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Betsy Frank
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Actor History
Betsy Franco
Deborah Strang
Other Names

Karen Robertson

Karen Anderson

Karen Frank

Liz Frank

Occupation

Formerly a nurse

Residence

New York City, New York

227 Larchmont Lane, Astoria, Oregon

Woodstock, New York

Bensonhurst, New York

Marital Status

Single/Never Been Married

Past Marriages

None

Relatives

Unknown

Children

Robert "Bobby" Frank (via black market adoption)

Andrew "Andy" Frank (via black market adoption; later abandoned at orphanage when Andy was 4-years old)

Flings & Affairs

Jim Harvey (lovers)

Crimes Committed

Conspired with Heather Webber and Susan Moore to adopt each of their sons on the black market [1976]

Periodic unwitting accomplice to Robert "Franco" Frank's crimes during his criminal years [prior to 2014]

Accomplice to the kidnapping of Aiden Webber [Jul 20, 2010]

Health and Vitals

Kidnapped and was terrorized by Jim Harvey [early Mar until Mar 21, 2018]

Hospitalized for dehydration and psychological trauma [Mar 21, 2018]

Brief Character History

On July 2, 2010, computer tech wiz Damien Spinelli reported to mob enforcer Jason Morgan that he had located Robert "Franco" Frank -- famed artist and notorious serial killer -- online. According to Spinelli, Franco's mother had once lived in Bensonhurst, New York with her son until she had changed her name from "Karen Frank" to "Karen Anderson" then relocated to Woodstock. Spinelli's search also indicated that "Karen" hadn't lived an extravagant life, and she had not appeared to have had any recent contact with her son.

Franco had been terrorizing the citizens of Port Charles, and in particular people closely connected to Jason Morgan. Franco's calling card had been a spray-painted tag, CO77X, which had appeared at each of Franco's violent crime scenes. Determined to track down the killer and stop him before he could claim another victim, Jason and Detective Dante Falconeri drove to Woodstock to talk to "Karen Anderson."

The woman who greeted the two men at the door was a quiet, polite, and timid woman. She softly explained that she didn't entertain solicitors, but Dante explained that they had questions about her son. "Karen" gently denied that she had any children, and she claimed that she didn't know Franco. Dante asked if she had once lived in Bensonhurst under the name Karen Frank with her son, Robert, but "Karen" remained adamant the she didn't have any children.

However, as Dante chatted with the kindly woman, it soon became clear that "Karen" was familiar with Franco's art . "Karen" conceded that she had heard of the artist, but she insisted that he was far too old to be her son. Dante persuaded "Karen" to invite him and Jason inside for tea, then he explained that they knew that "Karen" had cashed in her pension in Bensonhurst and changed her last name to Anderson, but "Karen" stubbornly stuck to her story.

Dante revealed that Franco was in trouble, and they were concerned about his state of mind. "Karen" appeared concerned, but she insisted that she didn't know Franco. Dante and Jason pretended to believe her. Shortly after they left, Franco paid his mother a visit.

"Karen" told her son about the visit from the police, and she promised that she had avoided watching the news and reading the newspapers as he had requested. Franco realized that one of the police officers had been Jason. He assured his mother that he hadn't done anything wrong, and that he had a film crew follow him around who could confirm that Franco hadn't committed the crimes that Dante and Jason had accused him of. He conceded that he was obsessed with death, but only in relation to his art. "Karen" promised to keep his secrets, but she regretted that she hadn't paid more attention to Franco as a child. She acknowledged that she had been too focused on her own personal pursuits.

On July 20, Liz Webber's newborn baby was abducted from the hospital, and Franco was the prime suspect. Dante and Jason closed in on Franco in Los Angeles at his art show, but Franco remained a step ahead. Jason was stunned when he chased Franco through the art show at the Museum of Contemporary Art, and Franco appeared to fall from a catwalk to his death on a "Route 66" sign. Just before Franco "died" he had yelled out to someone that he knew where the baby was.

Franco had set things up to make it appear that Jason had killed him, but it had all been an illusion. Franco had faked his death. It would later be revealed that the body of the man who had jumped from the catwalk had not been Franco; it had been a Stage 4 cancer patient. Later, the body of Franco's accomplice who had helped abduct Aiden was found at the hospital.

On July 29, "Karen" was packing up when someone knocked on her door. It was Franco, and he was holding an infant in his arms. "Karen" was shocked when "Bobby" told her that the baby was hers. "Karen" admitted that it wouldn't feel right to keep the baby, so he claimed that he had gotten the baby through a private adoption. Franco presented the baby as second chance for "Karen" to raise a child.

Later, Dante reported that he had sent the Woodstock police to Karen Anderson's house, but the home had been abandoned.

In Astoria, Oregon, "Karen Robertson" settled into her new home with her two sons. She had named the infant "Pablo" in honor of Pablo Picasso, but she worried about the adoption. Franco repeatedly assured his mother that it had been legal, but she remained uneasy.

On August 5, Lucky Spencer had caught up to "Karen." "Karen" revealed that Pablo was her son then explained that the infant had been adopted. She added that her elder son "Bobby" had left. Lucky laid everything on the line, including the fact that Aiden was his son who had been kidnapped from the hospital. Heartbroken, "Karen" returned the infant to his father. In the end, "Karen" was not charged with any crimes.

On January 13, 2012, Franco had a deadly showdown with Jason. Jason shot Franco in the chest, and Franco died. Shortly afterwards, Heather Webber, who was Susan Moore's cousin, revealed that Susan Moore had given birth to Alan Quartermaine's sons -- Jason and Franco had been twins. According to Heather, after Jason had been whisked away and the doctor had left the room, Susan had continued to have contractions. The nurse had returned, and Susan had given birth to a second boy.

