General Hospital’s Carolyn Hennesy shares a personal milestone

Last week, General Hospital’s Carolyn Hennesy (Diane Miller) celebrated her 25th year of sobriety. In celebration of the monumental personal milestone, she took to her social media to share the happy news with her fans. “Happy non-natal 25th birthday to me. If I can do it…so can you!”, she wrote. In response, countless fans shared their congratulations, support, and appreciation for Hennesy’s candor. Some even shared their own personal milestones with sobriety.
Hennesy has been candid about both her and her late father’s struggles with alcohol use. Her father, Dale Hennesy, was a beloved production designer and art director. For over two decades, he worked on dozens of films, including Young Frankenstein, Logan’s Run, Annie, and Fantastic Voyage, for which he received an Academy Award for Best Art Direction. Unfortunately, overcoming his addiction to alcohol proved too difficult in his lifetime.
After recognizing her own deepening issues with alcohol over 25 years ago, Hennesy made a commitment to create a healthier path for herself. A person’s journey to sobriety is a deeply personal and active process. When talking with Maurice Benard on his State of Mind podcast, Hennesy said she eventually had to accept that part of life was “about overcoming that which is difficult” and had to learn to “live her life in a sober way.” She emphasized the importance of understanding that living sober wasn’t just about not drinking, but it was also a “mindset and a philosophy”. For over two decades, embracing that mindset and philosophy has empowered Hennesy to abstain from drinking and live her life to its fullest.
And, live her life to the fullest she has! As an actress, singer, writer, producer, podcaster, acting coach, animal advocate, and trapezist, Carolyn Hennesy is a force of nature. She has over 200 acting credits to her name with experience in the theatre, comedy troupes, TV, and movies. She also authored the popular Pandora Mythic Misadventures children’s book series, as well as the New York Times bestseller, The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli.
Amongst her numerous awards and recognitions, Hennesy has been nominated for four Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actress, and won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actress in a Digital Daytime Series for the role of Karen Blackwell in The Bay.
Hennesy’s talent, forthright nature, and sense of humor have enabled her to connect with fans in an open and authentic way. On-screen and off, she is an inspiration to many as she seeks to live life with gratitude and humility, as well as with respect and compassion for others.
Above all else, it should be fun.

In her first appearance on Maurice Benard’s State of Mind podcast, Hennesy said that whether acting in a serious or comedic role, it should be fun for the actor. When it is fun for the actor, it translates to the audience and enables their performance to become transcendent. Whether playing Diane seriously or comedically, it is clear that Carolyn Hennesy has fun inhabiting the role of General Hospital's Diane Miller. And, with that in mind, let’s look back at a handful of Hennesy’s transcendent moments as Diane Miller:
1) Diane and Alexis argue about whether or not to let Jason go to jail
2) Diane’s Valentine’s Day gets interrupted
3) Sonny doesn’t want to forgive Diane
4) Diane shuts down Nina’s attempt at small talk
5) Diane vs. Nina at the Metro Court Restaurant Bar
6) Diane tries to convince Alexis to have Kristina committed to Ferncliff
Click the “Discuss” button to the left or at the top of the page to share your thoughts and catch new episodes of General Hospital on ABC and Hulu.
Want more General Hospital? Be sure to check out The Scoop for spoilers, Daily Recaps, Two Scoops for weekly commentary, the Daily YAPP, and the General Hospital page for the Best of the Week and more GH features on Soap Central.