Robert Scorpio
Robert Scorpio is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, played by actor Tristan Rogers.
Casting
Tristan Rogers originally played the role from December 2, 1980, through February 25, 1992 with two brief hiatuses in the 1980s: between December 13, 1985 to September 22, 1986 and January 13 to June 1, 1987. The popularity and longevity of the character was furthered by his involvement with the monumentally popular "supercouple" Luke and Laura, whose 1981 wedding brought in 30 million viewers and remains the highest-rated hour in American soap opera history.While Rogers' Scorpio had been "killed with no body found" when he left the series in 1992, Rogers returned briefly from November 15 to 22, 1995, as Scorpio's spirit to comfort the character's daughter Robin Scorpio, who is dealing with the loss of her boyfriend to AIDS-related illness and is herself HIV-positive. He returned again on January 27, 2006 till March 1, 2006, this time with Scorpio being very much alive. Rogers reappeared on April 13, 2006 and left again on November 16, 2006.
From August 5, 2008 through October 21, 2008, Rogers reprised the role of Robert Scorpio on the Season 2 of SOAPnet's General Hospital: Night Shift, a prime time spin-off of General Hospital which stars Scorpio's daughter Robin. He was featured in 12 of the season's 14 episodes, and Soap Opera Digest named the appearance their "Best Return" of 2008. Rogers later reappeared on General Hospital for four episodes starting December 22, 2008, as Scorpio attends Robin's wedding.
Rogers reprised the role for a brief period in March 2012, following the departure of Kimberly McCullough in the role of Rogers' on-screen daughter, Robin. Rogers reprised the role once again on November 15, 2012 to December 18, 2012. Rogers reprised the role once more beginning on October 4, 2013 as part of the return of the character's on-screen daughter. However, head writer Ron Carlivati confirmed on November 14, 2013 that Rogers would be departing the series in order to return to The Young and the Restless as his character Colin Atkinson. He departed on January 30, 2014.
In October 2015, it was announced that Rogers will be returning to the series as Robert, while still remaining on Y&R, beginning on December 17, 2015. Rogers wrapped his return on February 2, 2016. Rogers would reprise his role again in the summer of 2016 for a short stint. He appeared from August 26 to September 9, 2016.
In March 2018, Soap Opera Digest reported that Rogers would return to the show, his return aired on April 13, 2018. Rogers departed on June 1, 2018.
In July 2018, it was announced Rogers made another return to the show. Rogers returned on July 27, 2018. In January 2019, Soaps.com reported that Rogers would be returning during the week of January 28. Rogers exited the role when Robert left Port Charles on November 12, 2024. He made an unannounced two-day guest return, from July 17 to 18, 2025.
Scorpio was last seen in the episode of October 2, 2025, recorded before Rogers's death from cancer on August 15, 2025. At the end of the episode, Anna said farewell to Robert on the Port Charles docks, giving him one final kiss and telling Scorpio that she believes that for him, "the best may be yet to come".
Storylines
1980–1992
Robert, an Australian, has a heroic past. He was involved in many adventures with his good friend Luke Spencer and his wife Laura Spencer. He has been an international spy for the WSB spy agency, and was police commissioner of Port Charles from 1983 through 1985, then again from 1988 through 1992 when he supposedly perished in an explosion in South America. When he resigned as police commissioner in 1985 he moved to Australia with his wife Holly to start anew, but returned to Port Charles when Anna and Robin needed his help for the Mr. Big caper but after he took down the mob he return to Australia to be with his wife. The Interim WSB Chief returned to track down agents that were killing other agents.Robert first showed up in Port Charles under suspicious circumstances, tracking Luke and Alexandria Quartermaine in search of an ugly black statue called "The Ice Princess" which in reality was a large uncut diamond that had a secret formula which could create carbonic snow, which could either help in medical procedures to fix severe burns or in the wrong hands create world mayhem. For months, Luke and Robert believed each other to be the enemy, but when Luke learned the truth about the Ice Princess offered to work with Robert to stop the insane Cassadine family who was bent on world domination. Robert was joined in Port Charles by Agent O'Reilly. a feisty older woman who kept him on his toes and unfortunately ended up being murdered by the Cassadines. Because of her death, a vengeful Robert and Luke immediately boarded the Cassadine Yacht, "The Titan", finding Laura there, and stayed out of sight until they got to the private island where Mikkos Cassadine revealed his plans to his esteemed group of guests. Robert, Luke and Laura found help from Tiffany Hill, the mistress of Victor Cassadine who wanted to stop Mikkos from going through with his evil plans. While Robert and Laura held Mikkos's guards at gunpoint, Luke confronted Mikkos which resulted with Mikkos freezing to death in his own ice chamber and Luke frantically trying to guess the code to unfreeze Port Charles. Luke succeeded, and they all returned to Port Charles as heroes, with Tiffany joining them. Luke and Robert agreed the formula and the ice machine needed to be destroyed to avoid the risk of falling into the wrong hands. Robert left the W.S.B. over disagreements over destroying the ice machine and formula, and for a while dated Tiffany, but the spark that had captured them on the island fizzled after a while. Robert was Luke's best man when he married Laura in a big ceremony in November 1981. At the wedding, Robert was reacquainted with Mikkos's vengeful widow, Helena Cassadine, who came to town to make a huge donation to General Hospital but secretly put a curse on Luke and Laura.
In early 1982, Robert took up with feisty reporter Jackie Templeton who had come to town searching for her missing sister. Robert was helping Luke search for the missing Laura, and Jackie was searching for her own sister, Laura Templeton, a model whom Laura Spencer resembled. Robert and Luke were thrust into another episode of world intrigue when David Gray, the rightful heir to the throne of a fictional kingdom of Malkuth, was revealed to have arranged for Laura Spencer's disappearance in exchange for Helena's financing his coup. David Gray was killed in a sword fight with Luke, and Robert was left to console his friend when it was believed Laura had drowned at sea. Luke and Robert next became involved in an oil scam orchestrated by Holly Sutton's crime family, the Durbans, but they managed to stop them as well from succeeding in their scheme to fleece the residents of Port Charles.
Robert and Holly Sutton married under strange circumstances. Holly was pregnant with the presumed dead Luke Spencer's baby and was about to be deported, so Robert stepped in and married her. She ended up miscarrying the baby, but she and Robert eventually fell in love. Jackie Templeton was upset by this turn of events and turned vindictive against Robert for jilting her. Robert had a bad relationship with his brother Mac Scorpio when he first came to town because he blamed Mac for the death of their parents. Eventually, the brothers patched up their relationship. Robert was presumed dead along with his wife, Anna Devane, in 1992. Their teenage daughter Robin Scorpio was left behind to be raised by Robert's brother Mac Scorpio. Anna Devane reappeared in 2001, but told her family Robert was dead. However, Robert resurfaced in 2006, when Port Charles was stricken with a deadly strain of encephalitis. It came out he was forced by the WSB to be incognito for 15 years as the only way to keep his families alive; he had no choice but to let them think he was dead.
Robert married Anna Devane when the two were on assignment for the WSB in Italy. The two were married in secret before either character showed up in Port Charles. After Holly "died", Anna and Robert remarried in 1991. When the evil Cesar Faison kidnapped Anna, Robert left Port Charles for South America to rescue her.