Tristan Rogers, the soap opera star known for his long run playing Robert Scorpio on General Hospital, died from lung cancer Friday morning. He was 79.
His manager, Meryl Soodak, confirmed the news to Entertainment Weekly.
General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini paid tribute to Rogers in a heartfelt statement posted to social media. “The entire @GeneralHospital family is heartbroken to hear of Tristan Rogers’ passing,” he wrote. “Tristan has captivated our fans for more than 50 years and Port Charles will not be the same without him (or Robert Scorpio). I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to his family and friends during this difficult time. Tristan was a one-of-a-kind talent and will be greatly missed. May he rest in peace.”
Greg Doherty/Getty
Tristan Rogers at a screening of ‘The Bay’ in Burbank, Calif., on Dec. 19, 2018
Rogers’ representatives announced last month that he had been diagnosed with cancer, saying in a statement, “Tristan sends his love to his fans and wants them to know how much he appreciates their loyalty and encouragement over the years.”
The actor portrayed Robert Scorpio, an agent for the World Security Bureau, on more than 1,400 episodes of GH. He debuted as the character in December 1980, and rose to prominence in a storyline involving Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis).
Rogers was a fixture on the show until 1992, when his character was seemingly killed off, though he briefly returned for a week in 1995 in the form of a ghost. The actor (and character) then made sporadic returns throughout 2006, and later joined the spinoff General Hospital: Night Shift in 2008, which also prompted four more appearances on the original series.
The actor brought Robert Scorpio back to General Hospital on multiple occasions in the 2010s, fully returning to the cast in 2019. Rogers departed the show once more in 2024, but reprised his role for two more episodes last month around the time that his cancer diagnosis was disclosed.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1946, Rogers made his TV debut in a 1969 episode of Delta. He continued his early career on more Australian shows, including all 13 episodes of the short-lived series The Link Men in 1970 and individual episodes of the shows Barrier Reef and Paul Temple in 1971. He also starred in a few British exploitation films in the early 1970s, including Four Dimensions of Greta and The Flesh and Blood Show.
After a long stint on The Box and a few smaller appearances on other Australian soaps in the mid-’70s, Rogers made his way to Hollywood via General Hospital. Though his career was primarily dominated by GH, Rogers also appeared on shows like The Love Boat and Hotel in the 1980s. He voiced Jake, a kangaroo mouse, in Disney’s 1990 animated sequel The Rescuers Down Under, and guest-starred on shows like Babylon 5, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, and Aaahh! Real Monsters later in the ’90s.
Craig Sjodin/ABC /Everett
Tristan Rogers on ‘General Hospital’ in 2006
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Rogers also played the private investigator Hunter Jones in 27 episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful in 1997. His biggest non-GH soap role, though, came on The Young and the Restless, on which he played Colin Atkinson for more than 100 episodes in the early 2010s. Rogers later received a Daytime Emmy for playing Doc on Amazon’s Studio City in 2020, and scored another nomination for the same role in 2021. He acted in more than 100 episodes of the web soap opera The Bay as well.
Rogers is survived by his wife Teresa, his two children, and a grandchild.
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