Steve Hardy
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| Steve Hardy | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Hospital | |||||
| Portrayed by | John Beradino | ||||
| First appearance | April 1, 1963 | ||||
| Last appearance | 1996 | ||||
| Cause/reason | Fatal heart attack. | ||||
| Created by | Frank & Doris Hursley | ||||
| Profile | |||||
| Gender | Male | ||||
| Date of death | 1996 | ||||
| Occupation | Chief of Staff at General Hospital (at time of death) | ||||
| Residence | 453 Maple Avenue Port Charles, New York |
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Dr. Steve Hardy was a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. John Beradino originated the role of Steve Hardy on April 1, 1963 and portrayed him until his death in 1996.
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[edit] History
Dr. Steve Hardy was the Chief of Internal Medicine on the seventh floor of General Hospital in Port Charles. His devotion to his profession and patients earned him the respect of his co-workers and the many residents of Port Charles.
Steve was a man devoted to his work. He was born in China to American missionary parents and was therefore immersed in their life of unending human service. He was so devoted to his patients and job that it cost him his fiancée Peggy Mercer. She knew that his job would always come before her so she broke off their engagement.
Dr. Steve Hardy's first patient was a girl named Angie Costello who had been in a severe car accident with her boyfriend Eddie Weeks. Doctors worked in the OR for many hours trying to stitch back Angie's face. After the surgery was completed, Angie was wrapped in bandages. She was insecure about her looks and contemplated suicide but Steve and Nurse Jessie Brewer talked her out of it. Eddie was sent to jail for drinking and driving and wanted nothing to do with Angie who was pregnant. She gave birth and then gave her baby up for adoption. Two years later Angie and Eddie reconciled and were married by a Justice Of the Peace. The two now wanted their baby back but the adoptive mother, Janet Fleming refused to hand over her child to them. Angie and Eddie then stole their baby back but were caught and apprehended. Because of Steve, Jessie, and attorney Lee Baldwin's caring for the two, they both looked forward to a bright future together.
In February 1964, a young flight attendant by the name of Audrey March caught his eye. She was visiting her sister, Lucille March, the crusty nurse who practically ran the seventh floor at General Hospital. Audrey immediately fell for Steve, and decided to stay in town. She got a job as a private nurse for Randy Washburn. Steve soon proposed, but the two had trouble setting a date. Audrey believed that Steve would always put his job first. At this time, her patient Randy was actively pursuing her. Audrey broke off her engagement with Steve and accepted Randy's proposal.
Before they could get married, Audrey was diagnosed with Lymphoma. Throughout her treatment, Steve stayed by her side, while Randy did not. Steve proposed to her again, and they were married in February 1965.
Audrey believed that Steve was sterile and she desperately wanted children. She secretly underwent artificial insemination and soon became pregnant. Audrey was overcome with guilt though and confessed all to Steve while they were driving which resulted in him losing control of the car and crashing. Audrey miscarried and, convinced that Steve would never forgive her for what she had done, filed for divorce and left town to aid orphans in Vietnam.
In 1969, Audrey returned from Vietnam. She married Dr. Tom Baldwin, Lee's volatile younger brother, to prove herself over Steve. It was a disastrous marriage because Audrey refused to consummate it. Tom ended up raping Audrey which resulted in her becoming pregnant. She quickly filed for divorce and left town telling no one save her sister that she was pregnant.
In 1976, Steve was promoted to Chief of Staff at General Hospital. Around this time Terri Webber Arnett, whose husband David had been killed in Vietnam, came to town. She returned home to care for her younger brothers after their parents, Lars and Helene Webber, were killed in an accident. Both brothers, Rick and Jeff had aspirations of becoming doctors. While a resident at General Hospital, Rick volunteered to go to Africa for 6 months where it was later reported he had been killed. Jeff, Rick's younger brother, graduated from med school and along with his wife Monica, was selected by Steve to enter his experimental program as Mr. and Mrs. Intern at General Hospital. Unfortunately the couple was plagued by problems. Monica, who had once been engaged to Rick, and Jeff deeply mourned Rick's passing. Jeff suffered not only the loss of his brother but the fear that he was constantly being compared to him. The marriage became strained and even more so when it was discovered that Rick had not perished in the plane crash as believed but had been held prisoner. Shortly after Rick's return to Port Charles, Steve decided to abandon his program for the greater good of the three Webbers. Monica and Jeff soon split.
