Claudia Zacchara in GENERAL HOSPITAL may sound familiar to fans because she played her Sarah Joy Brown, who had previously played Carly on the soap. But from January 2008 until her violent exit in November 2009, the actress played a much darker role GH role (and we’re not just talking about her hair!). If you don’t remember all the nasty things she did in Port Charles, we’re here to enlighten you!
Claudia first came to Port Charles to try and rule her brother Johnny Zacchara, and while she planned to take over the family’s criminal business, she first embedded rival mafia boss Sonny Corinthos, unaware of who he was . When they found out who the other was, battle lines were drawn between Sonny and Claudia. She hit her rival, but the bullet hit Sonny’s young son Michael instead. To cover up his involvement in the shooting, Jerry Jacks stabbed Claudia, leaving her for dead. After being nursed back to health by Nikolas Cassadine, Claudia was furious when her father Anthony took the business back and kicked her out.
When Johnny took the blame for murdering Logan to protect Lulu, Claudia tried to help him and ended up lying on the witness stand to keep her brother from going to jail. Claudia slept with Sonny’s brother Ric Lansing who fell in love with her but ended up marrying Sonny who wanted to use her to gain control of the business. When she helped him bring down her father, Anthony retaliated by attempting to kill her. Sonny saved her and they made love, but when she later found out she was pregnant, Sonny was furious that the child could be Ric’s. Claudia was thrilled when a test proved Sonny was the baby daddy, but on the way to tell him she miscarried when Kristina accidentally drove her car off the road.
Although Sonny was impressed by the way Claudia behaved among the other mob bosses, Jason Morgan tore his wife to pieces when he revealed the truth that she was behind Michael’s shooting. Cornered, Claudia panicked and kidnapped a pregnant Carly, who went into labor. After Carly crashed her car, Claudia followed her to an abandoned cabin and helped her give birth. But she refused to give the child back to Carly and became fixated on the girl. After tracking her to the cabin, Michael hit Claudia with an ax handle, accidentally killing her.
Although Jason attempted to destroy all evidence of the crime, Sonny was later arrested for Claudia’s murder, but Dante continued to investigate, and eventually Michael was arrested and briefly sent to prison for Claudia’s murder. And to this day, she traces her connection to the Corinthos clan.
