Tracy Quartermaine is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. She is played by actress Jane Elliot, who originated the role in 1978 and has played her intermittently since that time, primarily on GH and briefly on The City from 1996 to 1997. In 1980, Elliot won the Daytime Emmy for outstanding supporting actress and was nominated again in 1993. Briefly in 1989, while Jane Elliot was on maternal leave, Christine Jones took on the role. Tracy Quartermaine is currently the show's fifth longest-serving character after Dr. Monica Quartermaine, Luke Spencer, Laura Spencer, and Scott Baldwin.
Tracy is the spoiled, rich, and often badly behaved daughter of the wealthy Edward Quartermaine and Lila Morgan Quartermaine. She has two sons, Ned Quartermaine (also known as Ned Ashton) and Dillon Quartermaine; two stepsons, Lucky Spencer and Ethan Lovett; and a stepdaughter, Lulu Spencer. Many of her storylines over the course of 30 years involved feuds with her sister-in-law, Dr. Monica Quartermaine, Tracy's unsuccessful attempts to find love, her determination to gain power in ELQ, the family company, and her attempts to one-up family members who have tried to displace her or her sons in ELQ or in her father's affections.
Tracy was originally presented as a vivacious socialite who hid her scheming nature, but her brother and parents saw through that and warned her sister-in-law Monica. Although friendly on the outside, Tracy could be snobbish on a whim, although that became more apparent when she was older rather than during her early days in Port Charles. While Tracy wanted to get in good with her father, Edward, he still deemed his son Alan Quartermaine, Tracy's brother, his favorite. In recent years, Tracy has greatly mellowed, showing her maternal side with her sons Ned and Dillon, as well as stepdaughter Lulu, supporting her sister-in-law Monica through various ordeals, and befriending female characters after never really having had women friendships while younger.
Casting The role of Tracy Quartermaine was originated by actress Jane Elliot in June 1978. After two years with the series, Eliot left the role in June 1980. The actress later reflected on the decision to leave, citing an insult from executive producer Gloria Monty over a salary dispute as the reason for her departure. In December 1988, after months of rumors, it was announced that Elliot would reprise the role of Tracy. She returned on March 17, 1989. Later that year, Elliot went on maternity leave, and veteran soap opera actress, Christine Jones assumed the role of Tracy that November. Jones portrayed the role for about a month, before Elliot's return. Elliot left the series once again in 1993, last appearing on June 16. She briefly returned to the series from July 26 to October 7, 1996. Later in 1996, it was announced that Elliot would bring the role of Tracy to fellow ABC soap opera, The City. Elliot debuted on the October 7, 1996, episode of The City. The decision was an attempt to garner interest in the series, after the departure of lead actress Morgan Fairchild. Elliot remarked, "It was all the network's idea. Morgan was leaving and it was a very big loss for the show. It was already in the works that I was returning to General Hospital for a while". The City was canceled in 1997, to make room for the General Hospital spin-off, Port Charles. Elliot remained with the series through its finale on March 28, 1997.
In 2003, it was announced that Elliot would once again be reprising the role on General Hospital. She returned on April 15, 2003. In March 2017, Daytime Confidential and other media outlets broke reports that Elliot would be leaving General Hospital at the end of her current deal with the serial; she last appeared on May 4, 2017. In November 2019, Entertainment Weekly reported that Elliot will be returning to the show. She appeared from December 23, 2019, to February 4 of the following year. In November 2020, it was announced Elliot would again reprise the role, she returned from November 30 to January 29, 2021. Elliot then made a surprise return on January 3, 2022. She departed again on February 2 of that year.
On January 11, 2023, at ABC's Television Critics Association panel, it was announced Elliot would return for the soap's 60th anniversary. Soap Opera Digest reported Elliot's return would be a "long-term stay". She was set to make her return during the April 17, 2023, episode; however, due to a preemption, her return date was pushed back to April 18.
Storylines
Backstory Tracy Angelica Quartermaine is born on Southampton, New York on April 6, 1949,Alan was born in 1948 as the youngest child of Edward and Lila Quartermaine. Tracy was introduced onscreen in 1978, as a divorcée and neglectful mother. Backstory established that she had married young to Lord Lawrence "Larry" Ashton and had a son, Ned Ashton. When she divorced Larry Ashton, her son Ned spent a great deal of time with his grandparents or at boarding school while his mother focused on travel or her social life. In addition to Lord Ashton, it was mentioned that she had been married three other times, although Larry was the only one ever seen on screen.