Shortly afterwards Jeff disappeared. He resurfaced in a bar, drunk and high on amphetamines. The next morning, Dr. Mark Dante showed up to take him home but before he could do so, Jeff shot himself. He was rushed to the hospital where his life hung in the balance. Fearing the worst, Terri, his sister decided to go to Steve to tell him of a letter her mother had told her about on her deathbed. The letter revealed that Steve was in fact Jeff's biological father.
Audrey's marriage to Dr. Jim Hobart fell apart after Jim injured his hand and became a hopeless alcoholic. Audrey was devastated when Jim walked out, and took an overdose of pills. Before she passed out she realized that her death meant that her son would be alone. Steve found her and rushed her to General Hospital. Audrey fortunately survived and confessed her undying love for Steve. They reconciled, but tragedy would strike again when Steve fell down the stairs at General Hospital. Audrey found him unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. He was paralyzed and Audrey stuck by him; she even was his personal physiotherapist. After Steve recovered the two walked down the aisle again.
In 1977, Steve and Audrey were both happy and Steve planned to adopt Tommy until Tom Baldwin came back....alive! Tom begged Audrey to remarry him (being that her marriage to Steve was now invalid) but Audrey refused. A confused Tommy ran away from home and Tom saw how he was affecting his son. Tom gave up all parental rites and left town forever. Steve and Audrey remarried again and Steve adopted Tommy. Steve and Audrey finally had a family.
In 1979, Audrey learned that her family was expanding when she was told by Terri Webber Arnett that her brother Dr. Jeff Webber was Steve's son by an affair with the late Helene Webber. Audrey kept it secret until Lassa Fever hit and Steve fell ill. Audrey thought that Steve was dying and stunned Jeff with the news that Steve was his real father. Jeff was hurt and cold to Steve after his recovery. Eventually Steve and Jeff bonded.
In 1981, The truth came out and Jeff left town that year with Steve and Audrey's first grandchild Steven Lars Webber. Jeff and Steven Lars had just been reunited as Steven Lars' mother Heather had sold him away to Peter and Diana Maynard Taylor three years earlier as a newborn.
In 1984, Steve and Audrey said goodbye to Tom Hardy as he left Port Charles for medical school. In 1987, Steve and Audrey were overjoyed by the return of her son Tom to Port Charles as Dr. Tom Hardy. Things weren't all well however when Audrey learned that Tom was seeing Simone Ravelle, a black doctor at General Hospital. Audrey feared that Tom would face discrimination over the relationship but agreed to support the new couple.
In 1993, Audrey surprised Steve with an anniversary party to honor his thirty years at General Hospital. Steve pledged that he would treat patients more and perform hospital administration work less. Later, Audrey was attacked by a psychotic Ryan Chamberlain who believed that she was his abusive mother! Audrey was badly hurt and Steve had to perform surgery on his own wife. Audrey eventually recovered and Ryan was jailed.
When Tom Jr. returned, Steve had lost confidence in him when the votes were tied between Tom and Kevin Collins for Chief of Psychiatry. Steve voted for Kevin, soon after he was named Chief of Psychiatry and Tom joined the staff under Kevin.
In 1996 Steve died of a heart attack. Audrey was devastated. Steve was working so hard, sometimes all night to keep General Hospital out of considerable financial debt. This hit the Hardys hard, as they all struggled to carry on without Steve.
[edit] Family and Relationships
[edit] Parents/Children
- Lyle Hardy (father)
- Bernice Hardy (mother)
- Jeff Webber (son, with Helene Webber)
- Thomas Hardy (adoptive son, with Audrey March Hardy)
- Simone Ravelle Hardy (daughter in-law, via marriage to Thomas)
[edit] Marital Status (at death)
- Audrey March Hardy (married)
[edit] Past Marriage(s)
- Audrey March Hardy (divorced)
[edit] Grandchildren
- Steven Webber (grandson, via Jeff)
- Sarah Webber (granddaughter, via Jeff)
- Elizabeth Webber (granddaughter, via Jeff)
- Thomas Hardy Jr. (adoptive grandson, via Thomas)
[edit] Great-Grandchildren
- Cameron Webber (great-grandson, via Elizabeth)
- Jake Spencer (great-grandson, via Elizabeth)
[edit] Romantic entanglements
- Helene Webber (affair)
- Peggy Mercer (engaged)
[edit] Maladies and Hospitalizations
- Fell down the stairs and was temporarily paralyzed [1976]
- Suffered from Lassa fever [1979]
- Suffered a fatal heart attack [1996]
[edit] References
- Profile at soapcentral.com
