Jason Morgan (General Hospital)
Jason Morgan (né Moore; formerly Quartermaine) is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. Created by Thom Racina and Leah Laiman, he was most notably played by Daytime Emmy Award-winning actor Steve Burton, who joined the cast in 1991 and vacated the role in 2012. Jason was born offscreen in September 1981 and the character made his onscreen debut in November 1981 as the son of Dr. Alan Quartermaine (Stuart Damon) and his mistress, Susan Moore (Gail Ramsey). As one of the longest-running characters on the show, the role was played by various child actors from 1982 to 1986. The role is currently portrayed by Billy Miller, who joined the cast in 2014.
In 1991, when Burton took over the role, the character was reintroduced and rapidly aged to his late teens. The character's birthdate was re-established as 1974. Upon Jason's return he was characterized as a successful student and athlete and the pride of the Quartermaine family. In 1995, the character underwent a dramatic change in storyline when he was involved in a car accident with his older brother A.J. Quartermaine (Sean Kanan) that left him with irreversible brain damage and amnesia. This accident saw the transformation of the warm and friendly Jason Quartermaine into the cold and reserved Jason Morgan. It also saw a permanent break in his relationship with the Quartermaines. Jason turned to mob boss, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and joined his mafia organization.