Laura Spencer

Laura Spencer (née Webber; born Williams; formerly Vining and Baldwin) is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. Laura was portrayed by Stacy Baldwin from 1974 to 1976, and since then has been played by Genie Francis, first from 1976–1982, and then from 1993–2002 (with brief appearances in 1983, 1984, 2006, and 2008). Laura is one half of "Luke and Laura," one of the best-known couples in soap opera history. Although other "supercouples" preceded them, Luke and Laura are the best-known outside of the soap opera realm, and are credited with defining the term "supercouple", which inspired other soap operas to copy the successful formula.

Originally, critics of the soap opera genre panned the unlikely pairing. Laura was actually raped by Luke; as very few (if any) rape victims fall in love with their rapists, this relationship was actually offensive to some of the public. However, the duo became wildly popular in spite of the origins of their relationship. They wed on November 17, 1981, with 30 million viewers tuning in. The episode was the highest-rated hour in soap opera history. They were married for two decades and had two children. Even today, their union still has a presence in Port Charles. On internet message boards, the couple is often referred to as "L&L".