1978–1980 Tracy arrived in Port Charles in 1978 as the scheming daughter of Edward and Lila Quartermaine for Alan and Monica's wedding. A divorcee with a young son, Ned (off in boarding school), Tracy felt Monica was beneath them although she did grow to respect Monica as a physician. Determined to always be the center of attention at social functions, Tracy flirted with many of the men she met, although most of them were already involved in other relationships. Edward and Lila shed light on their daughter's character to Monica at a Thanksgiving gathering, warning her that Tracy would be ruthless in her attempts to hold onto her grandfather's trust fund for her son. Despite often friendly encounters with Monica, Tracy was determined to prevent any male children of Monica's from getting their hands on the trust fund. This was fueled by her discovery that Monica was having an affair with Monica's first love, Rick Webber. Her mission was to determine that Monica's unborn child was indeed not a Quartermaine heir, but rather a Webber heir. This was a problem as both Monica and Rick were married to other people at the time, Monica to Alan, and Rick to Lesley Williams. When Monica was injured falling down the stairs in the Quartermaine mansion and had to spend the remainder of her pregnancy in bed, Tracy visited her with a peace offering, and told her that she was praying for Monica's unborn child, which she hoped was a girl. But when tests proved otherwise, Tracy's schemes went into high gear, although she was concerned about Monica and the soon to be born baby when Monica was trapped at the mansion during a snowstorm with only Lesley Webber, Gail Baldwin and the Quartermaine housekeeper, Stella Fields, to aide her during labor. But once this crisis was over and Monica returned home, Tracy's schemes to prove that Rick was the father became more aggressive, causing the rivalry between the two women to explode into war.
Tracy had flirtations with Rick Webber and Gary Lansing, but his wife Gina prevented them from getting further involved. Tracy's personal life had taken a hopeful turn when she fell in love with D.A. Mitch Williams, the ambitious politician who had prosecuted Lesley for murder. Little did Tracy know that Mitch was in love with waitress Susan Moore and was only using her for money and position in his attempts to win the state senate race. Mitch's attempts to gather votes by promising to bring down the local mob lead to an assassination attempt on his life, and in November 1979, he was shot at during the middle of his victory party as Tracy watched in horror. His arm was only grazed, but assassin Roy DiLucca was killed. Tracy, who hoped to marry Mitch the next day, went to his suite, and found him in bed with Susan. Refusing to give in to her pride, Tracy ordered Susan out and married Mitch anyway, humiliated in knowing that he loved another woman and was only using her. Even though Edward distrusted Mitch, he had put money up for Mitch's campaign. In 1980, Edward, tried to test her loyalty by pretending to have a heart attack. When Tracy failed to give her father his heart medication, he disowned her, and she was banished from the Quartermaines. During their marriage, Mitch continued his affair with Susan who would later have an affair with Tracy's brother, Alan. Tracy uses her financial influence with Mitch to get him to end the affair and they relocate to Albany in June 1980 where she presumably lived comfortably but unhappily as a senator's wife. However, the marriage quickly falls apart and Tracy divorces Mitch and goes off to Europe.
1989–1993 Tracy returned to Port Charles in 1989, just a year after her son, Ned Ashton, arrived. Prior to her arrival, her first husband Lord Lawrence Ashton was introduced to the scene with his new wife, a much younger woman named Arielle. Tracy, polite but cool towards Ned's girlfriend, Dawn Winthrop, investigated her and discovered that she was really Monica's illegitimate daughter which made her instantly disapprove. She informed Lawrence upon her return that she had discovered that his late parents had not legally been married, and that there was another heir to the Ashton fortune out there, which she intended to keep secret in order to maintain Ned's inheritance from his paternal grandfather. But when Quartermaine mechanic Charlie Prince was discovered to be the missing heir, Lawrence lost everything, and he began to woo Tracy in order to get his hands on some Quartermaine cash. Tracy's other major concern was the impending romance between her brother Alan and his friend Lucy Coe, who became an instant enemy of Tracy's. At the same time that Alan was having an affair with Lucy, Alan's wife Monica was having an affair with Tracy's son Ned. Later that year, Tracy and the rest of the Quartermaines faced tragedy when Edward Quartermaine's jet crashed on a desert island. Everyone grieved including Lila and Tracy, who was determined to find out what had happened to her father. Tracy nearly lost ELQ's fortune when she became involved with the supposedly wealthy and powerful Nicholas Van Buren, who was really an international criminal known as Domino. Immediately after this, Tracy was accused of the murder of David McAllister who was actually killed by his own assistant, Jimmy O'Herlihy. Scott Baldwin was her attorney and later became her romantic flame. They were interrupted during a tryst by a visiting Lee and Gail who were more than stunned by Scotty's involvement with Tracy. At the same time that all of this was happening, both Alan and Tracy were fighting for ownership of ELQ, the family company. As a result of her actions, Alan blackmailed Tracy into resigning from the family company.