What Roles Has Michael Easton Played On General Hospital?
Michael Easton has been a staple on daytime television since 1991 when he played Tanner Scofield on NBC's "Days of Our Lives". He moved over to ABC in 2001 and began playing vampire Caleb Morley and Caleb's alternate identities Michael Morley and Stephen Clay on the "General Hospital" spin-off "Port Charles" (via IMDb).
After "Port Charles," Easton began playing John McBain on "One Life to Live" in 2004; he brought the character to "General Hospital" in 2012 after "One Life to Live" ended. And that's where things get a little more complicated.
"One Life to Live," "Port Charles," and "General Hospital" have all shared characters at one point or another, meaning they exist in the same soap opera universe. For example, "Port Charles" stars Lynn Herring (Lucy Coe) and Jon Lindstrom (Kevin Collins) are current "General Hospital" characters now and have been for decades.
When "Port Charles" aired, some characters would float back and forth between shows. So, if we count Easton's "Port Charles" characters as "General Hospital" characters, that will give him six roles on "General Hospital." If you don't count that short-lived soap, Easton's roles still tell a complicated story.
Michael Easton's One Life to Live character met General Hospital
After "One Life to Live" left the ABC daytime lineup on January 20, 2012 (via Soaps.com), Michael Easton's character migrated over to "General Hospital." That makes John McBain — McBain, as he was more commonly called — the first official character Easton played on the long-running soap. However, he wasn't legally allowed to remain McBain for long. When ABC gave Prospect Park the rights to both "All My Children" and "One Life to Live," Prospect Park sued the network for using "One Life" characters on "General Hospital" and claimed ownership of them (via Soaps.com).
While the lawsuit litigated, "General Hospital" decided the characters it brought over from "One Life to Live" had to go. However, they decided they'd keep the actors. That meant Easton could no longer play McBain; the character left Port Charles never to be heard of again. That's when Easton started playing his second official character on the classic soap opera.
Silas Clay arrived on the General Hospital scene
Dr. Silas Clay arrived in Port Charles soon after John McBain left thanks to Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco) traveling to New York City and meeting him there (via Soaps in Depth). She mistook him for Stephen Clay, a character who appeared briefly on "Port Charles," according to Soap Central. Sam brought Silas back home with her because he was curious about his long-lost brother. As Michael Easton was playing him, most characters just had to pretend the new doctor in town didn't look strikingly like Stephen. Some might have even noticed a resemblance to Caleb Morley.
Silas was eventually revealed to be the father of Kiki Jerome (played by Kristen Alderson and Hayley Erin). We also learned that he had a wife who had languished in a coma for 20 years. Missing 20 years of her life made her a little crazy, but Nina Clay (then played by Michelle Stafford) — who now goes by Nina Reeves (now played by Cynthia Watros) — is still an integral character on the show. On the other hand, Silas is not.
In 2015, Kiki walked in on Silas' dead body in the apartment they shared (via Daytime Confidential). Eventually, fans learned that Nina's mother, Madeline Reeves (Donna Mills), literally stabbed Silas in the back. With Silas really and most sincerely dead, it looked like Easton's life in Port Charles was over.
Michael Easton introduced General Hospital fans to Dr. Hamilton Finn
Not so fast. In 2016, Michael Easton returned to play his third official "General Hospital" character: Dr. Hamilton Finn (via Soaps in Depth). He has remained in the role ever since. Amazingly, Sam McCall was the only person to remark that Finn looked like two men she once knew. A quirky infectious disease doctor with a pet support lizard named Roxie, Finn had a romance with Hayden Barnes (Rebecca Budig) and nearly married Anna Devane (Finola Hughes). He also became a father to a little girl named Violet (Jophielle Love) thanks to Hayden.
As of this writing, Finn has fallen for the recently-widowed Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst), who is Hayden's sister (via Soaps.com). However, he has also been acting very strange of late, which has some fans on social media wondering if "General Hospital" is trying to bring Easton full circle. Meaning some think that the real Finn is gone, and the man we see now in Port Charles is actually Caleb Morley (via Twitter). Now, wouldn't that be clever?
Michael Easton reflected on his many Port Charles incarnations
In a 2016 interview with TV Insider that came out around the time Hamilton Finn arrived in town, Michael Easton admitted he wasn't sure he'd ever be on "General Hospital" again after Silas was killed. But he was happy to have the opportunity to try something new.
"After the Silas experience, I thought 'GH' was the last show you'd ever see me on," he said. However, when "General Hospital " came calling and wanted him back in a new role, he was ready to go for it.
"Jean Passanante and Shelly Altman [former GH head writers] came up with a character — a drug addict with OCD — who was eccentric, charming, vulnerable, awkward. He doesn't really have a filter or care what you might think of him. I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I didn't want Silas to be how I was remembered at GH. But I'd be fine if Finn is the way I go out. Happy, in fact."