Mark Hamill is a well known and respected actor. Aside from his lightsaber authority in Star Wars , he has held smaller roles on television. Hamill’s fame wasn’t instant, especially when he began acting over four decades ago. Recently, he was honored with an Oscar Wilde Award. According to Variety , J.J. Abrams teased Mark Hamill about one of his earlier gigs.
Soap fans today would never know that Mark Hamill was on General Hospital . Long-time viewers may remember him, but a new generation has taken over. The families of Port Charles have been dwindling and new legacies are being made. Hamill did hold a role on the popular ABC soap, but it didn’t last long. It has been over 40 years since he played Kent Murray. The General Hospital character isn’t widely remembered at all, but it was definitely worth a mention according to J.J. Abrams.
General Hospital being the butt of the joke hasn’t gone over well with the diehard fans, but it was funny to the people in attendance as Mark Hamill received his Oscar Wilde Award. Of course, his resume is way more prestigious now that he has the Star Wars gig under his belt. That is his legacy, not the minor role he played for one year on a soap opera. General Hospital is a big deal to fans because it survived the major soap collapse, but there is no comparison to the Star Wars franchise.
Getting a soap gig before breaking into greater acting success isn’t a new thing. Mark Hamill was able to leave the role of Kent Murray on General Hospital in the dust, but not everyone is that lucky. While J.J. Abrams was using it to poke fun at one of his idols, there were people who had no idea it was the truth. Hamill doesn’t talk about General Hospital at all. Star Wars is his claim to fame and everything that came before that seems to be water under the bridge.
Picturing Luke Skywalker in Port Charles is odd, but some fans are actually enjoying the new knowledge about one of Hollywood’s most famous names.
