Laura Spencer is a fictional character from General Hospital, an American soap opera on the ABC network. Laura, originally played by Stacey Baldwin, was introduced in 1974 as the illegitimate daughter of Dr. Lesley Williams (Denise Alexander). The character was written out in the summer of 1976. In early 1977, Genie Francis took over the role of the rebellious teenage Laura. In 1978, thanks to the efforts of executive producer Gloria Monty's plan to entice younger viewers, the character's popularity skyrocketed in the late 1970s and early 1980s due to her pairings with Scott Baldwin (Kin Shriner) and Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary) -- the latter of the two becoming the defining Supercouple for the soap opera genre. Luke and Laura's 1981 wedding — which featured a guest appearance from Elizabe