General Hospital’s Jonathan Jackson Is Returning as Lucky Spencer After Nearly 10 Years Away
Jonathan Jackson will be reprising his role as Lucky Spencer on General Hospital after nearly 10 years off the show.
Deadline reported on Tuesday, June 25, that Jackson, 42, is set to return to the ABC soap opera, which has been on the air since 1963, later this summer.
Jackson made his General Hospital debut in 1993 when he was 10 years old as the son of Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis). He was nominated for a total of nine Daytime Emmy Awards throughout his time on the series, winning trophies in 1995, 1998, 1999, 2011 and 2012.
Jackson appeared on the soap on and off until 1999, stepping back for a decade before returning in 2009. In 2011, Jackson left again to play Avery Barkley on all six seasons of Nashville, which also starred Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere. Lucky Spencer reappeared on General Hospital for four episodes in 2015 before Geary, 77, exited the series.
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At the 51st Daytime Emmy Awards earlier this month — where the series won four trophies, including Best Dramatic Series — executive producer Frank Valentini teased a fan favorite’s return without revealing Jackson by name.
"A former cast member is coming back,” he told ABC 7. “And I think that the audience will go crazy for him."
While Jackson may be making a comeback in the soap opera world, acting is far from his only talent. His taste for singing and songwriting has been roaring strong for years.
As the frontman for the band Enation, he provides vocals, plays guitar and writes songs. The band — which consists of his brother, Richard, and Jonathan Thatcher — has released several albums including Soul & Story: Volume One, Where the Fire Starts, World In Flight and My Ancient Rebellion. Their music has been featured in the movie Riding the Bullet and on One Tree Hill — and yes, even in General Hospital.
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Although Jackson’s character has come and gone many times, fans of the soap are no doubt eager to have him back. In 2012 — during one of his breaks from the show — Jackson told TV Line that he was “open” to returning again.
“You know, years ago when I was younger I probably would have made some decisions like that,” he told the outlet at the time. “Nowadays I’ve learned to not plan or strategize as much. Life happens, and you just never know. So for me, everything’s sort of open.”
