‘General Hospital’ star Elizabeth MacRae dead at 88

Actress Elizabeth MacRae, best known for her roles in “General Hospital” and “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,” has died. She was 88.

MacRae died peacefully Monday at Highland House Rehabilitation and Healthcare in Fayetteville, North Carolina, according to local news outlet City View.

“She had a wonderful life,” said her nephew Jim MacRae. “She was bright and articulate. She was still getting fan mail at Highland House.”

Mayon Weeks, who inducted MacRae into the Fayetteville Performing Arts Hall of Fame, gushed over the late star’s talent.

“Elizabeth had the ‘X factor’ that is an important part of being a performer,” he told City View. “She did ‘light up the room’ when she was present, and that theatrical presence was in full bloom when she starred in the play, ‘Picnic,’ at Cape Fear Regional Theatre. A warm and delightful person to be with, and an engaging performer in film and on stage. A treasured daughter of our Fayetteville community.”

MacRae was born in Columbia, South Carolina, and grew up in Fayetteville. After graduating from Holton-Arms School in Washington, DC, she auditioned for Otto Preminger’s production of “Saint Joan” in Atlanta, Georgia, but she didn’t get the part.

Still, MacRae wanted to pursue acting, so she moved to New York City and landed her first TV role playing a courtroom witness in CBS’s “The Verdict Is Yours” in 1958. She appeared in more shows including “Naked City,” “Harrigan and Son,” “Maverick,” “Surfside 6,” “The Untouchables,” and “I Dream of Jeannie.”

MacRae’s biggest acting job was in CBS’s “The Andy Griffith Show” spinoff “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.” She played Lou-Ann Poovie, the girlfriend of Jim Nabors’ titular character. MacRae appeared on the show for three years until it ended in 1969.

There were several soap operas that MacRae starred in as well, including “General Hospital,” where she played Meg Baldwin from 1969 to 1973. The actress was also in “Days of Our Lives,” “Guiding Light,” “Search for Tomorrow” and “Another World.”

MacRae’s movie résumé includes “Love in a Goldfish Bowl,” “Everything’s Ducky,” “For Love or Money,” “The Conversation,” and “Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!”

After 30 years in Hollywood, MacRae quit acting and moved back to North Carolina with her husband, Charles Day Halsey Jr. They eventually retired in Fayetteville.

Halsey Jr. passed away at age 96 in March 2024. The couple were married for 55 years.

“When Charles died, she went down quick,” MacRae’s nephew told City View. “It’s sad, but she has crossed the river. She had a wonderful life. The last few years were rough, but she is with my dad, who she adored, her father and mother, sister and husband. She lived a good life.”

MacRae is survived by her five stepchildren, eight nieces and nephews, and several great-nieces and nephews, according to her obituary.