HOLLYWOOD, CA – OCTOBER 23: Actor Tristan Rogers attends the Cast Premiere Screening Of Lany Entertainment’s “The Bay” Season 3 at TCL Chinese Theatre on October 23, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
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Tristan Rogers, the actor best known for his iconic portrayal of Robert Scorpio on General Hospital, has died at the age of 79. His death was confirmed by his longtime manager, Meryl Soodak, who shared that Rogers passed away Friday morning after a battle with lung cancer.
Rogers first appeared on General Hospital in December 1980 as Robert Scorpio, a suave international spy and former WSB (World Security Bureau) agent tasked with stopping the dangerous Ice Princess from falling into the wrong hands. Unlike any character on daytime television, his portrayal of Robert Scorpio helped define the soap opera genre and cemented his status in pop culture.
GENERAL HOSPITAL – Shoot Date: March 5, 1981. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) TRISTAN ROGERS
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A Soap Legend Across Decades
Over the years, Rogers reprised the role of Scorpio multiple times, including appearances as a spirit, a return to life, and in the primetime spinoff General Hospital: Night Shift in 2008. His last appearance on General Hospital came in late 2024, marking the end of a run that spanned more than four decades.
GENERAL HOSPITAL – Episode “14897” – “General Hospital” airs Monday – Friday, on ABC (check local listings). (Christopher Willard via Getty Images) KRISTINA WAGNER, FINOLA HUGHES, DONNELL TURNER, TRISTAN ROGERS, DOMINIC ZAMPROGNA, LAURA WRIGHT, MAURICE BENARD, CHAD DUELL, MAURA WEST, MARCUS COLOMA FRONT ROW: JACKLYN ZEMAN, GENIE FRANCIS, NANCY LEE GRAHN, JANE ELLIOT
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Born on June 3, 1946, in Melbourne, Australia, Rogers began his acting career in the Australian television industry before making the leap to Hollywood. His early years were spent in TV roles in Australia, but it was the aforementioned Robert Scorpio that made him a household name.
Rogers also appeared as Hunter Jones in The Bold and the Beautiful in 1997, and as Colin Atkinson in a recurring capacity in The Young and The Restless from 2010 to 2019.
Outside of daytime, Rogers starred in Showtime’s stock-car racing drama Fast Track in 1997, and was active as guest actor in a roster of primetime TV series including Mancuso, FBI, Tales From the Crypt, Walker, Texas Ranger, Babylon 5, Family Law, and Raven.
He is survived by his wife, Teresa Parkerson, their two children, Sara and Cale, and a grandchild.