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Fictional character from General Hospital

Lucky Spencer is a fictional character from the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital. He is the son of Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura Spencer (Genie Francis). His birth having been announced on screen in 1985, a ten year old Lucky was cast in 1993, played by newcomer at the time, Jonathan Jackson. Jackson left the series in 1999, and the character was played by Jacob Young and later Greg Vaughan, who was let go in 2009 to allow Jackson to reprise the role. Lucky's characterization changed throughout the different portrayers; originally a street smart con artist, Lucky develops an edge during Young's tenure and more drastically changes during Vaughan's portrayal, as Lucky becomes a struggling police officer. With Jackson's reprisal, Lucky begins showing some of the character's original quick witted qualities, but after a series of harrowing storylines, Jackson left the series in December 2011 and the role was not recast. Jackson briefly reprised the role in July 2015. As a child, Lucky is known for taking part in the adventures of his parents. As a teenager, he becomes part of the supercouple Lucky Spencer and Elizabeth Webber (played by Rebecca Herbst) while Lucky helps Elizabeth recover after she has been raped. He learns of his parents' rape incident decades prior, exacerbating his rebellion and independence. Lucky is kidnapped and presumed dead in 1999, and returns brainwashed in 2000. He becomes a police officer in 2003, and faces financial and marital struggles during the following years, as well as prescription drug abuse. Lucky faces a series of tragic events starting in 2010, including Elizabeth's affair with his brother Nikolas Cassadine (Tyler Christopher), the death of his legal son Jacob Spencer, his father's alcoholism, the death of his wife Siobhan McKenna (Erin Chambers) and his own relapse into drug addiction. Lucky's teenage story arcs had social impact; viewers praised the recovery of Elizabeth's rape as helping other victims to heal, and the couple's innocent relationship aimed to show the option of sexual abstinence to younger viewers. Jackson received numerous accolades for his portrayal of Lucky, including five Daytime Emmy Awards. Young also received a Daytime Emmy Award, while Vaughan was the only portrayer of Lucky to never receive an Emmy nomination.

The role was originated on October 29, 1993, by eleven year old Jonathan Jackson. Rumors circulated that Jackson’s contract negotiations were not going well in 1996, and had given the series six months notice of his consideration in accordance with his contract. In January 1999, it was reported that the series had worked out a deal, and Jackson stated he had briefly extended his contract to allow the character's popular romance to continue. and Jackson left in April, shooting pre taped scenes In early 2000, Jackson stated he would enjoy reprising the role but his schedule would not allow it. He suggested a short term return that could coincide with the departure of co star Rebecca Herbst (who plays Lucky's love interest Elizabeth Webber) should she not renew her contract, allowing for periodic returns from the couple later on. the show opted to keep the characters on canvas. The role was recast with Jacob Young, who had left his role as Rick Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful. Angela Shapiro, at the time President of ABC Daytime, stated: "It is challenging to cast a character as intense and compelling as Lucky Spencer. We are fortunate to find a young actor with Jacob's charisma and talent." Young assumed the role on February 25, 2000, Young commented: "At first I was a little bit insecure about (taking the role after Jackson). But now that I've started to think about it, Lucky was such a great character, and Jonathan did such a great job that (fans) wanted him to come back. (Lucky) being in such demand, I think it was great that it opened up and allowed someone else to come in and give this character a shot." That December, Young announced he would not be renewing his contract, and last appeared on February 10, 2003. He cited a desire to pursue music and film work at the time, later admitting monetary contract disagreements as the reason he left. Greg Vaughan, who had recently been let go from his role as Diego Guittierez on The Young and the Restless, was cast shortly thereafter and first appeared on February 20, 2003. Vaughan later described his screen test to Soap Opera Digest: "I was a little bit intimidated. I knew about the character, the foundation of the story. I knew it was a difficult task that I was about to take on." In July 2009, Vaughan denied rumors that he was being let go or put on recurring status. That September, ABC announced that Vaughan had decided to leave to explore other opportunities, Vaughan last aired on October 20, 2009, while Jackson first aired on October 27, 2009. In November 2011, it was announced that Jackson would vacate the role due to the large amount of work he was receiving. TV Guide reported that Jackson attempted to negotiate with the network for a lighter schedule and to be repaired with on screen love interest Herbst (Elizabeth), but was denied on both accounts. Jackson explained: "I love to work hard but I've been at maximum capacity in terms of mental and emotional output for months on end and it has become too difficult. I am extremely thankful that they wanted to give me all those storylines with so much depth, but there's just no balance. ( ) I have a wife and three kids and other things in life I have to think about. I just knew I couldn't sustain the schedule at GH and that kind of emotion for much longer. It was just too intense." Jackson confirmed the character would not die or be recast, and last appeared on December 23, 2011.

