Tristan Rogers, the Australian actor who captivated soap opera audiences for more than four decades as Robert Scorpio on General Hospital, died Friday morning at age 79 after battling lung cancer.
Rogers’ longtime manager, Meryl Soodak, confirmed his death to multiple outlets on August 15, noting that the actor had never been a smoker. She indicated that Rogers’ portrayal of Scorpio meant everything to him and that he loved being the character, creating the role from nothing after being initially hired for just one day of work.
Frank Valentini, executive producer of General Hospital, expressed the show’s grief in a statement, saying Rogers had captivated fans for 45 years and that “Port Charles will not be the same without him.” Valentini described Rogers as a one-of-a-kind talent who would be greatly missed.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Rogers began his entertainment career in his early twenties playing drums in a rock band with friends. When the band dissolved, he turned to commercial work and modeling before deciding to pursue acting with no prior experience. After various roles in Australia, including appearances on soap operas “Number 96,” “The Box,” and “Bellbird,” Rogers moved to Los Angeles in 1980 to break into Hollywood.
Initially, casting directors were put off by his accent, but Rogers eventually landed what was supposed to be a two-day role on General Hospital in December 1980. He told fellow General Hospital actor Maurice Benard in a 2022 YouTube interview that he had no idea how significant the show was at the time and was brought in specifically to beat up the hero character Luke Spencer, played by Anthony Geary, before disappearing.
However, halfway through his first day, then-executive producer Gloria Monty asked if he would like to stay on. With no character written for him, Rogers spent three weeks appearing in scenes looking suspicious while the writers developed a storyline. He was eventually given the identity of a spy known as “CK8” and later named Robert Scorpio.
The character became central to General Hospital’s golden age in the early 1980s, serving as best man at the historic wedding of Luke Spencer and Laura Webber on November 17, 1981. That episode drew 30 million viewers and remains the highest-rated soap opera episode in U.S. television history. Rogers appeared alongside the iconic supercouple as part of the ensemble that propelled the daytime drama into mainstream pop culture.
As Robert Scorpio, Rogers portrayed a suave spy for the fictional World Security Bureau who later became Port Charles’ police commissioner and district attorney. The character was involved in romantic storylines with several leading ladies, including Emma Samms as Holly Sutton and Finola Hughes as Anna Devane. Rogers and Hughes’ characters shared a daughter, Robin, played by Kimberly McCullough, who became a significant figure in the show’s history when she contracted HIV as a teenager.
Rogers’ initial run on General Hospital lasted 12 years until 1992, when his character was killed off in an explosion in South America. He briefly returned in 1995 as Scorpio’s spirit before the character was revealed to be alive in 2006. Rogers continued making sporadic appearances throughout the 2000s and 2010s, becoming a recurring character from 2019 to 2024.
His final appearance on General Hospital occurred in July 2025, when Sasha arrived at his character’s home in France with her new baby. During this episode, it was revealed that Rogers’ character had lung cancer, mirroring the actor’s real-life diagnosis that was announced publicly on July 17.
Beyond General Hospital, Rogers appeared in more than 1,400 episodes of the soap opera over his career. He also played Colin Atkinson on The Young and the Restless from 2010 to 2012, appearing in nearly 200 episodes. His other television credits included “The Bold and the Beautiful” as Hunter Jones and roles on “Studio City” and “The Bay.”
Rogers earned recognition for his work beyond daytime television, winning a Daytime Emmy Award in 2020 for outstanding performance by a supporting actor in a digital drama series for his work on “Studio City.” He was nominated again the following year for his role in “The Bay.” He also provided voice work for Disney’s “The Rescuers Down Under” in 1990.
When Rogers announced his cancer diagnosis in July, a statement from his representative indicated he was working closely with his medical team on a treatment plan while facing emotional and physical burdens. The statement noted that Rogers sent his love to fans and wanted them to know how much he appreciated their loyalty and encouragement over the years.
Rogers is survived by his wife of 30 years, Teresa Parkerson, whom he married in 1995, and their two adult children, daughter Sara Jane and son Cale, as well as a grandchild. Several of his General Hospital co-stars paid tribute following news of his death, with Nancy Lee Grahn describing him as suave, smooth, and ridiculously handsome, while Kimberly McCullough posted a vintage photo with the simple tribute “Trissy forever.”