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Steve Hardy
Deceased
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Actor History
John Beradino
April 1, 1963 to 1996 (original cast member)
Lifeline

Died of a heart attack on July 15, 1996

Occupation

Chief of staff at General Hospital (at the time of his death)

Doctor

Residence

Formerly 453 Maple Avenue in Port Charles, New York, with his wife, Audrey

Marital Status

Married (Audrey Hardy)

Past Marriages

Audrey March (divorced; remarried)

Relatives

None

Children

Jeff Webber (son; with Helene)

Thomas Hardy Sr. (son; via adoption) (Audrey's with Tom Baldwin)

Steven Lars Webber (grandson)

Sarah Webber (granddaughter)

Elizabeth Webber (granddaughter)

Thomas Hardy Jr. (adoptive grandson)


Cameron Webber (great-grandson)

Flings & Affairs

Helene Webber (lovers)

Peggy Lowell (broken engagement)

Crimes Committed

None

Health and Vitals

Fell down the stairs and was temporarily paralyzed

Suffered from Lassa fever

Suffered a fatal heart attack [1996]

Brief Character History

Steve was a man devoted to his work. He was so devoted to his patients and job that it cost him his fiancée Peggy Lowell. She knew that his job would always come before her so she broke off their engagement.

Dr. Steve Hardy worked on the seventh floor of General Hospital. His first patient was a girl named Angie Costello who had been in a severe car accident with her boyfriend Eddie Weeks. Doctors worked in the OR for many hours trying to stitch back Angie's face. After the surgery was completed, Angie was wrapped in bandages. She was insecure about her looks and contemplated suicide but Steve and Nurse Jessie Brewer talked her out of it. Eddie was sent to jail for drinking and driving and wanted nothing to do with Angie who was pregnant. She gave birth and then gave her baby up for adoption. Two years later Angie and Eddie reconciled and were married by a Justice Of the Peace. The two now wanted their baby back but the adoptive mother, Janet Fleming refused to hand over her child to them. Angie and Eddie then stole their baby back but were caught and apprehended. Because of Steve, Jessie, and Lee's caring for the two, they both looked forward to a bright future together.

On February 21, 1964 a young flight attendant named Audrey March came to visit her older sister, the senior nurse of the seventh floor, Lucille March at General Hospital. Steve had been passing by when he caught a glimpse of Audrey still dressed in her blue stewardess uniform. The chemistry between the two was instantaneous.

Audrey, who liked Dr. Hardy, decided to stay in town and when a job offer for a private nurse came up Audrey quickly applied for it. Audrey's first patient was a man named Randy Washburn a known junior executive engineer who had been suffering of malaria. At the time, Audrey was seeing Dr. Hardy and the two of them had fallen in love and had then plans to marry. Setting the wedding date became the problem. Audrey realized that Steve loved his job more than her and that the two couldn't be together.

Audrey began being pursued by her patient Randy. He bought her jewelry and promised to take her on vacations and then proposed. Audrey broke off her engagement to Steve and accepted Randy's marriage proposal. Before Audrey and Randy could leave for the Philippines where they planned to marry, Audrey collapsed. She was then diagnosed with Lymphoma. Radiation treatment stopped her disease and Steve was by her side through the whole thing. Meanwhile Randy was MIA.

After Jessie and Lucille urged Steve to ask Audrey to marry him again, he finally went through with it and Audrey happily accepted. In February of 1965 Audrey became Mrs. Steve Hardy. Audrey believed that Steve was sterile and she desperately wanted children. She secretly underwent artificial insemination and soon became pregnant. Audrey was overcome with guilt though and confessed all to Steve while they were driving which resulted in him loosing control of the car and crashing. Audrey miscarried and, convinced that Steve would never forgive her for what she had done, filed for divorce and left town to aid orphans in Vietnam.

In 1969, Audrey returned from Vietnam. She married Dr. Tom Baldwin to prove herself over Steve. It was a disastrous marriage because Audrey refused to consummate it. Tom ended up raping Audrey which resulted in her becoming pregnant. She quickly filed for divorce and left town telling no one save her sister that she was pregnant.

In 1971, she returned and told everyone that her baby was still-born. But really her son "Stevie" was living with his nanny Peggy Nelson in another part of town. Audrey told many lies to keep her estranged husband Tom Baldwin from stopping their divorce. She feared that if Tom found out about their son that she would never get him out of her life. Audrey planned on telling Steve that little "Stevie" was Mrs. Nelson's cousin's baby that she wanted to adopt. Her plan was to marry Steve and then together they would raise little "Stevie." Audrey's plan would have worked had not Peggy Nelson been listening to her scheme. Peggy blackmailed Audrey. Then suddenly, Mrs. Nelson was found shot and Audrey was charged with murder and her secret was revealed. Audrey was nearly convicted when Mrs. Nelson's angry ex-husband Arnold confessed. Audrey was set free and she decided that the only way to keep her son from Tom was to remarry him. Unfortunately their marriage failed again and Tom got nervous and kidnapped his son Tommy Jr. to Mexico. Audrey was devastated. Soon Audrey got a call from Mexico hearing that Tom had died of a heart attack and that Tommy Jr. would be returning home to her. Audrey was thrilled and it was just in the nick of time because Tommy needed open heart surgery. Dr. Jim Hobart, a new doctor at the hospital performed the surgery and a very little time later Audrey was married to Jim. This was a shock to Audrey's sister Lucille and Steve. They believed that the marriage was out of gratitude, not love.

In 1976, Terri Webber Arnett, whose husband David had been killed in Vietnam, came to town. She returned home to care for her younger brothers after their parents, Lars and Helen Webber, were killed in an accident. Both brothers, Rick and Jeff had aspirations of becoming doctors. While a resident at General Hospital, Rick volunteered to go to Africa for 6 months where it was later reported he had been killed. Jeff, Rick's younger brother, graduated from med school and along with his wife Monica, was selected by Steve to enter his experimental program as Mr. and Mrs. Intern at General Hospital. Unfortunately the couple was plagued by problems. Monica, who had once been engaged to Rick, and Jeff deeply mourned Rick's passing. Jeff suffered not only the loss of his brother but the fear that he was constantly being compared to him. The marriage became strained and even more so when it was discovered that Rick had not perished in the plane crash as believed but had been held prisoner. Shortly after Rick's return to Port Charles, Steve decided to abandon his program for the greater good of the three Webbers. Monica and Jeff soon split.

Shortly afterwards Jeff disappeared. He resurfaced in a bar, drunk and high on amphetamines. The next morning, Dr. Mark Dante showed up to take him home but before he could do so, Jeff shot himself. He was rushed to the hospital where his life hung in the balance. Fearing the worst, Terri, his sister decided to go to Steve to tell him of a letter her mother had told her about on her deathbed. The letter revealed that Steve was in fact Jeff's biological father.

Audrey's marriage to Jim fell apart after Jim injured his hand and became a hopeless alcoholic. Audrey was devastated when Jim walked out and took an overdose of pills. Before she passed out she realized that her death meant that her son would be alone. Steve found her and rushed her to General Hospital. Audrey fortunately survived and confessed her undying love for Steve. They reconciled, but tragedy would strike again when Steve fell down the stairs at General Hospital. Audrey found him unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. He was paralyzed and Audrey stuck by him; she even was his personal physiotherapist. After Steve recovered the two walked down the aisle again.

In 1977, Steve and Audrey were both happy and Steve planned to adopt Tommy until Tom Baldwin came back....alive! Tom begged Audrey to remarry him (being that her marriage to Steve was now invalid) but Audrey refused. A confused Tommy ran away from home and Tom saw how he was affecting his son. Tom gave up all parental rites and left town forever. Steve and Audrey remarried again and Steve adopted Tommy. Audrey finally had the family that she wanted.

In 1979, Audrey learned that her family was expanding when she was told by Terri Webber Arnett that her brother Dr. Jeff Webber was Steve's son by an affair with the late Helene Webber. Audrey kept it secret until Lassa fever hit and Steve fell ill. Audrey thought that Steve was dying and stunned Jeff with the news that Steve was his real father. Jeff was hurt and cold to Steve after his recovery. Eventually Steve and Jeff bonded. That same year, Audrey's niece Anne Logan and her adopted son Jeremy Hewitt came to town. Audrey watched happily as Anne got closer to Jeff and he got farther away from his lying wife Heather Grant Webber.

In 1981, Audrey had to lend her support to Anne as she was charged with the murder of Diana Maynard Taylor. There was a clear-cut case against Anne as Heather Grant Webber framed her and Heather's mother Alice Grant was the actual killer. The truth came out and Jeff left town that year with Audrey and Steve's first grandchild Steven Lars Webber. Jeff and Steven Lars had just been reunited as Steven Lars' mother Heather had sold him away to Peter and Diana Maynard Taylor three years earlier as a newborn.

In 1984, Audrey and Steve said goodbye to Tom Hardy as he left Port Charles for medical school. In 1987, Steve and Audrey were overjoyed by the return of her son Tom to Port Charles as Dr. Tom Hardy. Things weren't all well however when Audrey learned that Tom was seeing Simone Ravelle, a black doctor at General Hospital. Audrey feared that Tom would face discrimination over the relationship but agreed to support the new couple.

In 1993, Audrey surprised Steve with an anniversary party to honor his thirty years at General Hospital. Steve pledged that he would treat patients more and perform hospital administration work less. Later, Audrey was attacked by a psychotic Ryan Chamberlain who believed that she was his abusive mother! Audrey was badly hurt and Steve had to perform surgery on his own wife. Audrey eventually recovered and Ryan was jailed.

When Tom Jr. returned, Steve had lost confidence in him when the votes were tied between Tom and Kevin Collins for Chief of Psychiatry. Steve voted for Kevin, soon after he was named Chief of Psychiatry and Tom joined the staff under Kevin.

In 1996 Steve died of a heart attack. Audrey was devastated. Steve was working so hard, sometimes all night to keep General Hospital out of considerable financial debt. This hit the Hardys hard, as they all struggled to carry on without Steve.

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Who's Who in Port Charles

GH Actor biographies
GH Cast and Credits

More profiles and submit changes
Who's Who for other soaps

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