Lucky Spencer first appears in October 1993, as a ten year old that has spent his life on the run from mobster Frank Smith (Mitchell Ryan) with his parents, Luke and Laura Spencer (Anthony Geary and Genie Francis). and almost paralyzed while following Luke. In August 1994, his sister Lesley Lu "Lulu" Spencer is born, and in 1995, he becomes good friends with Emily Quartermaine (then Amber Tamblyn) and they briefly run away. and they find his presumed dead grandmother Lesley Webber (Denise Alexander). On Valentine's Day 1998, Lucky finds Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) after she has been raped and takes care of her. upsetting Lucky, but Elizabeth miscarries in September 2005. They marry in October, and Lucky takes on raising Liz's son Cameron as his own. Lucky almost dies in a train crash on the way to their honeymoon, and again during an encephalitis outbreak in February 2006. In April, he has a serious back injury while trying to save Elizabeth from Manny Ruiz (Robert LaSardo). Overcome by his injury, financial trouble and guilt over the death of his partner Jesse Beaudry (Matt Marraccini), Lucky becomes addicted to painkillers and has an affair with Maxie Jones (Kirsten Storms). as they divorce. In November 2007, Lucky discovers the truth about Jake, Lucky volunteers for an undercover drug case during which Anthony Zacchara (Bruce Weitz) has him injected with drugs. Elizabeth finds Lucky but gets in a car accident that puts Siobhan in the hospital on her way to get him medication. Anthony kills Siobhan and Lucky uses pills when he finds her dead. He struggles to overcome his addiction. Elizabeth tries to reconcile but Lucky goes to Ireland. He receives a mysterious message that Aiden is hurt just in time to get him to the hospital. Elizabeth fakes a breakdown to get Lucky's attention, and when Lucky finds out the truth he goes back to Ireland. The original introduction story for Lucky was planned to have the child in need of a bone marrow transplant, a story later used on Lucky's younger sister Lulu. Instead, the story included high budget action sequences reminiscent of the couple's previous adventures, including explosions, car chases and parachutes. The character is shown to be a product of his parents, exhibiting qualities of both. Jackson later explained to Entertainment Weekly in 2009:
Lucky's rich life experience for his young age makes him wise beyond his years. He has a loving relationship with his unconventional parents, who often treat him as a friend and peer, especially his father. Luke in turn looks to see himself in Lucky, and the two have a very close bond.

When Jackson returned to the role, he was given multiple emotional storylines that continually put Lucky in tragic situations. As Jackson resumed the character in October 2009, Lucky is unaware that Elizabeth, his fiancée again, is having an affair with his brother Nikolas. grows into a physical relationship the same night Elizabeth accepts Lucky's remarriage proposal. Herbst explained to Comcast: "I truly believe that [Elizabeth] is in love with Lucky and has been in love with him her entire life. But what happened with Nikolas caught her by surprise as much as everybody else. It's hard for her to articulate it. She just knows that Nikolas did make her feel more like a woman and that in her relationship with Lucky she's very much still that 16 year old girl that constantly needs to be saved. That's kind of the role that Lucky has played in her life." Jones from Zap2it stated that in the confrontation scenes: "Jackson accomplished a much harder task than simply reclaiming the Lucky mantle: he has bridged the gap between his previous run, Jacob Young's and most recently, Greg Vaughan's. Now Lucky seems like a whole person once again, as opposed to a fractured character sliced up over the years by the writers, and fractured by fan loyalties." Aiden is kidnapped by Franco, forcing Lucky to work together with Nikolas, which starts to repair their relationship. Still feeling lost, Lucky accepts an undercover assignment to pose as an Irish hitman named Ronan O'Reilly, They eventually plan a green card marriage so that she can stay in the country with him. During their first ceremony, Lucky learns his son Jake has been in a hit and run accident, that eventually renders him braindead. Jake's death sets another string of tragic events in motion. Lucky finds out his father was the driver, and accuses Luke of driving drunk. Lucky is adamant that his father is an alcoholic, but Luke refutes that Lucky wants to blame the alcohol so that he does not have to blame him. Lucky eventually stages an intervention, which only angers Luke. Lucky tracks Luke down to the brothel where Luke grew up, but when Luke tells Lucky that it liberated him to kill Jake, Lucky leaves. Distraught, he burns down his childhood home, accidentally injuring Siobhan. Elizabeth finds Lucky and tells him that he is Aiden's father, stopping Lucky from drinking. In May 2011, Jackson spoke of the unending turmoil in Lucky's life:

