It's hard to imagine General Hospital's Lucy Coe as a mousy librarian, not just because the character has transformed considerably since first showing up in Port Charles, but also because her arrival on the scene as a studious bibliophile was 35 years ago! That's quite a long time, even by soap standards, and the daytime community is thrilled to honor portrayer Lynn Herring on this exciting occasion.
GH's official Twitter handle sent out a congratulations to the actress for her 35th anniversary, writing, "Lucy Coe knows everything about everyone in Port Charles and we would be lost without her. Please help us congratulate @TheLynnHerring on the 35th Anniversary of her #GH debut! #GeneralHospital"
Thank you! Have loved every @GeneralHospital moment!❤️ https://t.co/vV22bmMfPg
- Lynn Herring (@TheLynnHerring) April 11, 2021
Lynn Herring's Lucy made her GH debut on April 11, 1986, as an alibi for Kevin O'Connor (Kevin Bernhardt) in the soap's Brownstone Murder Mystery arc. She lied on the stand for her friend and was caught, which was originally supposed to lead to the character's departure but instead led to viewers wanting to know more about the sexy, shifting schemer. Then-executive producer Gloria Monty cashed in on the intrigue and decided to keep Herring on board, and fans saw Lucy further shed the drab vibe she originally had.
Recalls Herring in a new Soap Opera Digest interview, "When they called me in for this part, it was sort of a dual personality thing, where I got to be this plain, mousy person, and then all of a sudden, this glamorous slut! I was so intrigued by it. I wanted this part so badly that when they actually called, I think I fell on the floor. It was amazing to me that not being a known daytime commodity, I got such a wonderful part. It really was a miracle. It was my dream part!"
Herring's Lucy has been a part of a myriad of memorable stories over the past 35 years, including romances with Scott Baldwin (Kin Shriner), Tony Jones (Brad Maule), and Kevin Collins (Jon Lindstrom); frequently hosting the soap's Nurses Balls; having a pet duck named Sigmund; and angering the Quartermaine clan by marrying Alan (Stuart Damon) -- in a red dress, no less!
"Reflecting is good for me; I'm always on fast-forward and I like to live in the moment. But this 35 years, it's just been such a gift, and I realize my whole life would have been completely different without General Hospital," Herring tells SOD. "It's given me what I have, from my appreciation of storytelling to being able to have a ranch, to be able to get [my kids] through college. It truly gave me everything I have. I just feel like it's the best gift ever."
To hear more from Herring about some of her favorite things about Lucy, which costars she has the most fun working with, and what GH has meant to her life, check out Soap Central's hilarious 2019 interview with the actress here.
Would you like to congratulate Lynn Herring on 35 years at GH? What are your favorite memories from Lucy's time on the canvas? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
