General Hospital has a new recruit: Alimi Ballard will join the cast of the long-running soap this week.
The 48-year-old New York-born actor is best known for his work in the CBS police procedural Numb3rs.
TV Insider reports that Ballard has been cast as a new character named William Baines, and that he will join the show this Thursday, September 3.
Ballard has been a television fixture since the early 1990s. He got his start on the ABC soap Loving and its successor series The City. He also won fans as Quizmaster Albert on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch from 1997 to 1999, and his other credits include Dark Angel and NCIS.
His arrival marks the latest in the show’s casting shake-ups. This August, it was revealed that Chris L. McKenna’s character Jack Brennan would be killed off.
The ABC’s soap opera, about the bustling lives of citizens in the fictional upstate New York town of Port Charles, has also recently said goodbye to Bradford Anderson as Damian Spinelli, Kirsten Storms as Maxie Jones and Nathan Dean as Ethan Lovett.
Nathan Dean’s departure saw a new actor take over the role of Lovett. Dean had originated the character of Lovett back in 2009 and played the role until 2012. He returned to play Lovett on several occasions since, and the character has also been portrayed by James Ryan.
During an episode broadcast on July 27, a voiceover announced: “The role of Ethan Lovett is now being played by Christian Howard.”
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Howard is a British-born actor previously best known for his martial arts work in productions such as the short film Street Fighter: Legacy.
Howard told the Entertainment Dudes – Los Angeles/Nashville podcast in 2023 that he was seeking more dramatic and romantic work, explaining: “I was doing a lot of action stuff…but then I started romantic comedy stuff, which is more fun. I had a skill set in action, which is also not going to last forever. Taking fight scenes takes a big toll on you.”
General Hospital first began airing 63 years ago and has a history of featuring unconventional stars, including rock musician Rick Springfield and Oscar-winning Elizabeth Taylor. The show has also recently enjoyed cameo appearances from late night host John Oliver.
A premiere date for season 64 has not yet been announced, though executive producer Frank Valentini teased on X in April: “We have big plans going into this new season. Stay tuned.”
The show continues to be broadcast on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu.