The character was originated on the now-canceled ABC soap opera One Life to Live in 2008 by triplets Tess, Madeline, and Molly Sullivan who played her from the character's onscreen birth on November 6, 2008 until the show's finale on January 13, 2012.
On General Hospital, she was portrayed by Shiloh Nelson, appearing to introduce her mother, Starr Manning to the show and has since been seen in hallucinations.
Hope was born onscreen on One Life to Live on November 6, 2008. Her parents were sixteen-year old Starr Manning and seventeen-year-old Cole Thornhart. Prior to her birth, Starr had decided that she couldn't raise a child when she was only a child herself, so she agreed to allow Michael and Marcie McBain adopt her child at birth. Marcie and Starr's mother Blair were in the delivery room with Starr and Hope was born healthy, but whisked away before any of them could see or hold her.
Hope and her parents
Starr's father, Todd (who unbeknownst to everyone was actually her uncle Victor, not Todd), had paid the doctor to tell Starr the baby died and he planned to kidnap her, run away and raise her himself because he hated the McBains and didn't want them to raise his granddaughter. Todd changed his mind, however, and the doctor went to get Hope to return her to Starr and Marcie, but she was found dead. It turned out that Hope had been switched shortly after birth with Chloe Brennan, the stillborn daughter of Starr's cousin Jessica Brennan who was born the same day. The truth eventually came out, months later and Hope was returned to Marcie and Michael. Marcie noticed that Starr had a change of heart though about the adoption and returned her to her biological parents.
Hope meets her real grandpa Todd for the first time
In September of 2009, Starr and Hope were kidnapped by Russian mobsters. Cole had been working undercover with the police to bust up a drug ring, and his cover got blown. They were later rescued safely. In October of 2010, Starr and Hope were kidnapped again, along with Starr's sister Dani, by Blair's serial killer husband at the time Eli Clarke. Starr and Hope were able to escape, only to get kidnapped again by psycho Hannah O'Connor. They later escaped from her as well. Cole ended up shooting and killing Eli and going to prison for it. In 2011, the real Todd returned to Llanview after being held captive for eight years, and was shocked to find out he had a granddaughter, a granddaughter with his former rape victim Marty Saybrooke no less. He quickly bonded with Hope and told her that he would always protect her. He nicknamed her Peanut, saying she looked like Mr. Peanut and Hope was that character that year for Halloween.
GH: 2012
Hope and her parents
In January of 2012, Cole broke out of prison during a major jail break and Todd faked his death. He then went to live with his parents. Starr and Hope moved to Los Angeles so that Starr could pursue a music career, and Cole soon joined them.
In February of 2012, Starr, Cole, and Hope were flying back to Llanview when their plane was diverted to Port Charles to attend Starr father's murder trial. They were in a car accident when Johnny Zacchara shot out Anthony Zacchara's tires and he swerved into their lane. Starr escaped the car, but Cole and Hope were trapped inside when it fell over the embankment and exploded, killing them.