On April 4, Heather claimed that it had been the nurse's idea to not say anything about the second boy, and she revealed that the nurse's name had been "Liz Frank." "Liz" had confided that she had been unable to have children, and she had been turned down for adoption. "Liz" offered to pay Heather for one of the boys, so Heather had taken the money because Heather and Susan had been broke. Heather had chosen the blue-eyed, blond-haired baby for Susan, and she had sold the dark-eyed baby to "Liz" because the newborn's eyes had had been "soulless" like a doll's eyes. Heather had assured Sam Morgan that she had chosen the "better" baby for her cousin.

In the spring of 2013, Spinelli was on the hunt for a missing Quartermaine heir, and he hoped that Heather Webber could provide some answers. He went to Miscavige maximum-security psychiatric facility where Heather had been housed after one of her murder sprees. Spinelli was certain that Franco's daughter Lauren was the key to the mystery.

On May 1, Spinelli had tracked down Franco's mother who had changed her name to "Betsy Frank." Betsy initially denied that she had a granddaughter, but she dropped the pretense when she learned that Heather had confirmed the existence of Franco's daughter to Spinelli. Betsy was bitter because Lauren's mother had refused to let Betsy have a relationship with her granddaughter. Betsy provided Spinelli with an address where Lauren had lived as a young child, before Betsy had lost contact with her granddaughter.

Shortly afterwards, Franco was revealed to be alive. He had faked his death. After his arrest, he was released on bail, and his daughter was revealed to be Lauren "Kiki" Jerome. However, things were not as they had appeared, and Franco soon ended up in a fight for his life when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Later, Franco's brain tumor would be instrumental in making all of his legal woes go away.

On December 11, 2014, Dr. Silas Clay had an encounter at Ryan's bar in New York City with Franco's mother, and she once again introduced herself as "Betsy Frank." Betsy was dismayed when Silas and Ava Jerome revealed that Franco had abducted Ava's baby. Betsy confessed that her son had once abducted a nurse's child to make up for being denied a relationship with his daughter, Lauren. Betsy began to grumble about Lauren's mother's selfishness not realizing that Lauren's nickname was Kiki, and Ava Jerome was Kiki's mother.

Silas realized that Franco hadn't told Betsy the truth; Silas, not Franco, was Kiki's father. Betsy was heartbroken, but she agreed to help Silas and Ava despite her animus for Ava, whom Betsy blamed for ruining "Bobby's" life. After Betsy answered Silas and Ava's questions, Delia Ryan Coleridge and Betsy sat down for a private chat. They agreed that both of their children lacked a needle on their moral compass, and Betsy added that it broke her heart that "Bobby" had kept committing violent crimes.

By August 2017, Franco's life had drastically changed. He had a new name -- Franco Baldwin -- and he was working as an art therapist at General Hospital, dating Liz Webber, and helping her raise her three sons, Cameron, Jake, and Aiden. He had also discovered that his biological mother was Heather Webber not Susan Moore.

On September 15, Betsy attended Franco's art show, and she met Liz for the first time. She apologized to the mother for her role in Aiden's abduction, and Liz graciously forgave Betsy. The visit went well, until Franco mentioned that he'd been an only child.

Betsy nervously excused herself to check out Franco's paintings. Franco caught up with his smother as she looked at the painting that had been his homage to his imaginary friend. He wondered if Betsy recognized the boy in the painting then showed her a picture that he had found of him and his "imaginary friend" as young children. Franco had uncovered that the boy in the snapshot with him was Jason Morgan, but he couldn't understand how that could be, since Franco hadn't met Jason until they had been adults.

Betsy promised to give Franco the answers he sought, but she was gone by the time that Franco arrived at her hotel room. In time, it was revealed that both Susan and Heather had given birth one fateful night. Heather had given birth to Robert, whom she'd given to Betsy to raise. Susan had given birth to identical twin sons, but she had worried that Alan would take the twins away from her, so Susan gave one of her sons to Betsy to safeguard. Andrew had been raised as Robert's brother until Betsy had started dating a man named Jim Harvey.

While Betsy wasn't home, Jim had sexually assaulted Bobby and later turned his sights on Andy. Desperate to save Andy, Bobby had tried to get his brother to hide, but in his rush, Bobby had pushed Andy, and Andy had tumbled down the basement steps, and he had fractured his skull and broken some bones. Jim had convinced Betsy that Bobby had deliberately pushed his brother, and Betsy had believed it because Bobby had been acting out. After Andy was discharged from the hospital, Betsy took the young boy an orphanage on the outskirts of Port Charles. Betsy had kept Bobby because she had been concerned about his emotional outbursts.

Betsy paid a high price for her secrets. Jim Harvey abducted her in early March 2018 then held her captive in his home. Betsy had been traumatized by the ordeal, and she had been weak from dehydration when Curtis and Jordan Ashford rescued her. Betsy was taken to the hospital.

On April 6, Betsy told Drew the truth about what had transpired the night that he had fallen down the basement steps, and Jim's abuse. Drew was heartbroken for Franco. On April 19, Franco paid Betsy a visit in her hospital room. He was furious, and he ordered her not to say a word. He showed her a list of Jim's victims as he informed her that Jim had continued to sexually abuse children because she had chosen Jim over her own children. Franco angrily told her that her lies to cover up the ugly truth had caused him to doubt and hate himself.

However, it had all been a fantasy; Betsy had been asleep.

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Who's Who in Port Charles

GH Actor biographies
GH Cast and Credits

More profiles and submit changes
Who's Who for other soaps

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