Lucky's life did not subside; he volunteers for an undercover drug case, and is injected with drugs under the orders of Anthony Zacchara (Weitz). He spends a night hallucinating, and although Elizabeth finds him and eventually gets him medication, she meanwhile gets in a car accident that puts Lucky's wife Siobhan in the hospital. Anthony murders Siobhan, and her death is the last straw for Lucky, who willingly takes pills. Lucky struggles but stops his drug use. He denies Elizabeth's attempts to reconcile and leaves town in December 2011. Jackson stated leaving his children during Christmas was one piece of unfinished business Lucky had, as well as not having gone on any adventures with his family. Geary added that father and son were left in a bitter place when Lucky abruptly left town, lacking any resolution after Jake's death and the intervention.

In 2023, Charlie Mason from Soaps She Knows placed Lucky at #16 on his ranked list of General Hospital’s 40+ Greatest Characters of All Time, commenting that "A do right guy in a do wrong town, Luke’s halo clad son was destined to suffer — and man, did he, through his own “death,” drug addiction, adultery and, in the end, the demolition of his relationship with true love Elizabeth Webber at least for now."

The introduction of Lucky, paired with Luke and Laura's reintroduction, was met with some cynicism; Georgia Dullea of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel did not approve of the show's decision to let go of other popular characters in order to introduce the family. Allison Waldman of The Huffington Post reflected in 2008: "Jonathan came onto the show with huge expectations thrust upon him. He was Luke and Laura's son, Lucas Lorenzo Spencer, Jr. – Lucky. He had to be up to speed in scenes with Genie Francis and Anthony Geary. ( ) Jonathan was perfect right out of the gate; he looked, sounded and acted like he'd be Luke's kid. He was sensitive like Laura, too, not just a smart ass kid." In 1995, Jackson won his first Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series and his first Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Child Actor. He was nominated for Young Artist Awards in 1996, 1997 and 1999. He won The Hollywood Reporter'''s YoungStar Award in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 1999, and was nominated in 2000. He again won Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Younger Actor in 1998 and 1999, making him the record holder for the Younger Actor category, both with three wins and with six nominations. Jackson won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Younger Lead Actor in 1999. During his teenage years as Lucky, Jackson became a popular "teen heartthrob" among fans, featured on fan magazines such as Tiger Beat and garnering many fan clubs and internet fansites. Romance

