Edward to experience chest pains. He demands Tracy help him grab his medication, but she refuses. Keeping the pills outside of his reach. She offers to help him, but only in exchange for him ripping up the will and writing them out of it. Edward refuses and begs his daughter to help save his life.

Tracy walks over to him and heads to the window to allow her father to pass away in peace, only she is startled as Edward pops up laughing. He explained that he was testing his daughter, and she failed, and as a result, she will lose everything, and he proceeds to officially write her out of the will.

Elliot reflected on the reason for her exit in 1980 with soap journalist Michael Logan for TV Guide back in 2013. The actress shared that her exit was due to the Executive Producer, Gloria Monty, insulting her. “I was making, like, a dollar and a quarter a week — horrible money, so little money that I asked for a $50 raise and Gloria told my agent I was unprofessional.”

Elliot shared that she can be called many things, but she did not want to be called “unprofessional.” The actress shared, “I was so insulted she applied that word to me that I said, ‘I’m not working for her anymore!’ I finished out my contract and left.”

When she was asked if she ever regretted leaving at the time, Elliot said, “Nope.” She also explained how Monty didn’t want to submit Elliot for the Daytime Emmys, but she submitted him anyway.

As a result, Elliot won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1981.

Over the years, Elliot has come and gone many times; however, she remains a staple of General Hospital, as Tracy has assumed the role of the family’s matriarch.

General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC and streams weeknights on Hulu.