Rachel Ames (born Rachel Kay Foulger; November 2, 1929)[1] is an American actress. She is known for playing the role of Audrey Hardy on the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital (1964 to 2007, returning for appearances in 2009, 2013, and 2015). Ames' role is the longest-running in the series' history, spanning over 50 years and earning her three Daytime Emmy Award nominations. She received the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. Ames also played the role of Audrey on Port Charles, a spin off of General Hospital, from 1997 to 1998.
Early life
Ames was born Rachel Kay Foulger in Portland, Oregon.[2][3][4] She is the daughter of actress (and later college drama instructor) Dorothy Adams and actor Byron Foulger.[5] She has one younger sister, born in 1942. Through her father, she is of English descent, the fourth generation of English immigrants from Norfolk, who settled in the Salt Lake City area.[4]
Ames spent her early life in Portland, but her family relocated to California so her parents could work, perform and teach at the Pasadena Playhouse.[6] She graduated from University High School and later enrolled at University of California, Los Angeles, where her mother was a professor in the university's drama department.[7][1][2] Ames performed in theater productions during high school and college. She left UCLA after eighteen months when she was signed to a film contract with Paramount Pictures.[5]
Career
1949-1954: Early work
Rachel Ames 1954
In 1949, Ames made her professional acting debut in Pilgrimage Play. She co-starred with her parents in One Foot in Heaven at the Pasadena Playhouse.[7][8] She also appeared in productions of Broadway Jones, The Circle, and King of Hearts at the same venue. She co-starred with her father on stage in Cradle Song. Ames' other theater credits include The Immortalist, Mary Rose, and Golden Boy.[8]
She transitioned into film under the stage name Judith Ames. She was under contract with Paramount Pictures for three years in the early 1950s. Her first feature film was When Worlds Collide (1951), a science-fiction thriller based on the 1933 novel of the same name. She played the role of Julie Cummings.[9][7] The same year, she appeared in Toast to Our Brother, a short film documenting fraternity life at UCLA, where she was a student at the time.[citation needed]
She had an uncredited role in the film noir The Turning Point (1952).[10] She also had an uncredited role as Mrs. Kirk in the Western film Arrowhead (1953), co-starring with Charlton Heston.[11] The following year, she had a supporting role as Betsy Williams in the Western comedy film Ricochet Romance (1954).[12]
On February 23, 1964, Ames debuted on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital, playing Audrey Hardy (then known as Audrey March).[1] Ames was initially put on contract for only thirteen weeks because Audrey was dying from lymphoma. Her performance was well received by the show's producers and the illness was eventually forgotten.[19][20] Ames' tenure in the role became the longest running in the network's history, spanning five decades.[1] The character, a registered nurse, was paired romantically with Dr. Steve Hardy (John Beradino).[21] When Audrey and Steve were married, Ames' father, Byron Foulger, played the priest who performed the ceremony.[6]
During her time on General Hospital, Ames had an uncredited role as Dr. Parkington's Nurse in the thriller film Daddy's Gone A-Hunting (1969), co-starring with her husband, Barry Cahill.[22] The same year, she guest starred on Ironside and The Virginian.[1]
In 1997, she appeared as Audrey Hardy on ABC's special two-hour primetime preview of a new daytime soap opera Port Charles, a spin-off of General Hospital. Ames had a recurring role as Audrey on Port Charles from 1997 to 1998.[1]
Her contract was not renewed for General Hospital in 2003, but she still appeared as a recurring character.[26][21] In 2004, Ames was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 31st Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.[27][28][29] In 2007, Ames retired from General Hospital after 43 years. She made a return appearance as Audrey on October 20, 2009, after a two-year absence from the show.[21]
Ames returned to General Hospital for the show's 50th anniversary on March 29, 2013.[30][21][31] She reprised the role of Audrey again for one episode on October 30, 2015.[31]
Personal life
Ames married Jack Genung on January 31, 1952, in Los Angeles. They had one daughter.[32][citation needed]
She married her second husband, Canadian-born actor Barry Cahill in June 1968. They had a daughter and two grandchildren.[1][7] Cahill died in April 2012. They had been married for 42 years.[33]
Aaker, Everett (2006). Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters: All Regular Cast Members in American Crime and Mystery Series, 1948-1959. McFarland. p. 13. ISBN978-0-786-42476-4.
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