5 most unforgettable mobsters in General Hospital

General Hospital is the longest-running American soap opera. Created by husband-and-wife Frank and Doris Hursley and written by Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten, this show has had a massive fan following.

The series premiered in 1963 and has won the most Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama series. The story was originally planned by Frank and Doris to be set in an unnamed city and revolve around a hospital. However, the city was later given the name of Port Charles.

The show also had a sister show in the 1960s named The Young Marrieds. General Hospital has also led to the creation of another daytime series called Port Charles and a spin-off called General Hospital: Night Shift. Many popular celebrities like James Franco and Elizabeth Taylor have appeared on the show, and it is regularly listed as one of the best TV shows ever.

Since the 1970s, General Hospital has focused on the families of the Quartermaine and the Spencer family. The series has given many supercouples in the form of Luke and Laura and Duke and Anna and still garners millions of avid viewers. The show is an iconic part of pop culture in American media and has gone through several overhauls and changes in cast and crew. Yet, it still draws fans of all ages and has proven itself to be capable of reinventing with changing times.

Over the years, the show has expanded its focus from the staff at the hospital to include stories about more families at Port Charles. The show has given some of the most significant mob storylines, and mobsters play an essential part in the show. From Sonny Corinthos’s suave charm to the menacing Lorenzo brothers, General Hospital's long history of mobsters and mob-related storylines have enthralled audiences with thrills, action, and suspense.

Here is a quick list of five of the most dreaded mobsters in the history of General Hospital and their plotlines.

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Duke Lavery, Mr. Wu, and other mobsters in General Hospital

1. Faith Rosco

Played by Cynthia Preston, Faith Rosco is one of the most dreaded and devious mobsters in the history of General Hospital. She arrived on the show seeking revenge on Sonny Corinthos because she believed that he was the person who had killed her husband. Fueled by rage and revenge, Faith terrorized the town of Port Charles with her razor-sharp reign of terror.

The lady mobster did not shy away from partnering with other people like Lorenzo Alcazar and Ric Lansing and did not mind murdering her own grandmother or kidnapping people or torturing them. She even had a detailed story arc where she became obsessed with Ric, and when he tried to reject her and fell for Elizabeth, Faith even pushed Elizabeth down the stairs, leading to her miscarriage.

However, her biggest mistake was teaming up with A.J. Quartermaine, who manipulated her into kidnapping Sonny Corinthos’ kids, which became a fatal mistake. Faith’s assassination by a sniper was one of the tensest scenes, and when Sonny, Jason, and the FBI decided to storm Faith’s base to release Sonny’s children, the gunfights and the action scene were incredibly shot.

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2. Duke Lavery

Known as one of the most polite and helpful mobsters in General Hospital, Duke Lavery, played by Ian Buchanan, was the suave businessman who offered audiences a different take on mobsters. He was introduced as a local nightclub owner but actually laundered money for the mob. After Sonny Corinthos, if there is any other mobster in the history of General Hospital who is known for his good manners and effortless charm, then it is Duke. However, his trajectory on the show has been checkered.

He paired up with Anna Devane, and the two had some of the most romantic moments in the show’s history. However, Duke worked for the Jeromes, and even though he wanted to get out of the mob business for Anna, he could not leave it.

When he testified against Olivia Jerome, the show seemingly killed him off by showing his death in a warehouse fire. But as soap operas go, he came back with a new name and face. This time, it was Jonathan Paget, played by Greg Beecroft. However, he was again shot by Julian.

The biggest twist came years later when it was revealed that Duke had always been in a witness protection program. This time it was the international criminal Cesar Faison, played by Anders Hove, in a Duke-style mask. The real Duke returned briefly to get back with Anna, but his fate did not stay with him for long, and he was killed by Carlos Rivera, once and for all.

Duke’s character was one of the most charismatic and honorable characters on the show, and his enigma still carries on.

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3. Mr. Wu

Also known as Chaing Wu, he was one of the most dreaded and iconic mobsters from the Asian Quarter in General Hospital. He was menacingly played by Aki Aleong. Mr. Wu was never one to back down, and he used all kinds of tricks in the trade, from extortion to the slave trade.

Most famously, he was after two jade Buddhas, with two black pearls and a perennial fight with The Ancient One, played by Keye Luke. The Ancient One had instructed that the real value of the Buddhas rested in the black pearls that were within his eyes, and Mr. Wu wanted his hands on them. Mr. Wu’s search for the Buddha continued when Robin Scorpio got her hands on the black pearls and put her inside her doll. She was eventually captured by Chaing Wu.

However, Robin was the daughter of Robert Scorpio and Anna Devane, and her parents teamed up with The Ancient One’s grandson to search for Robin. This storyline led to some of the most fantastically choreographed Kung-Fu fights as The Ancient One’s grandson, Yank Se Chung, and his friends, the Green Shirts, fought with Mr. Wu’s team members.

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4. The Alcazar Brothers

The plotline in General Hospital with the Alcazar brothers started when Brenda Barrett, who was involved in a love triangle with Sonny Corinthos and Jasper Jacks, fell to her death by her mother, who drove a car off the cliff. However, as is the case with most soap operas, Brenda was alive and well and had been nursed back to health by an international arms dealer, Luis Alcazar, played by Ted King.

The suave and chic mobster was an enemy of Sonny and Jax and made repeated attempts to assassinate them and cause problems like running guns through Sonny’s territory. His death came about dramatically when Alexis Davis flung him off his apartment. But the enigma Luis had left on the audience’s mind was so fresh that General Hospital decided to bring Ted King back in the form of Luis’ twin brother, Lorenzo Alcazar.

Lorenzo was initially a History professor at Oxford University but changed gears and took over the Alcazar mob and weapons trade. He reigned mayhem on the city equally and wanted revenge from Sonny for the death of his brother. The show showcased the kidnapping of Sonny’s wife by Lorenzo and the final death of the character at the hands of Jason Morgan.

Played by King, the Alcazar Brothers were an important part of the show and left an indelible impression on the audience’s mind with their style and panache.

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5. Olivia Jerome

Ava Jerome is one of the most famous characters in General Hospital, but her family and origins have some interesting characters as well. Ava’s father is Victor Jerome, the head of the Jerome crime family, and her siblings are Julian Jerome and Olivia Jerome. Oliva and her brother, Julian, always wanted to head their father’s organization, which caused a lot of mob wars and mayhem in Port Charles.

Olivia was almost killed by Dino, who was their illegitimate half-brother. She survives but gets a severe brain injury, which causes her to be unstable, reckless, and dramatic. Olivia became obsessed with fellow mobster Duke Lavery and even caused the miscarriage of his wife, Anna. Scheming and devious, Olivia, played by Tonja Walker, was one of the most interesting characters before she was seemingly killed off by Julian for meddling in his schemes.

She came back many years later and vowed to get revenge on Julian. She tried to kill his pregnant daughter and terrorized his family. Olivia even tried to resurrect Duke by imbuing his soul into the body of his son, which was an extremely interesting twist in the show's history.

However, she was finally captured by Anna and Sonny. Her storyline was one of the most interesting premises in the mob-related plots of the show, and she proved to be an enigmatic character.