Our Favorite Ryan & Kevin Moments From Jon Lindstrom's 30 Years On General Hospital
In 1992, Jon Lindstrom began playing serial killer Ryan Chamberlain on "General Hospital" and was extremely excellent in the part. And his success on the show grew as he took on another polar opposite character, leading to some incredible moments on "GH."
In a July 2022 article posted by Soap Opera Digest, Lindstrom explained that he initially tried out for several roles on the show, but didn't get them. He auditioned for Ryan and got called back by a security guard as he was in the parking lot getting ready to leave. Lindstrom went back and proved that he could play the part "friendly but quietly scary," and history was made. He knew that Ryan was a successful character when Ryan "basically kidnapped [Felicia played by Kristina Wagner] and held her hostage in the cabin and she finally figures out what he's about. It just played really well."
Later, Lindstrom was offered a part in "As the World Turns," so "GH" scrambled to keep the brilliant actor on board, creating the part of Ryan's good twin, psychiatrist Dr. Kevin Collins. His goal was to treat his twisted brother, and in doing so became embroiled with Ryan's obsession, Felicia, and her then-on-again, off-again beau, Mac Scorpio (John J. York). When Lindstrom walked into a room, you knew whether it was Kevin or Ryan without him even saying a word. Both of Lindstrom's characters have had memorable storylines over the years, and we're going to examine some of our favorite moments.
Ryan's amusement park 'death'
Ryan was a pediatrician who had ingratiated himself into Felicia Scorpio's (then Jones') life. Because his mother was blonde and had severely abused him as a child, Ryan became obsessed with the fair-haired Felicia who looked like her, which led to him terrorizing her until he was captured. In 1994, he escaped to renew his reign of terror and ruined Felicia and Mac's wedding, but was subsequently re-captured. He planned another escape and took advantage of Connie Cooper (Amy Benedict) a therapist who had fallen for him. She helped him escape, but Ryan then strangled her with her own scarf.
Later, Ryan kidnapped Felicia's baby, Georgie Jones, and absconded to an amusement park. With Mac, Kevin, and Felicia hot on his trail, a witness claimed to have seen a man and a baby go into the park which was closed. There, Ryan played a game of cat-and-mouse with Kevin throughout the funhouse, and when the two engaged in fisticuffs, a gas line was broken. Ryan wanted Kevin to die with him, but the good twin managed to escape.
Still inside, Ryan attempted to turn the lights on which caused sparks that ignited the gas, setting the entire place on fire. Kevin watched helplessly from outside as the flames seemingly engulfed Ryan, who was hallucinating that his mother was standing near him, caressing him gently. Ryan was presumed dead, and we lamented that, hoping his malevolent tales would have continued.
Norma and Eve
In 1995, "General Hospital" had arguably its funniest storyline. Kevin Collins was concerned that his girlfriend Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) — who believed she was developing psychic powers — was being swindled by a phony medium named Madame Maia (Anita Dangler). He enlisted Mac Scorpio to go undercover with him to an all-women's psychic convention led by the supposed clairvoyant. But, to do so, they had to dress in drag and adopted the names Norma and Eve. The process of them getting accustomed to women's clothing was hilarious as Mac adapted very quickly, but Kevin was a little taken aback. Ultimately, they busted Madame Maia for being a fraud, saving Lucy's bank account.
At a fan event in April 2023, which was reported on by Soap Hub, Jon Lindstrom reflected on Norma and Eve, explaining that at its core, it showed what true friends Kevin and Mac were. He then added, "But, you know, we are the most unattractive women, and we know it, we embrace it." Lindstrom's experience broadened his perspective as he remarked, "Any time a woman says to me, 'My feet are killing me,' I'm like, 'I hear you.'"
Lindstrom performed marvelously and praised his co-star, saying, "And John York, he doesn't care. I mean, he will completely humiliate himself if it means he'll get a laugh. He will do anything." This story had many laugh-out-loud moments and we wish "GH" would do more like it!
Ava Jerome almost marries Ryan
In 2018, Ava Jerome (Maura West) was upset that her boyfriend Griffin Munro (Matt Cohen) was having an affair with her daughter, Kiki Jerome (Hayley Erin), and her best efforts to break them up failed. She went to Kevin Collins for some counseling and had no idea that he not only was keeping the then-thought-dead Ryan Chamberlain in a sanitorium for treatment but also that his evil twin had forcibly swapped places with him. Ava poured her angst all over his desk and expressed her desire to see them punished.
She believed she'd made a connection with Kevin, and they began dating and even contemplated marriage. Ryan thought a wonderful present for Ava would be to punish Kiki by killing her and framing Griffin for the deed. Once the truth came out, she was beyond horrified that she'd almost married her daughter's killer.
This story was great as it not only showed the subtle menace that Jon Lindstrom portrayed but also West's vulnerability. It was a perfect mesh of a manipulative psychopath preying on a victim's weakness, and to this day, Ava still has trouble reconciling how her world got turned upside down in such a horrible manner.
The mystery of Victor Collins
In 1997, several "General Hospital" characters migrated over to its spin-off series, "Port Charles," including Kevin Collins and Lucy Coe. Although Kevin claimed that his father Victor Collins (Nicholas Pryor) was dead, Lucy found him very much alive in a convent in France, dealing with mental illness. She brought him back to Port Charles, and he recovered. It turned out that he'd been a spy and was always away from the family, during which time his then-wife abused Ryan. Young Kevin found out about it and told his dad who promptly took him away from their household, leaving Ryan behind to evolve into a psychopath. For years, Kevin felt nothing but enmity for his father for leaving Ryan, but eventually, they repaired their relationship.
Victor was a genius and even helped solve the General Homicide killings, which were real murders based on a book that Kevin wrote. Another secret from Victor's past also came out: when he was a spy, Kevin and Eve Lambert (Julie Pinson) were part of something called the Cobra Project, which was an experiment concerning ESP blocking. Victor had previously sent Kevin letters over the years containing mathematical equations that were part of a formula intended to block ESP. An evil spy named D.V. Bordisso (Granville Van Dusen) pursued Victor and the formula, but he was eventually killed.
This story had intrigue and paranormal overtones that kept "Port Charles" on the cutting edge of soaps!
Ryan's escape with Heather Webber
Ryan Chamberlain's greatest story was also his last on "General Hospital," but was a well-done slow burn to get to the finish line. After severing his own right hand to fake his death, he was eventually caught but was later stabbed in the back while in prison. He survived and began faking locked-in syndrome where the only parts of his body he could move were his eyes. While he played the long game, we learned that the evil Esme Prince (Avery Pohl) was his daughter with the equally psychotic Heather Webber (Alley Mills). Esme had been under orders by him to break up Ava Jerome and her then-husband Nikolas Cassadine as Ryan's obsession had migrated from Felicia Scorpio to Ava.
Eventually, after escaping from imprisonment by Nikolas, Esme turned up with amnesia, but because she had committed a litany of crimes, she was also sent to the Ferncliff Sanitarium. Heather had managed to get herself moved there, and she and Ryan plotted a daring escape. When they put their plan in motion, they took a bewildered Esme with them on a wild ride, informing her that they were her parents.
Fortunately, the authorities closed in on them and Mac Scorpio came to the rescue and shot Ryan dead. While we would have loved an extended reign of terror by Ryan and Heather, it was a very satisfying end to the villain's story.