What role does Jane Elliot play on General Hospital? Character details explored

Few General Hospital characters have left their stamp as certainly as Tracy Quartermaine, and so she is truly brought to life by Jane Elliot. Tracy is a force of nature, a brilliant woman in the boardroom, quick-witted with words and quick on her feet, and ruthless when it comes to the heart.

Since she initially stepped onto the role in 1978, Tracy has been at the vortex of corporate backroom politics, family betrayals, and love carnages, becoming one of the soap's most identifiable characters.

Though her motives are usually evil, her actions are usually directed at protecting her family. Jane Elliot's portrayal of Tracy won her a Daytime Emmy Award.

Jane Elliot plays Tracy Quartermaine on General Hospital

Jane Elliot portrays Tracy Quartermaine, the daughter of a rich power couple, Edward and Lila Quartermaine. Tracy was introduced in 1978 and was first shown as a manipulative and ambitious woman who was determined to acquire her family's fortune.

One of her first defining moments was when she refused to give her father his heart medication during a staged heart attack, sealing her as a cold, calculating General Hospital character.

Over the decades, Tracy's romantic relationships have been the centerpiece of her storylines. She has been married to numerous men, including Lord Larry Ashton, Mitch Williams, Paul Hornsby, and mobster Gino Soleito, but her most famous relationship is with Luke Spencer.

Their love-hate relationship began with a marriage joke after too much drinking and evolved into an actual romance that survived numerous re-marriages and break-ups.

Tracy's ongoing turmoil within the Quartermaine clan, especially for control of ELQ, the family conglomerate, has been a running story. Her conflict with in-law Monica and various takeovers and ousters from her company have kept her character at the center of major stories.

She's also had difficulty with complicated family dynamics, including her strained relationship with sons Ned and Dillon, and stepfamily members like Lulu Spencer and Ethan Lovett.

Tracy's storylines over the years have fluctuated from savage to farcical, and two of them in particular merit mention to illustrate her versatility. In classic "Pickle-Lila" melodrama, she was awarded one jar of mother Lila's favorite relish and inflated it into a full-fledged corporate battle with nephew A.J. Quartermaine.

Hell-bent on redeeming the Quartermaine name, Tracy launched her line, "Pickle-Eddie," which ignited a vicious and hysterically over-the-top relish war that even resulted in food poisoning on the soap.

Storylines like this encapsulate Tracy's classic mix of ambition, bravado, and mercurial allure, all realized by Jane Elliot's daring performance. More recently, her profits have been coinciding with significant family events, such as the passing of her father Edward, and battles over leadership of ELQ.

More about Jane Elliot, the actress who plays Tracy Quartermaine on General Hospital

Jane Elliot began acting during the 1960s and appeared on the daytime drama series A Flame in the Wind in 1965. Jane Elliot debuted as Tracy Quartermaine in 1978 and won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1981.

Elliot has had several bookings at General Hospital with recurring intervals of absence and return throughout the years. She also guest-starred on other soap operas such as Guiding Light, All My Children, and Days of Our Lives, and headlined on The City, where she continued to play Tracy during the series' brief run.

Outside of soaps, Elliot has daytime prime-time dramas to her credit, which include Kojak, Knots Landing, and Rosetti and Ryan. She was a producer for Loving for a short while in the mid-1990s and even did voiceover.

Even after announcing her retirement in 2017, Elliot continued to make periodic returns to General Hospital with some short-term visits and was again brought back for the show's 60th anniversary in 2023.

Her enduring performance has been recognized by fans and critics alike, winning Soap Opera Digest's "Best Return" of the year and a nomination on numerous "Best of" performance lists in 2024.

At 78, Jane Elliot continues to play a significant role in General Hospital, with her portrayal of Tracy Quartermaine remaining an integral part of the long-running soap.

Fans can watch General Hospital on ABC.

About the author

Preethika Vijayakumar is a Daily Soap writer at Sportskeeda with a keen interest in pop culture. Although a law student, her curiosity about the world and passion for writing inspired her to explore and analyze the complex narrative and diverse character arcs that define the daily soaps.

With experience as a legal content writer, Preethika also achieved a notable accomplishment as her work was published in a book about criminology and victimology. As a fellow binge-watcher, Preethika aims to provide insightful analysis based on her firsthand viewing experiences, ensuring accuracy and relevance in her writing.

Outside of professional endeavors, she enjoys reading, playing guitar, and creating ceramics. Her favorite celebrity is Jensen Ackles, and if given the opportunity, Preethika would love to be a part of his show, Supernatural, although she isn’t sure she could last until the end.

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Edited by Niharika Dabral