Steve Hardy

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For the Canadian swimmer, see Steve Hardy (swimmer).
Steve Hardy
General Hospital character
John Beradino as Steve Hardy
Portrayed byJohn Beradino
Jason Thompson (2015)
Duration
  • 1963–96
  • 2015
First appearanceApril 1, 1963 (April 1, 1963)
Last appearanceApril 23, 1996 (April 23, 1996)
April 1, 2015 (April 1, 2015) (flashback)
Classification
Tommy Hardy
(adoptive)

Steve Hardy is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Former Major League Baseball infielder John Beradino originated the role of Steve Hardy on the show's April 1, 1963, premiere, portraying the character for 33 years until taken ill[1] and last appearing on April 23, 1996.[2] A leading presence on the series in over 4,300 episodes,[3] Beradino received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1993, the same year GH celebrated its 30th anniversary.[1] Jason Thompson portrayed the character in a flashback episode for the show's 52nd anniversary.

Storylines

Dr. Steven Hardy works on the seventh floor of General Hospital. He is so devoted to his work that his fiancée,

open heart surgery
on her child.

Dr. Hardy makes a crossover appearance on sister soap opera One Life to Live in fictional Llanview with Dr. Jim Craig (Nat Polen) on episodes aired from March 18 through March 21, 1970.[4]

In 1976, Terri Webber Arnett comes to town with her younger brothers,

Tom. When Lassa fever hits and Steve falls ill, Audrey tells Jeff that Steve is his real father. Jeff is hurt but eventually Steve and Jeff bond. Steve and Audrey meet their first grandchild when Jeff is reunited with Steven Lars Webber, three years after his wife Heather Grant Webber
had sold him to Diana Taylor.

In the late 1980s, Audrey and Steve's son Tom becomes a doctor at General Hospital. In 1993, Audrey surprises Steve with an anniversary party to honor his thirty years at General Hospital. Steve pledges that he will treat patients more and perform hospital administration work less. Later, Audrey is attacked by a psychotic Ryan Chamberlain and Steve has to perform surgery on her. Steve votes for

heart attack
while trying to keep General Hospital out of considerable financial debt. The entire community mourns Steve's death.

Recognition and reception

In tribute to Beradino, General Hospital left his image, paired with that of Rachel Ames, in its opening sequence for 18 months after his death. Though that image was finally removed in early 1998, a clip of Beradino's Steve Hardy in the hospital remained in the sequence until that sequence's 2004 retirement. Beradino received three Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Daytime Drama.[1]

In 2023, Charlie Mason from

Soaps She Knows placed Steve at third place on his ranked list of General Hospital’s 40+ Greatest Characters of All Time, commenting "The white hats in Port Charles tend to get overlooked in favor of the anti-heroes and bad boys — but not by us. We still fondly remember John Beradino’s good doctor — or, as we think of him, the foundation upon which General Hospital is built.".[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c Grimes, William (May 22, 1996). "John Bernadino, 79, an Enduring Soap Opera Star". The New York Times. p. 21.
  2. ^ John Carmody (July 10, 1996). "General Hospital paying tribute to deceased actor". The Ledger. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  3. ^ "The General Hospital 35th Anniversary Show". General Hospital. Season 36. Episode 8965. April 2, 1998. American Broadcasting Company.
  4. ^ "News Notes". The Hearne Democrat. Hearne, Texas. March 20, 1970. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  5. Soaps She Knows
    . Retrieved 18 July 2023.

External links

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