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Nurse Audrey Hardy, RN is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera General Hospital.
Casting[]
Rachel Ames originated the role of Audrey in 1964 in what was originally a thirteen-week stint with an option for an additional thirteen weeks. The character debuted in the episode that originally aired on February 23, 1964. The character's popularity prompted the series to keep the character on canvas. Ames took an extended leave in 1970 when she had to be put on bedrest during her pregnancy. Maura McGiveney played Audrey temporarily while Ames was gone.
Ames also crossed over to General Hospital's spinoff series Port Charles as Audrey in 1997. In 2002, Ames was dropped to recurring status, and ultimately retired from the series in October 2007. Ames briefly reprised the role for a couple of episodes in October 2009 and reprised the role once again in April 2013 for the series' 50th anniversary.
Ames once again reprised her role as Audrey on October 30, 2015.
Storylines[]
Audrey March arrived in Port Charles in February 1964 to visit her sister Lucille March-Weeks. Audrey was a registered nurse, but had been working as an airline stewardess, which she thought was a more glamorous life. She soon saw Dr. Steve Hardy and decided to stay in town to become a private nurse. She and Steve struck up a romance and became engaged. But, when Audrey's client, Randy Washburn, proposed to her, she broke things off with Steve and accepted Randy's proposal. Audrey was then diagnosed with lymphoma and Randy left her high and dry. Audrey turned back to Steve and the two married in 1965 after she fully recovered from her illness.
Audrey and Steve wed in 1965.
After several years of marriage, Audrey was worried when she failed to conceive a child. Thinking Steve might be sterile, she had herself artificially inseminated without Steve's knowledge. Audrey became pregnant, and Steve was upset at first, but then started to look forward to having a child with Audrey. Then Audrey was in a car accident and suffered a miscarriage. Audrey was devastated at losing the baby and left Steve.
In 1967, Steve finds out that Audrey was helping Dr. Phil Brewer write his book as they had just gotten a publisher. Phil had grabbed Audrey by the hand and kissed her when she threatened to quit. She talked with Steve about the book and decided to tell Phil she was done.
Shortly after their divorce was finalized, Audrey married Tom Baldwin in an effort to show Steve she was over him. Audrey couldn't bring herself to consummate her marriage to Tom.
Tom grew frustrated and raped Audrey, which resulted in her becoming pregnant. When Audrey found out she was pregnant, she filed for divorce and left town. She wanted to keep her child safe from his violent father.
Audrey returned to Port Charles two years later, in 1971. She told her sister Lucille that her baby had died at birth, which was a lie. The truth was that she had given birth to a baby boy she named Steven Baldwin and called Steve, after her true love Steve Hardy. She kept Steve in hiding. She was afraid that if Tom found out the baby was alive that he would contest their divorce, which had not yet been finalized.
She came up with a scheme. Her plan was to claim her child was dead, remarry Steve Hardy, then convince Steve to adopt her son. However, Peggy Nelson, the woman who was watching after young Steve, found out about the plot and started to blackmail Audrey. Peggy ended up dead and Audrey accused of her murder. She was acquitted with help from Steve, but then Tom Baldwin claimed his son. Baby Steve Baldwin was renamed Thomas Baldwin, Jr. and called Tommy. Tom Baldwin forced Audrey to resume her marriage to him and be a family with him and the baby. That didn't last long though. Tom kidnapped Tommy and fled to Mexico. Later, Tom was presumed dead and Tommy was reunited with his mother.
Audrey and Jim Hobart in 1974
The return of Tom Baldwin meant that Audrey's marriage to Jim, and then her second marriage to Steve, were both invalid. She was still legally married to Tom. Tom wanted to reclaim both his wife and their son. After a while, though, he came to the realization that he was not wanted and left town. After finally finalizing her divorce to Tom, Audrey married Steve again in 1977. Steve officially adopted Tommy, and he became Thomas Steven Hardy.
In 1976, when Audrey's sister Lucille leaves town, Audrey takes over the student nurses, while Jessie Brewer becomes head nurse. [2]
Terri, Rick and Jeff Webber, the children of Steve's old friend Lars Webber, had arrived in Port Charles some time before Steve and Audrey's reconciliation. Steve and Audrey found themselves embroiled in their various dramas, including Jeff's disastrous marriage to Monica Quartermaine. Jeff ended up shooting himself. As he lay in hospital, Terri informed Steve of the existence of a letter from Helene Webber, Terri, Rick and Jeff's mother. Steve found the letter and was shocked to learn Jeff was in fact his son, conceived when he had had an affair with Helene many years before. Steve informed Audrey. The two agreed to keep the truth about Jeff's parentage to themselves.
