‘GH’ Fans React To Ric Lansing Returning After 8-Year Absence

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Soap vet Rick Hearst returns to GH this week as Ric Lansing after an

eight-year absence. A teaser of his first scene between Ric and his daughter Molly (Kristen Vaganos) hit social media early. Keep reading to find out how fans react.

Who Is Ric Lansing?

Ric Lansing hasn’t been in Port Charles for almost a decade. Some viewers may not be familiar with the character who has deep roots on the soap opera. Soap vet Rick Hearst joined GH as Ric Lansing in 2002. His most famous previous role was as Alan-Michael Spaulding on the now-defunct CBS soap, Guiding Light.

Ric Lansing immediately turned Sonny Corinthos’ (Maurice Benard) life upside down with the shocking revelation that he was his half-brother. Ric’s father had an affair with Sonny’s mother, Adela. After Ric was born, his father tried to make her put Sonny up for adoption. Instead, she chose to take Sonny and move away, leaving Ric to be raised by his abusive father. Ric did, however, eventually break free and went to Harvard to get his law degree.

The character had several love interests on GH, including Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) and Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn.) His relationship with Alexis resulted in Molly.

Rick Hearst left the show in 2009 after being taken off contract. He briefly returned to GH from 2014 to 2016. The soap announced last month that the actor would be reprising the role of Ric Lansing in Molly’s time of need.