TRISTAN ROGERS, who played legacy character Robert Scorpio on ABC’s “General Hospital,” died Friday, less than one month after he made a special appearance on the soap opera. He was 79.
“The entire ‘General Hospital’ family is heartbroken
to hear of Tristan Rogers’ passing,” said Frank Valentini, the show’s executive
producer, in a statement. “Tristan has captivated our fans for 45 years and
Port Charles will not be the same without him (or Robert Scorpio).”
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Rogers’ first foray into
performing was in his early twenties and playing drums in a rock band with a
group of friends. They weren’t successful so Rogers turned to commercial work
and modeling to earn some money. When the band dissolved, Rogers decided to
give acting a try. After various roles in Australia, he also worked as a DJ and
eventually moved to Los Angeles to try to break into Hollywood. He said casting
directors were initially turned off by his accent but he eventually landed a
two-day role on “General Hospital” in 1980.
“I had no idea at the point how big the show was,”
Rogers told fellow “General Hospital” actor Maurice Benard on the YouTube show,
“State of Mind with Maurice Benard” in 2022.
“I had no name. I was brought in expressly to beat up
the hero, Luke, (played by Anthony Geary), and then disappear,” Rogers said.
His first day was half-over when then-executive producer Gloria Monty asked if
he would like to stay on. They had no character written for him so for three
weeks Monty asked him to just appear in scenes “looking furtive, looking
suspicious” until they came up with a storyline. It was decided he would play a
spy known as “CK8” and eventually he was given the name Robert Scorpio. The
character would remain a fixture in Port Charles for the rest of Rogers’ life,
even when he wasn’t a current cast member.
Scorpio’s on again/off again romance with Emma Samms’
character, Holly Sutton, remained a favorite among fans. Scorpio also had a
romance, and many storylines with another spy, Anna Devane, played by Finola
Hughes. Scorpio and Devane shared a daughter, Robin, played by Kimberly
McCullough. Samms returned to the show for a stint last fall where it was
revealed that Scorpio was the father of her adult daughter, Sasha Gilmore
(played by Sofia Mattson.)
Rogers and Samms left the show together in November
2024 in scenes taped with a nod to “Casablanca.” He returned to the show in
July for one episode when Sasha arrived to his home in France with her new
baby. It was then revealed that Rogers had lung cancer.
Rogers’ other acting credits include “The Bold and the
Beautiful,” “The Young & the Restless” and “Studio City,” which won him
outstanding supporting actor in a digital drama series at the Daytime Emmy
Awards. He is survived by his wife, Teresa Parkerson, and a daughter and a son.