Laura Collins (Genie Francis)

Laura Spencer (née Webber, born Vining, previously Baldwin) is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Laura was portrayed by Stacy Baldwin from 1974 to 1976, and since then has been played by Genie Francis, first from 1976-1982, and then from 1993-2002 (with brief appearances in 1983, 1984, 2006, and 2008). Laura is one half of "Luke and Laura," one of the most well-known couples in soap opera history. Though other "supercouples" came before them, Luke and Laura are the most well known outside of the soap opera realm, and are credited with defining the term "supercouple," which caused other soap operas to copy the successful formula.

Originally, critics of the soap opera genre panned the unlikely pairing. Laura was actually raped by Luke; as very few (if any) rape victims fall in love with their rapists, this relationship was actually offensive to some of the public. However, the duo became wildly popular in spite of the origins of their relationship. They wed on November 16, 1981, with 30 million viewers tuning in. The episode was the highest-rated hour in soap opera history. They were married for two decades and had two children. Even today, their union still has a presence in Port Charles. On internet message boards, the couple is often referred to as "L&amp;L".

Early Years
Laura is the daughter of medical professor, Gordon Grey and his former student, Lesley Williams. Lesley believed Laura died at birth until she learned that she was being raised by Jason and Barbara Vining. After moving in with her real mom, Laura had some trouble adjusting to being away from Barbara. Lesley would then take her back to the Vinings but she couldn't forget her. Her husband Cameron Faulkner was jealous and payed the Vinings to run off with Laura. Laura was later found by Dr. Rick Webber along with Lesley. He'd help her come to terms with the fact the Lesley loved her just as much as Barbara. Laura would move in with Rick and Lesley when they married.

David Hamilton scandal
Laura began dating Scott Baldwin and caused a bit of a stir by asking Rick's former lover, Dr Monica Quartermaine for birth control pills so that she could sleep with him. While she was dating Scott, an old "friend" of Rick's named David Hamilton was busy trying to seduce Lesley in revenge as David's late wife had apparently always been in love with Rick. When David's seduction of Lesley failed, David decided that Laura would serve his purposes just as well and began befriending her. Laura became smitten with the older man and the two embarked on an affair. When David's schemes to defraud General Hospital came to light he made plans to flee Port Charles. Laura wanted to go with him but David refused and revealed to Laura that he'd only been using her to get revenge on her parents. In a fit of anger, Laura pushed David and he fell and hit his head on a statue and died. Lesley arrived on the scene and quickly got her daughter away from the scene of the crime.

When Laura couldn't remember what happened, Lesley took the blame and claimed to the police that she had killed David in self-defence when he had tried to rape her. The police did not believe Lesley's story and soon Lesley found herself on trial for murder. When Laura finally remembered that she, not Lesley, had killed David, she ran away to New York City. Scotty and his best friend Bryan Phillips found her there and brought her home, where Laura finally confessed to the crime. Since the crime was accidental, Laura was given six months probation.

During Laura's troubles with David Hamilton, Scotty had started sleeping with Bobbie Spencer and Bobbie was now stunned to find herself cast aside in favor of Laura. Bobbie began scheming to break up Scott and Laura and brought her brother Luke Spencer into her schemes. When trying to get Laura to break her probation and sent to reform school didn't work, Bobbie tried faking a pregnancy in order to get Scott to marry her. However, when that didn't work, Bobbie tried to make Laura think she had slept with Scott again. This time, her plan worked but had the unintended effect of making Laura rush off and crash her car. Luke was upset at this turn of events and ordered Bobbie to stop her scheming. Bobbie, herself filled with guilt and remorse, complied and stood back as Scott and Laura were reunited.

