Liesl Obrecht (Kathleen Gati)

Dr. Liesl Obrecht (née Westbourne) is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. She has been portrayed by actress Kathleen Gati since August 24, 2012. She helped Cesar Faison hold Robin Scorpio-Drake and Duke Lavery captive. Most recently she transported Robin to another location. Her final episode aired on December 17, 2012 before three-month hiatus. She returned on March 22, 2013 for a few weeks and later returned again on July 26, 2013.

Storylines
Dr. Liesl Obrecht first appears at a hospital in Lucerne, Switzerland. Luke Spencer goes to the hospital looking for Anna Devane, who has gone there in search for her presumed dead daughter, Robin Scorpio-Drake. Liesl approaches Luke, who's dressed as "Dr. Riet Von Schimmerman," and Luke show her a picture of Anna and asks if she's there. Liesl confirms she is and takes Luke to see her. Later, Liesl figures out that Luke isn't really a doctor and he tells her that they're really looking for Robin. Anna has found a girl that looks like Robin from behind, but isn't her. Liesl tells her that that girl had been transferred from Ferncliff, and Anna believes that Robin is dead after all. After Luke and Anna leave, Dr. Obrecht talks to an unseen man, saying that she's sorry he had to see Anna struggle since he cares for her so much. She also tells him that it's good that he moved Robin before Anna could find her. The man is then shown, and looks exactly like Duke Lavery, who has been presumed dead for over twenty years.
 * -|2012-13=

Later, it is revealed that the man appearing to be Duke is actually Cesar Faison in disguise, and that he also is keeping the real Duke hostage at the same clinic in Switzerland. In November, Liesl calls Faison and tells him that Robin has become more resourceful and he needs to come and take care of her. Robin knocks Liesl out, steals her phone, and calls home. When Liesl comes to, she gets the phone from Robin and has her restrained. Liesl listens to the phone and hears Robin's husband Patrick Drake on the other end, who doesn't believe that Robin is actually on the phone like his daughter Emma said. Faison goes to Switzerland and reprimands Liesl for letting Robin get to a phone and call home.

In December, Liesl is at Faison's apartment in Port Charles when Robert Scorpio breaks in to search for evidence that Duke is actually Faison. Liesl is able to hide and then escape before Robert sees her. She learns that Cesar Faison has been captured with the real Duke Lavery being rescued. Robert Scorpio is stabbed with a lethal dose of a drug, but no official mentioning of if it was indeed fatal. She then takes Robin to Jerry Jacks.

Dr. Obrecht re-appears in Port Charles on March 22 episode in a city park with Lucy Coe giving her a flyer noting the missing Lulu Spencer-Falconeri. She later meets up with her daughter, who is revealed to be Dr. Britt Westbourne. Britt has just been dumped by Patrick, and tried to sabotage the career of Sabrina Santiago, who had a crush on Patrick. When that plan failed, Dr. Obrecht decided to pull off another scheme. During the Nurses' Ball, Britt announced to Patrick, on stage, that she was pregnant in front of the guests. Dr. Obrecht is watching from a live web feed, and it's revealed that Faison is Britt's father. Patrick and Sabrina try to prove the baby isn't his by secretly taking a paternity test. It ends up proving Patrick is the father, but soon after, it's revealed that Obrecht was able to fake the paternity test.

A few months later, Dr. Obrecht comes back to town to warn Britt that Sabrina and Felix DuBois are onto her scheme. However, Britt says she can handle them, but not Patrick. She has lost faith in the scheme because Patrick is now dating Sabrina, and is falling more in love with her and caring less about Britt. Obrecht is upset that Britt wants to give up and tell Patrick the truth that her baby isn't his. Meanwhile, Sabrina and Felix ask for help from Damian Spinelli to dig up Britt's background. He finds out about Dr. Obrecht, born Liesl Westbourne. Spinelli tells Sabrina and Felix that her medical license was revoked years ago for performing illegal procedures on live patients before she disappeared.

