Genie Francis

Genie Francis Frakes

Francis in 2013
Born Eugenie Ann Francis
(1962-05-26) May 26, 1962
Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Spouse(s) Jonathan Frakes (m. 1988)
Children 2

Eugenie Ann "Genie" Francis Frakes (born May 26, 1962) is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Laura Spencer on the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital.

Early life

Francis was born in Englewood, New Jersey.[1] Her father, Ivor Francis,[1] 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. Genie has an older brother, Ivor Jr.; a younger brother, Kenneth; and an older half-sister, Shelley, from her father's first marriage.

Career

Francis' best-known role, that of Laura Spencer on General Hospital, would bring her instant stardom in the late 1970s. The television couple of Luke and Laura wed on November 17, 1981, with 30 million viewers tuning in to make the episode the highest-rated hour in soap opera history.[2] At the peak of her success, Francis left the show in 1982 to try her hand at prime-time television. Soon afterward, she landed a starring role in her own series, Bare Essence, which was unsuccessful. 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. She was also offered the lead role for the movie Splash but turned it down because she thought the script was silly.

Through the years, Francis has appeared on numerous other daytime soaps. She starred on Days of Our Lives as Diana Colville (a reporter who became involved with John Black, at the time believing himself to be Roman Brady) from 1987 to 1989 and on All My Children as con artist and incest victim Ceara Connor Hunter from 1990 to 1992. She reprised her role as Ceara on Loving in a cross-over storyline in November 1991. Ceara was "killed off" when her character prepared to move to that soap's town of Corinth (although it was an unseen extra stepping off the bus into the line of fire), and ironically, years later, Genie would find herself once again in Corinth on General Hospital when ex-husband Luke found her tied up in the Alden family basement. She then returned to General Hospital in 1993. In 1994, when Francis became pregnant with her first child, the pregnancy was written into the show and she 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. Francis abruptly left General Hospital in 2002 due to contract issues.

In June 2006, Francis began negotiating with the casting directors on the show to return to the role of Laura Spencer for a limited run through November. She returned with spectacular fanfare to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Luke and Laura's wedding. Though she reprised the role for only one month, Francis' stint garnered her a Daytime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, which she won in June 2007. Francis later returned to General Hospital again in August 2008 to reprise her role, appearing until November 12.

In December 2007, Francis had a starring role in the Hallmark Channel movie, The Note, which earned her critical acclaim.[3]

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 March 2011, it was announced that Francis would join The Young and the Restless as Genevieve Atkinson, the long-absent birth mother of Cane Ashby. With her appearance, she was reunited with former General Hospital co-star Tristan Rogers, who portrayed Colin Atkinson, Cane's estranged biological father. She received her second Daytime Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Genevieve in May 2012.

On September 13, 2012, it was announced that Francis had been let go from her role on The Young and the Restless due to budget cuts.[4]

On January 8, 2013, executive producer Frank Valentini and Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Francis would return to General Hospital, first airing on February 11. However, she remained with the show for only five months, as Laura departed for medical treatment in France, returning on June 5, 2015 as part of a storyline to help facilitate Anthony Geary's departure from the show.[5]

Personal life

Francis met actor/director Jonathan Frakes while filming the television miniseries Bare Essence. After meeting again during the filming of the miniseries North and South, Francis and Frakes 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, to Beverly Hills, California, in 2008 and later moved to Calabasas, California.

Other projects

Francis owned a store called The Cherished Home.[6] It was located at 31 Searsport Avenue, Belfast, Maine 04915, and they also sold items online. The store sold cottage furnishings and home accessories. Francis sold the store in August 2012, due to her workload on The Young and the Restless. The store closed in the Fall 2012.

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

In November 2009, Francis 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 Sisters of Saint Francis Children's Mission in Cuernavaca.[7] Francis decided to donate all of her proceeds/sales to this mission. This endeavor was a project involving various members of her family.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1985 North and South Brett Main Hazard Television miniseries
1986 North and South: Book II Brett Main Hazard Television miniseries
1994 Heaven and Hell: North and South Book III Brett Main Hazard Television miniseries
1994 Camp Nowhere Mrs. Spiegel
1995 Terror in the Shadows Sarah
2004 Thunderbirds Unnamed Newscaster
2007 The Note Peyton MacGruder Television film
2009 Taking a Chance on Love Peyton MacGruder Television film
2011 Notes from the Heart Healer Peyton MacGruder Television film

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1976–1984,
1993–2002,
2006, 2008,
2013, 2015-		 General Hospital Laura Spencer Contract role
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Soapy Award for Outstanding Actress (1981)
Young Artist Award for Best Juvenile Actress in a Daytime Series (1981)
Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award for America's Favorite Couple (shared with Anthony Geary)
Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Nominated — Soapy Award for Outstanding Actress (1980)
Nominated — Young Artist Award for Best Juvenile in a Daytime Series (1980, 1982)
1981 Fridays Herself/Co-Host Special guest appearance with Anthony Geary
1982 Fantasy Island Christa Ackland Episode: "Daddy's Little Girl" / "The Whistle"[8]
1982–83 Bare Essence Patricia 'Tyger' Hayes Series regular, 11 episodes
1984, 1986, 1990 Murder, She Wrote Victoria 3 episodes
1987–89 Days of Our Lives Diana Colville Contract role
1990–92 All My Children Ceara Connor Hunter Contract role
1991 Loving Ceara Connor Hunter 2 episodes
1995 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Amber Lake Episode: "Don't Tug on Superman's Cape"
1997 The Incredible Hulk Betty Ross Voice, 6 episodes
2000 3rd Rock from the Sun Gwen McMichael Episode: "Gwen, Larry, Dick & Mary"
2000 Oh, Baby Rachel Episode: "Image"
2000 Roswell Mother Episode: "Destiny"
2011 Bar Karma Waitress Episode: "Three Times a Lady"
2011–12 The Young and the Restless Genevieve Atkinson Contract role
Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Awards and nominations

Young Artist Awards
Year Award Work Result
1980 Young Artist Awards for Best Juvenile Actress in a Daytime Series General Hospital Nominated
1981 Won
1982 Nominated
Soapy Awards
Year Award Work Result
1980 Soapy Award for Outstanding Actress General Hospital Nominated
1981 Won
Soap Opera Digest Awards
Year Award Work Result
1997 Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama General Hospital Nominated
Daytime Emmy Awards
Year Award Work Result
1997 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series General Hospital Nominated
2002 Daytime Emmy Award for America's Favorite Couple - (shared with Anthony Geary) Nominated
2007 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Won
2012 The Young and the Restless Nominated

References

  1. 1 2 Alexander, Rodi (2007-11-28). "Genie Francis Returns To The Tube in 'The Note'". The Independent (East Hampton). Genie's first break into show business came about when her father Ivor (who was a renowned stage actor) decided he wanted to be a film actor. He packed up the family, left Englewood, and headed to California.
  2. ↑ Lang, Derrik J. (2008-07-11). "Laura to return to 'General Hospital'". Associated Press.
  3. ↑ 1
  4. ↑ Lynette Rice (14 September 2012). "Genie Francis out of 'Young and the Restless'". EW.com. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "Genie Francis returns to 'General Hospital' -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Lynette Rice. January 8, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  6. ↑ http://www.thecherishedhome.com/
  7. ↑ "Genie Francis CD". Sisters of St. Francis. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  8. ↑ "Fantasy Island: Daddy's Little Girl/The Whistle". IMDB. Retrieved 22 February 2016.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 16, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.