HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES — In the realm of daytime television, Jane Elliot stands as an iconic figure.
Over a remarkable 60-year career, she has graced nine different soap operas, earning particular acclaim for her Emmy-winning portrayal of Tracy Quartermaine on “General Hospital.”
“As a child, I dreamt of becoming an ice skater or a nurse,” Elliot reflects. “But deep down, I always knew I was destined to be an actor.”
Determined to make acting her career, Elliot ventured into primetime television, with roles in shows like “Kojak.” Before that, she appeared as a nun alongside Mary Tyler Moore and Elvis Presley in “Change of Habit.” Surprisingly, at that time, she wasn’t a fan of Elvis.
“He turned out to be everything I never expected,” Elliot reveals. “He was intelligent, kind, honorable, funny, and professional.”
Elliot’s soap opera journey began in 1965 with “A Flame in the Wind,” which was performed live. She later joined the cast of “Guiding Light,” where she took on the role of a morally ambiguous character.
On “All My Children,” she would seduce, then marry an older man. But, Elliot’s time on “General Hospital” began in 1978.
“It’s the easiest kind of role to play, though. There’s no crying. There’s no heartbreak,” said Elliot. “There’s no — you come in, you’re snarky and mean, you take your wardrobe off, and you go home, and you don’t take it home with you.”
The character of Tracy Quartermaine would come and go over the years, but Jane always returned, even playing the same role for a while on “The City.”
“I prefer to do what I do because it demands the ability to be comfortable not being liked, and a lot of people are not comfortable with that. I don’t care. I don’t care what you think of me!” laughed Elliot.
Wally Kurth plays her son on “General Hospital.” On “Days of Our Lives,” they were lovers.
“So he comes here, and my first scenes were in a restaurant, and I find myself rolling my shoulders and batting my eyes at him, and I’m going, ‘No! No! No! I’m your mother this time! I’m your mother,’” she said.
Now, she is the matriarch on “General Hospital,” with the other members of her TV family having passed.
“I’m the last person standing,” said Elliot. “I represent what is left of the arch family that started. And I have to fill all those slots now.”
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