If it seems like fans have been asking for Elizabeth Webber's parents to pop up in Port Charles for years, well, there's a good reason for that. It has been years. Decades even. But that is all about to change.
General Hospital has hired William Moses and Denise Crosby to take on the roles of Jeff and Carolyn Webber.
Jeff Webber was originally played by Richard Dean Anderson from 1976 to 1981. Anderson catapulted to a household name when he landed the titular role in the primetime series MacGuyver, which ran from 1985 to 1992 on ABC.
This will be Moses' first foray into the world of daytime soaps. He has, however, experienced soapy drama in primetime before. For six seasons Moses appeared as Cole Gioberti on Falcon Crest. In 1992, he popped up in about a dozen episodes of Melrose Place. Outside of television, Moses might be best known for appearing opposite Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza.
Fun fact: Moses' brother, Rick Moses, appeared as hitman named Hutch in the Luke/Laura "Left-Handed Boy" storyline in 1980.
As hard as it may be to believe, Carolyn Webber has never appeared on-screen. Fans learned of her existence in 1982, when Lesley Webber revealed on Thanksgiving that Jeff had a new woman in his life. That means in the 25 years that actress Rebecca Herbst has played Elizabeth, she's never shared a scene with her mom -- or dad.
While Carolyn is a "new" addition to daytime, Crosby is not. She appeared as Lisa Davis in a handful of episodes on Days of our Lives in 1980. She went on to earn legions of fans for her work as Tasha Yar in the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She subsequently appeared as Yar's daughter, Sela, in later seasons of the show.
On Twitter, Crosby wrote that she is, "Thrilled to be part of this epic show and reunite with old friends! @GenieFrancis @finolahughes and Billy Moses!"
Moses and Crosby are latest big-name hirings for General Hospital. Earlier this month, the ABC soap announced that it had signed The Bold and the Beautiful's Alley Mills to an undisclosed role.
First airdates have not yet been announced, but with November Sweeps just a couple of weeks away, it would seem to be a safe bet that at least one of Elizabeth's parents will be popping up before November wraps up.
News of the castings was first reported by Soap Opera Digest.
How do you feel about Elizabeth Webber's parents finally making their way to Port Charles? Are you excited about the actors that have been hired? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