Britt reveals that Obrecht was in love with Faison, but he never returned her affections, even after she gave him a child. Dr. Obrecht later reveals that Faison never loved her because he was in love with Anna. Obrecht, furious at Faison's rejection of her for Anna, seeks to destroy her rival, and goes to the Floating Rib, where Anna is attending a party for Mac Scorpio and Felicia Jones' engagement. She poisons a bottle of beer meant for Anna, but Duke ends up drinking it instead. Britt finds out what her mother did the next day.

Meanwhile, Spinelli finds out that Liesl Westbourne is now Liesl Obrecht. Duke tells Anna that Obrecht poisoned him, and she puts out an APB for Dr. Obrecht. Spinelli and Felix overhear Anna, and let her know about Obrecht's connection to Britt. Anna heads down to Felix's apartment, where Britt is staying, but by the time she arrives, Obrecht is gone.

Obrecht appears again after Britt has given birth to her son, Ben. She is now living at Wyndemere, the estate and home of Nikolas Cassadine. Obrecht thinks she's living there to make Patrick jealous, but Britt informs her that Patrick knows he's not Ben's father because she told him. Obrecht is furious, but Britt won't back off, saying all her schemes failed and landed Britt in trouble, so she's done with her. Obrecht doesn't believe that, but Britt says she is forbidden from being around her grandson, and she'll call the police to make sure of it. However, Obrecht knocks Britt out and kidnaps Ben.

Dr. Obrecht takes Ben, whom she calls Cesar, to Cassadine Island, where Jerry is holding Robin captive. She leaves Ben with Robin, convincing her to take of "Cesar" by claiming Patrick is the baby's father. She then goes to the prison in Geneva, where Faison is being held, and disguises herself as Anna. She then pulls off her mask and reveals to Faison that he has a grandson, and he's planning to get him out by getting "Anna" to order him released. However, Anna also shows up, and she and Obrecht get into a fight. She knocks Obrecht out, and trains her gun on Faison, who tells Anna that Robin is, in fact, alive. Before she can get any more, Obrecht wakes up and knocks Anna unconscious, then escapes with Faison. They travel to Cassadine Island where she introduces Faison to his grandson.

Obrecht tries to seduce Faison, who tells her he will sleep with her if she puts on the Anna mask. Obrecht slaps Faison and leaves the room, encountering Britt downstairs. Obrecht tries to stop Britt from going upstairs, but she falls and hits her head on the corner of the table. She is woken up by Robert and Anna and tells them that Robin is in the lab before Robert knocks her out.

Jerry locks Robert and Anna in the lab and sends Robin, Britt, and Nikolas back to Port Charles, accompanied by Faison and Obrecht to synthesize Luke's blood, so Robin can create a new antidote. While hiding out at Wyndemere, Duke comes to see Nikolas and is captured by Faison and Obrecht. They lock Duke in the catacombs and Obrecht brings him food, which makes Britt suspicious.

Duke convinces Obrecht to turn on Faison, so Faison knocks her out and ties her up with Duke. Nikolas finds them both and attemps to free them, but Faison captures him. Obrecht gets free and threatens to shoot Duke, but she is defeated and tied up by Anna, who escaped from Cassadine Island with Robert and headed to Wyndemere to rescue Robin. After Robin is rescued, Obrecht is taken into custody. While in jail, Obrecht blackmails her daughter into helping her by threatening to reveal the truth that she and Britt stole Lulu and Dante Falconeri's embryo in order to impregnate Britt, and Ben is actually their son.