Spencer/Baldwin feud: the beginning
With permission from her parents, she marries Scott Baldwin on July 6th, 1979. She spends a lot of money on law books for Scott and to get out of debt she asks Luke Spencer for a job at the campus disco. Luke eventually falls deeply in love with her. On the night he finally confesses his love for her, thinking he is going to die, he loses control and rapes her on the floor of the campus disco. She refuses to name her rapist and Laura somehow forgives him in a letter. Scott finds the letter and punches Luke just before his wedding to Jennifer Smith. Laura saves his life after he falls off the yacht. They then run off together and fall in love in the process. Upon returning to Port Charles, Laura admitts she was married after being hounded by reporters, breaking Luke's heart. She goes on the search for Scott who had also run off but keeps bumbing into Luke. They later admit they can't live without each other.

The Ice Princess and marriage to Luke
While working at E.L.Q. Industries, the couple learns of the Ice Princess. Luke searches for the Ice Princess diamond, but when it gets into the hands of the Cassadine family, the couple has to stop Mikkos Cassadine from freezing all of Port Charles, New York in the middle of summer. With friend Robert Scorpio, Luke and Laura find the island where Mikkos' weather machine is being kept. Mikkos tries to force them to surrender by threatening to freeze the entire world, starting with Port Charles. Luke is able to stop the freezing process with the password "Ice Princess." When they get back home, Laura files for a divorce with Scotty so she and Luke can plan their wedding. The entire town throws a magnificent wedding for the heroes at the mayor's mansion. The couple marry on November 16th, 1981 with 30 million viewers tuning in. After the wedding, Tiffany Hill gets Laura to take the modeling job as "Ms. Star Eyes." This job takes her away from home very often and on one of her trips, she is kidnapped by "David Grey" and presumed dead. However, she is actually being held captive by the Cassadines. They tell her Luke had died and thye force Laura into marrying the son of Mikkos, Stavros Cassadine. She has an affair with the other Cassadine son, Stefan, and then gives birth to Nikolas Cassadine. Helena, the widow of Mikkos, hates Laura with a passion and gets Laura to leave by letting her find out Luke isn't dead. She returns to Port Charles, leaving Nikolas behind, knowing Stefan would care for him. Luke and Laura happily reunite when Luke spots her from the balcony of the mayor's mansion, as he had been elected as mayor in 1983. The two declare that they like their privacy and Luke resigns. They leave Port Charles. While away, they have a son, Lucas Lorenzo Spencer, Jr.

The long awaited return
In 1993, after complaints from fans and the fictional characters alike, the Spencers return to Port Charles with their 10 year-old son Lucky on the run from mob boss Frank Smith. They have a joyful reunion with their friends and family, but the merriment doesn't last long. Laura is arrested for the murder of Damian Smith, Frank's son. She is acquitted when the real killer turns out to be her lawyer, Justus Ward.

Lulu's birth and the return of the Cassadines
The couple have a daughter, Lesley Lu, named after Laura's mother Lesley, on August 8th, 1994. In 1996, Lulu is diagnosed with aplastic anemia and requirs a bone marrow donor. After Luke, Laura, and Lucky are proven not be a match, Laura is forced to find her long lost son, Nikolas. After Lulu recoveres, Laura tries to build a relationship with her son and Stefan. Laura and Stefan's relationship is very rocky. She discovers that he is keeping Lesley in a catatonic state every since her "death" in 1984. Laura goes and escorts her back home. In 1997, Stefan threatens to reveal Nik's paternity to Luke. Laura runs off with Lulu and Lesley, returning with Lulu a year later. The return isn't a happy one when she learnes that Nikolas had been shot in front of Luke's club and Lucky had moved out after learning about the rape. When she and Luke finally begin moving on, she has to testify on Stefan's behalf when he is put on trial for murdering his fiancée Katherine Bell. Laura states that she'd been on the parapet right before Katherine fell. This statement only adds to Luke's heartache over learning Nikolas's paternity and that Laura and Stefan had been lovers when she was missing all those years ago. Luke leaves town and Laura stays behind to face the demons of her past.