Two years passed and in the winter of 1979, Port Charles was hit by an epidemic of Lassa Fever. General Hospital was placed under quarantine as Steve worked tirelessly for a cure. As Steve began to fall victim to the disease, Audrey decided to tell Jeff the truth. Shortly afterwards, the cure was formulated. Everyone afflicted by the disease was cured. Both Rick and Jeff were angry at Steve and Audrey. It took many months before everyone was reconciled.
Steve and Audrey with son Tom
Steve and Audrey were overjoyed when it was revealed Jeff's son Steven Lars was still alive, but heartbroken when Jeff decided to leave town with him. Some years later, Tommy (now known as just Tom) also left Port Charles to attend college. Tom returned in 1987, and Steve and Audrey were thrilled. Audrey had doubts when Tom married an African-American doctor, Simone Ravelle, fearing her son's interracial marriage would not be accepted. (The union of Tom Hardy and Simone Ravelle was the first interracial marriage on a daytime soap opera.)
In time, Audrey and Simone grew close, and Simone even confided in Audrey when she fell pregnant following an affair with Harrison and didn't know if the baby's father was Tom or Harrison. Audrey was overjoyed when she learned Simone's baby, Tommy, was indeed Tom's.
Steve and Audrey
In 1993, Audrey organized a surprise party for Steve's 30th anniversary at General Hospital. However, tragedy later struck Audrey when she was attacked by psychopath Ryan Chamberlain, who in his delusional state, had mistaken her for his abusive mother. Fortunately, Audrey quickly recovered.
Audrey was disappointed when Tom and Simone divorced in 1995. She did not approve of Simone's relationship with Justus Ward. The following year, Audrey was devastated when Steve died of a heart attack. In the aftermath, General Hospital went bankrupt. It was revealed Steve had known about the hospital's financial situation for months. Steve's fatal heart attack was quickly attributed to the stress which he had been under in trying to deal with the worsening crisis. Audrey was comforted by Gail Baldwin, Monica Quartermaine, and Kevin Collins during this difficult time. Steve's death later caused a considerable strain between Tom and Audrey.
Tom believed the Cassadines were responsible for bankrupting the hospital and joined forces with Luke Spencer in a vendetta to bring the Cassadines down. Audrey, however, refused to believe the Cassadines were responsible. Tom eventually left town. Audrey, meanwhile, was thrilled to learn one of her closest friends, Lesley Webber (Rick Webber's former wife), was still alive.
In 1997, Audrey was gravely injured after Greg Cooper strikes her unconscious with his gun during a hostage crisis at General Hospital. Later, Audrey's life is saved by emergency surgery performed by Joe Scanlon who used a power drill to alleviate the pressure in her head.
Audrey with step-granddaughters Sarah and Elizabeth
Audrey empathizes with Elizabeth by telling her about her rape
Jeff's daughter, Sarah Webber, arrived in town to assist Audrey in her recovery after an attack during the crisis at General Hospital. Soon after, Elizabeth Webber, Sarah's sister, joined her. Elizabeth's rebellious nature made her difficult to manage. In 1998, Elizabeth endured a traumatic rape, and Audrey struggled to support her, hesitant to revisit her own similar past trauma. Ultimately, Audrey confided in Elizabeth about her own assault by Tom Baldwin, which occurred years prior, bringing them closer together. This allowed Audrey to finally move past the painful memories that haunted her. The bond between Audrey and Elizabeth strengthened as they both sought healing. Audrey initially worried about Elizabeth's relationship with Lucky Spencer, fearing his influence, but Lucky proved his worth by supporting Elizabeth's personal growth after her assault.
In 1999, Audrey assisted Elizabeth in dealing with Lucky's presumed 'death' and fostered her passion for painting by financing a waterfront studio. However, Audrey stumbled upon mobster Jason Morgan in the studio and mistakenly believed he and Elizabeth were having an affair, leading her to demand Jason's absence. This upset Elizabeth, prompting her to leave Audrey's home, though they eventually made amends. Audrey continued to be a pillar of support for Liz, whose life increasingly mirrored Audrey's own. Meanwhile, Sarah departed Port Charles post-graduation to pursue college in Rome.
In 2000, Audrey participated in a nurses' strike at General Hospital. During that winter, she encountered mobster Sonny Corinthos conversing with Elizabeth and became concerned for her safety. When Audrey challenged Sonny about his way of life, Elizabeth responded by insisting that Audrey either accept her independence or stay out of her life entirely. Recognizing that her actions were alienating Elizabeth, Audrey began the process of mending their relationship.
On April 17, 2002 General Hospital aired its 10,000th episode. The show commemorated this event by having the staff of the hospital throw a surprise party for Audrey, in honor of her 10,000th shift as a nurse at General Hospital. The episode featured clips and montages from the show's previous 39 years. The plot device of a major party in Audrey's honor also served as recognition of Audrey's status as the show's longest-running character, and Rachel Ames' status as the show's senior cast member.
