Finola Hughes celebrates 40 years on General Hospital

Forty years of Anna Devane

Finola Hughes joined the cast of General Hospital on April 10, 1985. She does not look much older today than she did 40 years ago. The soap vet has left the show on occasion, like when she began appearing on the NBC sitcom Blossom. For longtime fans, it's incredible to think we've been watching Hughes entertain us for four decades.

Hughes remained on GHl from 1985 to 1992, when, according to rumors, then-producer Gloria Monty abruptly fired her. What really happened was that the actress took advantage of an "out" clause during contract negotiation and was replaced from December 20, 1991, to January 20, 1992, by actress Camilla More.

She returned to General Hospital in 1995 and worked there from 2006 to 2008, and she was on the General Hospital Night Shift in 2008. She returned in 2012 and has remained. In addition to portraying Ms. Devane, she has played Anna's twin, Alex.

All about Finola Hughes

The actress was born on October 29, 1959, in Kensington, Middlesex, England. She trained in dance and performing arts at the Arts Educational Schools London. In 1981, she originated the role of Victoria the White Cat in the London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats.

Hughes starred with John Travolta in the musical film Staying Alive in 1983 as Laura, an English dancer who is Tony Manero's (Travolta) love interest. This movie was the sequel to the hit Saturday Night Live.

Finola can take the heat

In addition to the sitcom Blossom, she played the X-Men character Emma Frost in the 1996 television movie Generation X. The schedules of daytime actors is so strenuous that not everyone can handle it.

Charles Measure, who originated the role of John Brennan on General Hospital, left the series after mentioning having to learn 40 pages of dialogue. He also said, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." Finola Hughes has successfully balanced her GH role and does other things as well.

Finola Hughes has remained busy

When we see our favorite characters on screen on weekdays, we may assume they don't have time for anything else. Hughes successfully added additional roles to her resume while keeping Anna front and center on General Hospital.

In 1997, Hughes starred in Aaron Spelling's short-lived primetime soap opera Pacific Palisades. She was a frequent guest star on the television series Charmed, playing Patricia "Patty" Halliwell, the mother of the Halliwell girls. In Superman: The Animated Series, she provided the voice of Lara, Kal-El's biological mother. Another voice-over role she had was Miss Robertson on an episode of Fox's animated comedy series Life with Louie.

An award-winning actress

Hughes won a Daytime Emmy in 1991 for Outstanding Lead Actress. She was nominated for the same category in 2000 for All My Children as Alex and in 2002 for Anna.

The actress did a cameo as a soap opera actress who loses an award to Sally Field in the satirical 1991 film Soapdish. Hughes has appeared in many TV shows and movies and directed an episode of Good Trouble in 2020.

What's next for the former spy?

Many General Hospital viewers were disappointed when Anna and Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart) did not end up together. They were a good-looking couple, and their chemistry was off the charts. Some fans believed Anna and Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) were on the verge of falling in love until he became entangled in Sasha Gilmore's (Sophia Mattsson).

Stay tuned to General Hospital to learn what happens next wth Anna Devane, and whether she will soon have a new love interest. Congratulations to Finola Hughes on her stellar career and 40 years with the popular ABC soap.