General Hospital (GH) spoilers reveal that the ABC sudser is about to close out a year of masterful performances by its stellar cast. Four actors in particular take top acting honors on GH in 2016. Read our choices and then vote for your favorite!
What would General Hospital be without Maurice Benard’s long running performance of angsty mobster Sonny Corinthos? Let’s hope we never have to find out, because GH without Sonny would be like peanut butter without jelly; they just go together!
Benard ran the gamut of emotions this year, but his best work came from his sorrowful performance as a father who tragically lost his son. Benard managed to convey Sonny’s despair with a minimum of effort, and he often simply stared off into space to convey the lonely heart of darkness beating inside the aging mobster. He also got to play the opposite range of emotions when he counseled his daughter Kristina (Lexi Ainsworth) about her emerging sexuality.
2016 was the year that James Patrick Stuart mesmerized GH viewers as the mysterious Valentin Cassadine. He’s a bad guy no doubt, but TPTB were wise to throw a young daughter into the mix because it allows viewers to see the paternal side of the monster.
Initially Stuart was scary believable as an evil hostage-taker, and the murderer of his brother Nikolas (Tyler Christopher). But Stuart‘s portrayal as the father of sweet, mommy-less Charlotte (Scarlet Fernandez) is nuanced and gentle.
Ah, then there’s Franco Baldwin, the loveable lunatic portrayed by Roger Howarth. Just when you thought Howarth would be playing a one-note bad guy ad infinitum, TPTB gave him a romance to bring out his softer side.
Howarth gave a commanding performance this year as a conflicted soul, capable of dog-chaining a man one minute, and then wiping away his girlfriend’s tears the next. He can also zing off funny one liners convincingly, as his chats with Dr. Leisl Obrecht (Kathleen Gati) showed.
Rounding out our list of stellar GH performances is William DeVry as Julian Jerome. Despite portraying a duplicitous mobster who tried to murder his wife Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) in cold blood, DeVry manages to exude an exasperating warmth onscreen (just ask Alexis!).
Even though he’s done evil things, he manages to make us feel sorry for him when his baby-mama Olivia (Lisa LoCicero) verbally slaps him and tries to keep his baby away. And even though GH viewers know he deserves all the misery being handed to him by an unseen blackmailer, we still felt a twinge of pity for the old boy after he was run down and run over by Alexis. Maybe it’s that boyish smile?
Whether you choose Maurice Benard, James Patrick Stuart, Roger Howarth or William DeVry, be sure to vote for your favorite 2016 GH performance by a male actor! And don’t forget to check CDL often for the latest General Hospital spoilers, updates and news!