During Jackson's first stint as Lucky, the character's relationship with Elizabeth Webber (Herbst) was called a supercouple, compared to Lucky's parents Luke and Laura. The characters first became popular during the storyline of Elizabeth's rape in 1998, a storyline that received critical acclaim. Viewers wrote to the series praising the story and how it helped rape victims to heal. The storyline won General Hospital a SHINE Award (Sexual Health IN Entertainment) in 1998. Fans also responded to Jackson's performance; Robyn Flans of Soap Opera Magazine stated in 1998: "Jonathan's sensitive portrayal of a young man experiencing the awakening of his own male stirrings while horrified by this hideous act of violence has been magnificent, and you have an amazing character – one that Jackson manipulates to perfection." Each character dealing with personal issues, the couple's first kiss happened months into the relationship, and was anticipated and celebrated by fans. Herbst and Jackson's popularity continued after Jackson's April 1999 departure; that July they were voted number one actor, actress and couple by fans of Soaps In Depth. Recasts
When Jackson left the role in 1999, a recast was opposed by viewers and costars. When Jackson's departure had previously been rumored in 1996, Anthony Geary (Luke) told TV Guide that he "went to (the GH powers) and said, 'If we lose him, then let's kill Lucky.' Jonathan is too much a part of us to replace him." Geary repeated these sentiments when Jackson confirmed leaving in 1999. When a recast was rumored in early 2000, Jackson stated: "When all the actors who are going to be working with the character don't want it, it's kind of too bad that they still do it. But I don't really get surprised with a lot of things that they do." The role was recast with Jacob Young, and by the time he appeared on screen in February 2000, the character had been off screen for almost a year, speculated to be an attempt to ease the transition between actors due to Jackson's popularity. In 2002, Young won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor. Greg Vaughan, who took over the role from 2003 to 2009, was the only portrayer of Lucky not to be nominated for an Emmy award. At the start of 2008, Zap2it named Vaughan No. 6 on their Top 10 Most Improved list, stating: "The gorgeous Mr. Vaughan plays angry and sexy very well. Thank goodness we're getting to see it." During Vaughan's tenure, Lucky entered into a relationship with Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco) that was popular with fans. Zap2it named them No. 6 on their list of Top Couples of 2007, and tied them for No. 3 in 2008 along with entangled couple Elizabeth (Herbst) and Jason Morgan (Steve Burton), stating: "[Lucky and Sam were] conceived out of a revenge plot, yet quickly surprised fans and execs alike with their instant chemistry. Is the Quad in for another partner switching shake up in 2009?" When Vaughan left in 2009, he reflected on his reception: "I am grateful as to how the fans embraced me, whether they liked me or not. It was my job to win them over and I did that in due time." but accompanied by controversy as Vaughan was let go in order to bring Jackson back. Fans had a bittersweet reaction to the switch. However, ratings rose the week Jackson returned, and his performance was well received. Jackson was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2010, only having been with the show for three months of 2009. The scenes in early 2010 where Lucky confronts Elizabeth and Nikolas about their affair received praise. That April, We Love Soaps named Jackson No. 26 of the top 50 Greatest Soap Actors, Damon L. Jacobs commenting: "From that first scene as Lucky in the Canadian diner, to his recent scenes of betrayal railing against Elizabeth and Nikolas, Jonathan adds a profound depth and spiritual gravity to the scripted words that is far beyond his years. His piercing bloodshot eyes shoot daggers far more deadly than Sonny's guns, and his smile encapsulates all that was celebrated about Luke and Laura's connection." Michael Logan of TV Guide named Jackson the best actor of 2010, referencing the affair confrontation when stating:
Jackson's performance in those episodes was seismic, full of fury and anguish and a soul wrenching complexity that left me breathless. I don't for a minute think GH will push him for one of the two lead actor slots on the Emmy pre nom ballot – certainly not with alpha dogs Tony Geary (Luke) and Maurice Benard ([[Sonny Corinthos

Jackson submitted those scenes for the 38th Daytime Emmy Awards, The scenes were compared to classics such as Judith Light's performance of Karen Wolek's courtroom confession scene on One Life to Live Jackson's on screen chemistry with Erin Chambers (Siobhan) also had a positive reception at the end of 2010. However the following year they were rated the No. 6 Worst Soap Opera Couple of 2011 by Zap2it, who stated: "We spent 2011 desperately clinging to those few early memories, as Siobhan transformed from an appealing character into a shrill, insecure harpy ( ) Try as Jackson and Chambers might, the actors were unable to salvage an ounce of their prior appeal as a couple." On the other hand, the entertainment website named Jackson No. 3 of the Top 10 Male Entertainers that year. Jackson had a range of emotional work in 2011 that received acclaim, including the scenes following the death of Lucky's son Jake, a storyline met by criticism by some fans. In 2012, Jackson won his fifth Daytime Emmy Award for his scenes where Lucky tells Luke that Luke was the driver that hit Jake and confronts him about his drinking. When Jackson was nominated, On Air On Soaps'' stated: