}}
Lila Quartermaine is a fictional character on the
ABC soap opera General Hospital. She was portrayed by
Anna Lee from 1978 until Lee's death on May 14, 2004, making her last appearance on May 30, 2003. The character was written out of the show in July 2004, when she died peacefully in her sleep off-screen.
Casting Anna Lee originated the role of Lila in June 1978. On January 7, 1993, Lee was awarded a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame, the first actress to receive a star while on a daytime drama. On July 1, 1994,
Meg Wyllie (who had previously appeared on "General Hospital" in two other roles) debuted as the temporarily recast Lila until Lee's return on September 20, 1994. In 2003, Lee was dropped to recurring status. Her last appearance was on May 30, 2003. Lee was awarded the
Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2004
Daytime Emmys, but died one week prior. The role was portrayed by Juliet Grainger in flashbacks in 2003 and 2004. Uncredited actresses portrayed the role briefly in 2012, 2014 and 2019, when the character appeared as a ghost to help bring Edward,
A. J. Quartermaine and
Oscar Nero to heaven.
Storylines Lila Morgan Quartermaine was born on April 29, 1918. The saintly wife of wicked billionaire
Edward Quartermaine and mother to warring siblings
Alan and
Tracy, Lila is the matriarch of the
Quartermaine family, dispensing advice and intervening in conflicts when necessary. Over the years, she is beloved by all of
Port Charles, including grandson
Jason Quartermaine who, stricken with permanent
amnesia after a car crash and wanting to distance himself from the family, takes the name "Jason Morgan" as a tribute to her. Edward and Lila Quartermaine were living in a Long Island mansion in 1977 when their son Alan came to Port Charles and fell in love with
Dr. Monica Webber. Lila was initially presented as a rather naive society matron, but quickly showed a temperament equivalent to her ruthless husband's that would take everybody by surprise when it was necessary. Lila made her first appearance in the summer of 1978 when she visited Port Charles for their wedding and instantly adored her new daughter-in-law, warning her of Tracy's determination to keep the trust fund of her grandfather whose will indicated that any male heir with the last name of Quartermaine would be prioritized over any elder grandsons without the family name. She visited Port Charles periodically over the next year, settling in town in 1980 permanently when Edward moved the headquarters of ELQ offices there. Monica's belief that her son,
Alan Jr., had been fathered by
Rick Webber was proven false when Lila pointed out a birth mark on the baby that was a family trademark. Although Monica continued to pretend that Rick was the baby's father for months, Alan exposed her at a party that Lila attended, leaving Monica humiliated. Lila would forgive her daughter-in-law and prayed that they would make amends. When Lila began demanding that the family, including Alan and Monica, had dinner together once a week, it created much tension, but Lila hoped that it would eventually show them how much they really loved each other, having dealt with Edward the same way when he strayed with other women. Lila showed her affinity for running things when she organized a hospital auction in May 1981 and dealt strongly with several obstacles at the fundraiser, including the theft of the ugly "Ice Princess" statue. The social climbing Emma Lutz who had donated the statue, became angry at Lila when her name was not put amongst the list of donors, yet attempted with no luck to win back Lila's approval when she ended up finding the statue again. Alan's affair with
Susan Moore produced grandson Jason whom Lila would visit, but she never accepted Susan and unlike other residents of Port Charles, would be cool to her when she ran into her in public. Lila schemed to bring Monica and Alan together by planning their weekly family dinner and then leaving for a restaurant with Edward. During their attempts to be civil together, Alan and Monica ended up passionately kissing, and when interrupted by a returning Edward and Lila, denied anything had happened. Lila, returning from one of her regular jaunts to
South Hampton, was thrilled to discover that Alan and Monica reconciled. After the death of her niece, Alexandria, Lila inherited her ELQ shares, and often voted in ways that Edward was opposed to. When he had her sign documents she could tell were shady, Lila would often use false names (such as Mrs. Abraham Lincoln), knowing that Edward was too much in a hurry to look. Prior to this plot twist, Lila had only made periodic guest appearances, but became a regular character after this storyline began. It was during this time that Lila established a friendship with some of the not so wealthy characters of Port Charles, especially Luke Spencer, a fact that rattled her husband who didn't trust him after the whole Ice Princess crisis ended even though Luke had saved Port Charles from freezing. Lila hired Robert to locate a young man named Eric, keeping the secret from him that Eric was Edward's son from an affair with a woman named Beatrice, and Robert was only able to discover that Beatrice was allegedly deceased and that Eric had gone to private schools in Europe. Lila even became friends with Emma Lutz who took Lila to Kelly's Diner for lunch, with Lila puzzled over the fact that Kelly's didn't take reservations. Eventually, Lila returned to more of her charitable activities, leaving the running of ELQ to Edward, although she continued to make her feelings known when he did anything she considered shady or ruthless. Edward and Lila had a scandal of their own in early 1983 when it was revealed that Lila had not legally divorced her first husband, Crane Tolliver, who through Susan Moore blackmailed the Quartermaines. Around the same time, a handsome but blue collar worker named Jimmy Lee Holt showed up and revealed himself to be the missing Eric, having been passed off by Beatrice (revealed to be very much alive) to distant relatives when she decided to float around the world with a series of wealthy lovers. After Susan was murdered, Lila was among the suspects, but the killer was revealed to be Crane whom Susan had betrayed. Edward and Lila were legally married, although the divorce papers ended up in the hands of Jimmy Lee, who held them over his head for months. The following year, Jimmy Lee's mother, Beatrice, came to town, revealing herself to be nothing like how Edward remembered her, and stirred up more trouble, trying to further blackmail the family, but after accidentally swallowing Lila's heart medication, died herself. Lila and Quartermaine housekeeper Stella Fields became successful in business when they invented a relish they called "Pickle-Lila". This saved the Quartermaines from ruin during one of ELQ's darkest hours. When Tracy came back to town in 1989, family drama was stirred up again after Edward was believed to have been killed in a plane crash and the family battled over the estate. Lila continued to confide to Edward's talking portrait for quite a while afterwards, but Edward was revealed to be alive in 1991 and living on an island in the Pacific. This brought new battles to the Quartermaines, but Lila always remained gracious yet stern when her family misbehaved. Lila was heartbroken when Edward disowned Tracy once again for her devious ways. The following year, Edward's past affair with Mary Mae Ward was revealed, and Lila was there to support him for allegedly killing his own illegitimate son. Lila would come to accept his illegitimate grandson, Justus, who shared many of her ethics. Tracy's 2003 return to Port Charles delighted Lila, that is until Tracy revealed
Skye was not really a Quartermaine. Disappointed, Lila kicks Tracy out of the mansion. She returns not long after with her teenaged son
Dillon Quartermaine in tow. In 2004, The Port Charles Hotel, which the Quartermaine family had owned for many years, catches fire and burns to the ground trapping many inside. The situation causes Edward to have a near fatal heart attack. Ned and Reginald are left to try to keep Lila away from the television, worried the news would kill her. In July, Lila tells Edward she loves him before going to bed for the evening. The following morning, Edward discovers Lila has died in her sleep. Despite the usual bickering, the Quartermaines and the rest of Port Charles come together to say goodbye to Lila at her funeral. Many old friends return for the funeral, including
Lee and
Gail Baldwin,
Lucy Coe,
Kevin Collins,
Robin Scorpio, and
Amanda Barrington. The Quartermaine family is once again at odds when Lila's confidante
Felicia Scorpio-Jones reveals Lila had instituted a contest as to which family member would receive the bulk of Lila's estate. In the end, it is Edward's illegitimate grandson,
Justus Ward, who wins the contest. When
Sam McCall is pregnant in late 2004, she suggests naming her daughter, later
stillborn, Lila to honor Jason's grandmother, as Jason would be helping to raise the baby. In 2006, Skye names her daughter
Lila Rae Alcazar in honor of her adoptive grandmother Lila. On November 21, 2012, as Tracy grieves for Edward, she envisions him reuniting with Lila as they walk into the afterlife together. ==Frank Smith==