Obrecht is revealed to be out of police custody and has been chosen to be the Chief of Staff at GH, a shock to all including her daughter and the rest of the "Chief of Staff" contenders - Robin, Silas Clay, and Monica Quartermaine. When Victor Cassadine arrives in town in early February, it's revealed that Liesl and Victor have a romantic past and he is the reason the charges against her were dropped and she got the COS position at GH. On March 12, Liesl and her daughter have a heart to heart and she promises to keep the secret about Ben. In March the truth about Ben comes out and Obrecht kidnaps him and holds Elizabeth and Nikolas hostage. On April 8, Ben is rescued but during the rescue she shoots Elizabeth. In the holding cell, Liesl is put across from Madeline Reeves, and it's revealed the two women are sisters. Madeline West was born Magda Westbourne, and left behind Liesl and her life in Zürich, Switzerland, where the sisters grew up. The two share animosity towards each other, but the two both reveal they were trying to help their children when they were arrested. Nathan later comes in, and reveals that his father disinherited him and Madeline from his will, and left everything to Nina. After he leaves, it's revealed that Nathan is actually Obrecht's biological son.
 * -|2014=

Crimes Committed

 * Supplied Jerry Jacks with the manpower to rob the Metro Court Hotel along with all the other gunmen and gunwomen [Feb 2007]
 * Conspired with Cesar Faison, Jerry Jacks, and Dr. Ewen Keenan to kidnap Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake and hold her against her will [2012]
 * Helped Jerry Jacks and Cesar Faison terrorize Port Charles with a deadly pathogen in the water [2012]
 * Kept Robin Scorpio-Drake and Duke Lavery captive at the Swiss Clinic on the orders of Cesar Faison.
 * Tried to kill Robin Scorpio-Drake [Dec 2012]
 * Injected Robert Scorpio with a neurotoxin [Dec 2012]
 * Took Robin to Jerry Jacks after the death of her male counterpart Joe Scully, Jr. [Dec 2012]
 * Fraud; conspired with her daughter, Dr. Britt Westbourne and Brad Cooper to steal Dante and Lulu Falconeri's remaining two embryos and used them to impregnate her daughter, Britt and she later gave birth to their son, Ben [revealed Dec 2013]
 * Slapped her daughter, Britt [Mar 2013]
 * Slapped her pregnant daughter [Jul 2013]
 * Conspired with Britt Westbourne to pass another man's child off as Patrick Drake's (which included altering a paternity test) [Jul-Aug 2013]
 * Poisoned Duke Lavery with the sedative propofol in an attempt to kill Anna Devane [Aug 2013]
 * Knocked out Holly Sutton [Aug 2013]
 * Clobbered her daughter, Britt Westbourne over the head and rendered her unconscious [Sept 2013]
 * Kidnapped Ben Falconeri [Sept 2013]
 * Impersonated Anna Devane and used Anna's credentials to visit Cesar Faison in prison [Oct 2013]
 * Rendered Anna Devane temporarily unconscious [Oct 2013]
 * Shot a guard at Steinmauer maximum security prison [Oct 2013]
 * Helped Cesar Faison escape from the Maximum Security Prison in Geneva, Switzerland [Oct 2013]
 * Pushed Brad Cooper off a parapet [Mar 2014]
 * Threatened Ben Falconeri and his parents, Dante and Lulu with a dagger [Mar 2014]
 * Kidnapped Ben Falconeri again [Mar 2014]
 * Broke into Elizabeth Webber's house [Mar 2014]
 * Held Elizabeth Webber hostage at gunpoint [Mar/Apr 2014]
 * Held Nikolas Cassadine hostage at gunpoint [Apr 2014]
 * Shot Elizabeth Webber in the shoulder [Apr 8, 2014]

Health and Vitals

 * Clobbered over the head by Robin Scorpio-Drake and rendered unconscious [Oct 4, 2013]
 * Hit her head and was rendered temporarily unconscious after being shoved by Britt Westbourne [Oct 18, 2013]
 * Clobbered over the head by Robert Scorpio and rendered unconscious [Oct 21, 2013]
 * Attacked by Cesar Faison and imprisoned in the catacombs at Wyndemere [Nov 18, 2013]