Our Top 5 Best Bobbie Moments On General Hospital
Barbara Jean "Bobbie" Spencer was certainly one of a kind on "General Hospital." And so was her portrayer, Jacklyn Zeman, who died in May 2023. The beloved actress played Bobbie for 45 years, and she was a character who overcame the odds to become a tough, yet compassionate woman who brought heart and soul to Port Charles. But she wasn't without her flaws, and got into a few schemes in her day, even as recently as 2020 when she went up against the evil Nelle Benson (Chloe Lanier) and forged a consent form for her grandson Wiley to have much-needed surgery in order to protect his best interests.
In January 2024, all of Port Charles had an emotionally intense gathering to mourn Bobbie's loss after she died in her sleep in Amsterdam. Her daughter Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) and bestie Felicia Scorpio (Kristina Wagner) learned that, although she went abroad to settle the affairs of her late brother Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary), Bobbie had also gotten involved with an organization that helped women who were victimized by human trafficking. She died before she could help a woman named Cornelia (Ellie Darcey-Alden) gain asylum in the U.S., but thankfully Felicia and Carly finished what Bobbie had started.
Although Bobbie's final exploits were off-screen, that little tidbit about her life spoke volumes about her character. She prevailed over adversity many times, but she was also human. These are some of her best moments over the years.
She plotted to break up Laura and Scotty
In 1979, Bobbie Spencer had her eye on Scotty Baldwin (Kin Shriner), but Scotty was dating Laura Webber (Genie Francis) at the time, so she worked to break them up. She even faked being pregnant with Scotty's child to get him to marry her, going so far as to swap a pregnant woman's urine sample with her own to prove it. But one time, when she was at Scotty's place — who was passed out at the time — she messed up her hair and unbuttoned her shirt when Laura came to the door.
Erroneously believing that Bobbie and Scotty had sex, a hurt Laura ran away and ended up in a major car accident. Jacklyn Zeman spoke to Soap Opera Digest about Bobbie's malicious early days and explained, "Bobbie was never an evil person; she was just misguided." She further added that it was a pivotal moment for the character. "That was a turning point where Bobbie said, 'No, I'm not going to be that person. I need to straighten up.'"
She also stated that the reason fans enjoyed the story so much was that it was a realistic portrayal of a young adult relationship that was interrupted by a third person. Because Bobbie aggressively went after what she wanted — Scotty — Zeman said that it, "Was a very alpha way of behaving in those days."
She endured the death of her daughter B.J.
In 1994, one of the most heartbreaking stories ever to air on "General Hospital" occurred when little B.J. Jones (Brighton Hertford), the daughter of Dr. Tony Jones (Brad Maule) and his wife Bobbie — then going by Bobbie Jones — died, and Tony made the tearjerking decision to have her heart transplanted into her cousin, Maxie Jones (Robyn Richards). After a school bus accident, B.J. was brought to the hospital where it was determined that she was brain dead. In perhaps one of the best acting scenes of Jacklyn Zeman's career, Bobbie refused to believe her daughter was gone, saying, "No! She's warm. She's breathing. Her heart is still beating. Look at her!"
A lugubrious Tony had to convince her that not only was B.J. beyond any hope of recovery, but the dying Maxie was in desperate need of her heart. Bobbie ultimately acquiesced and agreed to the transplant. In the January 11, 2024 episode, amidst Bobbie's funeral, Hertford returned as a character named Angela Brighton. It turned out she was B.J.'s spirit as an angel, and she talked to everyone who knew Bobbie, learning how the legendary nurse touched their lives.
Hertford reflected on playing B.J. from four months old until age 7, and told People, "Looking back on it, absolutely, it was a really difficult storyline. I'm in my late 30s now, and the thought of a child being in that situation is just super emotional."
Bobbie's physical fight with Lucy Coe
Busybody Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) has feuded with Tracy Quartermaine over the years on "General Hospital," but on the January 10, 2024 episode, the two decided to enter into a truce for Bobbie's funeral. Lucy also had a long-standing rivalry with Bobbie Spencer, but on January 8, she revealed to Scotty Baldwin that she was always jealous of Bobbie for having been able to turn the hardships in her life around to become a pillar of the community. Scotty felt that Lucy and Bobbie could have been friends had she told Bobbie that.
In July 2014, the feud got worse when Lucy found Bobbie in Scotty's hotel room. The two hurled insults at each other, which hilariously ended up in a physical brawl. Ultimately, Scotty came in and broke up the battling women, appalled by their actions.
In a June 20, 2020 interview with Soaps in Depth, Jacklyn Zeman expressed her real-life friendship with and admiration of Herring. "I love what Lynn has done with Lucy," she stated, adding, "Their characters are completely different and always interesting. And the longevity! We've all been on since we were very young." She further explained that she enjoyed watching the characters grow, keeping the audience's interest fueled for decades. On January 11, 2024, after hearing Lucy reminisce about Bobbie, reporter Angela Brighton referred to them as the "original frenemies."
The death of Luke
Bobbie Spencer's brother Luke had become a legend by 1981, after defeating the evil Cassadine family's plot to take over the world. Luke and Laura had become a supercouple, despite their conflicted history. While Bobbie initially fought with Laura over Scotty — as did Luke — they eventually got past it. Luke and Bobbie were always solid as siblings, and they were there for each other over the years. They even took over Kelly's diner when their aunt Ruby Anderson (Norma Connolly), who ran the restaurant, died.
As time went on, Luke and Laura split up, he eventually married Tracy Quartermaine, and they moved to Amsterdam. In January 2022, Tracy returned to Port Charles with the devastating news that Luke had been killed in a cable car accident in Austria. Word spread fast, and Laura summoned Bobbie to her place so she could break the news in person.
Before Laura could finish telling her what happened to Luke, Bobbie stopped her and left a voicemail on Luke's phone, demanding that he call her back immediately. In an acting tour de force, Bobbie breaks down as Laura explains that Luke is truly dead. With the years of feuding decades behind them, Laura and Bobbie were able to console each other as they realized Luke was truly gone.
She helped Elizabeth Webber in her darkest hour
In 1998, Bobbie Spencer was involved in the storyline that defined Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst). Young Liz had only been in Port Charles for less than a year when, while walking home from her school's Valentine's Day dance, she was brutally raped in the park. Her friend Lucky Spencer (Jonathan Jackson) found her, and he got her to safety after the horrific incident. Afraid to go to the authorities, as well as terrified to tell her grandmother, Audrey Hardy (Rachel Ames), about what happened, Bobbie was there to patch her up both physically and mentally in the aftermath.
Bobbie put her professional hat on and told Elizabeth that "When a woman has been raped, she needs very special, very specific attention paid to her feelings because she's been traumatized. And to her body because she may have been hurt. That's the most important thing." She risked her career as a nurse to give Liz a "morning after pill," and Bobbie emotionally supported her through the incredibly tough time. She was able to draw on her experience from her own youth when she was forced into being a sex worker, as well as her skills as a nurse, and she got Elizabeth through one of the most nightmarish times in her life.
This empathy and kindness that she displayed many times during her decades on "General Hospital" is why Bobbie Spencer will always be remembered and revered as one of the most important people in Port Charles, and it's why her legacy as well as the legacy of the iconic Jacklyn Zeman will live on.