| Genie Francis Frakes | |
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| Born | Eugenie Ann Francis May 26, 1962 Englewood, NJ, United States |
| Spouse | Jonathan Frakes (1988–Present) two children |
Eugenie "Genie" Francis Frakes (born Eugenie Ann Francis on May 26, 1962) is an American actress known for her portrayal of Laura Spencer on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital. She is currently playing Genevieve Atkinson on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. She will soon appear in the web series PRETTY.
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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. 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 while filming the television show, Bare Essence. After meeting again during the filming of the miniseries, North and South, 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 to Beverly Hills, California in 2008 and later moved to Calabasas, California.
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) and Laura became an international phenomenon and the most popular super couple in daytime history, appearing on the covers of TV Guide, Us Weekly, and People 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.[2] 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 as Diana Colville 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 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 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, 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.[3]
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."[2] 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" 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, who currently portrays Colin Atkinson, the estranged biological father of Cane Ashby.
Francis owns a store called The Cherished Home.[4] It is located at 31 Searsport Avenue, Belfast, Maine 04915, and they also sell items online. The store sells cottage furnishings and home accessories.
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.
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.
-Shared with Anthony Geary
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