After her tribute episode, Rachel Ames was moved to recurring status in the summer of 2002, leading to Audrey's less frequent appearances, often at hospital Christmas parties. Audrey demonstrated her protectiveness of Liz once more when Liz was the victim of a hit-and-run and was left critically injured. In the hospital, Audrey was a pillar of support for Liz upon discovering her temporary blindness. Despite Audrey's objections to Ric Lansing, Liz's estranged husband, being near Liz during her hospitalization, Liz convinced Audrey that she could manage the situation with Ric.
Audrey shares Thanksgiving with Elizabeth, Lucky and Cameron
Following a one night stand with Zander Smith, Liz became a single mother to Cameron. She decided to become a nurse to support him, much to Audrey's delight. Audrey later went on a cruise for most of 2005, but returned to Port Charles when Elizabeth Webber finally married the longtime love of her life Lucky Spencer.
In March 2006, it was reported that Audrey relinquished her position as head nurse, with Epiphany Johnson assuming the role. That summer, Liz and Lucky's separation prompted Liz to move back in with Audrey temporarily. Audrey remained visible at General Hospital until early 2007, coinciding with Rachel Ames' formal retirement from the series.
Although Audrey is still a resident of Port Charles, she is no longer seen due to Ames' retirement. Following a two-year hiatus, Rachel Ames returned to portray Audrey for Lucky & Elizabeth's engagement party in 2009 (10-29-09).
On Christmas Eve 2009, Audrey and Steve Webber were mentioned as having served food to the homeless. The following year, it was noted that Audrey hosted Thanksgiving dinner at her house, attended by Steve, Elizabeth, Nikolas, Spencer, Cameron, Jake and Aiden. In March 2011, while Audrey was at a book club, Jake Spencer was struck by a car and believed to be dead. Nikolas Cassadine took Cameron and Aiden into his care as Audrey was too distressed to look after them. On August 27, 2012, Steve Webber mentioned that Audrey had taken the children to Disney World.
On April 1, 2013, Rachel Ames comes out of retirement when Audrey visits Elizabeth at GH and is present to honor what would be Steve Hardy's 50th anniversary at General Hospital. Audrey conversed with Elizabeth, touching on Sarah's life in Monterey, Tom's endeavors in Africa, the travels of Elizabeth's parents in Asia, and Tommy's pursuit of a medical degree.
In October 2015, Rachel Ames again returned as Audrey and wrote Elizabeth a letter for her wedding to Drew Cain who was believed to be Jason Morgan at the time.
In 2016, Cameron and Aiden were said to have stayed with Audrey while Elizabeth was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with Jake.Crimes Committed[]
- Lied that her baby was stillborn, and tried to prevent his rapist father, Tom Baldwin from discovering the truth [1971]
- Accused of murdering Peggy Nelson (found not guilty) [1971]
Health and Vitals[]
- Collapsed with lymphoma [1964]
- Injured in an auto wreck, which caused Audrey to have a miscarriage [1965]
- Grabbed by Dr. Phil Brewer who forcefully kissed her [1967]
- Raped by Dr. Tom Baldwin [1969]
- Drug overdose [1976]
- Attacked by psychotic Ryan Chamberlain, who believed that Audrey was his abusive mother [May 28, 1993]
- Hit on the head by Greg Cooper during a hostage crisis at General Hospital [Jun 1, 1997]
- Had skull trepanation (two burr holes drilled in her head) with a carpenter's drill by Joe Scanlon to save her life [Jun 1, 1997]
Positions held at General Hospital[]
| Predecessor | Head Nurse | Successor |
|---|---|---|
| Jessie Brewer (1976-1991) |
Audrey Hardy (1991-2006) |
Epiphany Johnson (2006-2020) (2021-22) |
| Predecessor | Head of Student Nurses | Successor |
| Lucille March-Weeks (1963-1976) |
Audrey Hardy (1976-1991) |
N/A |
Family tree[]
| Tom Baldwin |
| Audrey March |
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| Tom Hardy |
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| Tommy Hardy |
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See also[]
References[]
- โ Conceived via rape.
- โ There has been some debate as to whether if Jessie was a head nurse. However a 1983 episode confirms Jessie had been head nurse for at least 8 years at the point meaning she took over from Lucille in 1976. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB_Xkap7Y8A A 1981-Newsweek article, also refers to Jessie as head nurse at General Hospital. https://www.newsweek.com/general-hospital-televisions-hottest-show-207044 Furthermore in a 1986-episode, Jessie attempts to give Audrey advice on the student nurses in which Steve replies some of those nurses are under Jessie as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOFKuzGZH4c
External links[]
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