Lucky's death
When Lucky "dies" in a fire, Laura goes to morgue to identify the body. She collapses from grief and Luke catches her in his arms. She blames resident mob boss Sonny Corinthos and his right hand man, Jason Morgan. Luke and Laura are torn further apart by Lucky's death and Helena only makes it worse when she told Laura that Lucky's death was her fault. She suffers a nervous breakdown and went to the hospital for a few days before going to recover at Stefanss house. When Katherine is found to be alive, she begins dating Nikolas. Laura tries to convince Nikolas she isn't good for him, but he doesn't listen. Katherine gets pregnant and Nikolas proposes to her. As she leaves Wyndemere, someone pushes Katherine off the parapet again. Nik and Stefan suspect Laura, and Stefan confesses to the crime to protect her. Stefan and Laura gt suspicious that Helena had killed Katherine and end up sleeping together while looking for evidence. The romance turns ugly when Luke reveals that he saw Stefan and his men with Lucky—alive. She teams up with estranged husband Luke to bring Lucky home but has to deal with bringing Lukess girlfriend, Felicia Jones, along. After being led on a wild goose chase by Helena, they finally find Lucky and bring him home. They realize something is wrong with him and discovered he was programmed by Helena. They try to wait it out and get Lucky to come to them but Helena had convinced him that his parents were behind the entire kidnapping. Luke promises her that they would undo whatever Helena did to Lucky and they were growing close again; then Luke was put on trial for Stefan's murder. Laura was shocked to learn that Felicia and Luke had slept together the night Stefan disappeared and she tries to drown her pain in alcohol. Scott then comes to take her home.

Moving on and Stavros's return
Laura moves on by obtaining Deception Cosmetics from Scotty with the funds of Sonny Corinthos. Sonny agrees to financially back Laura if his wife Carly could be co-partner. Wanting her independence once again, Laura agrees to the partnership. Carly is anything but easy to deal with, and gives Laura many headaches. Luckily, she enlists the help of Elton Herbert, ex wedding extraordinaire, as her assistant and the two get along famously. Her first choice for the company's signature model is Elizabeth Webber, but Carly wants Gia Campbell. Determined to get her way, Carly had Gia lock Laura on the roof the night Laura plans to announce the new model. In June 2001, Luke and Laura tearfully remember their past together as they sign their divorce papers. They agree it is time to put the past to rest but they can't stay out of each other's minds. Stavros returns after being cryogenically frozen by Helena for several years. He constantly stalks her, scaring her to death when he showed himself to her in a mirror on a dark night. Laura leaves town again with her mother and daughter for the summer. She returns to find that Luke had mysteriously vanished. He eventually surfaces suffering from an illness that causes him to cycle his past. She helps Luke get his memory back, puts a pause on her relationship with Scott, and helps Stefan escape jail after he is arrested for Chloe Morgan's murder. When Luke collapses, Laura pleads with his unconscious body not to leave her and confesses her love for him. Just as Luke starts to recover, Laura and Nikolas go to confront Helena in her underground lab. They run into Stavros instead. He takes Laura to a secret bedroom to reclaim her as his wife. While Stavros explains his good intentions to Laura, Luke appears and declared that Stavros will never have Laura. The two fight, and Stavros knocks Luke to the ground. He grows angry at Laura's pleas to leave Luke alone. When he leaves Luke and Laura alone in the room, they declare their love for one another. Half of Port Charles turn up to escort Helena jail, but Stavros escapes. Luke goes after him and watches him fall into a bottomless pit. Laura is taken out of Helena's lab by Scott and anxiously waits for Luke to make it out as well. Right before the lab shuts down, Luke slides under the door, and is embraced by Laura stating that everyone could use a happy ending. Soon afterward, Scott asks Laura to marry him all over again, fearing that she will leave him for Luke. She ponders the question for awhile and is unhappy when Luke found out about it when Lulu blurts it out at Thanksgiving dinner. Though he is hurt, Luke tells her to marry Scotty, but Laura ends up turning Scotty down.