I came here when I was 21 and was still a kid. I hadn't reached manhood yet. It was nice because this was the first stable thing I've ever had in my life, growing up or anywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve: I really never had a pick-up line, like, "What's your sign?" or "Do you come here often?" Usually I just say, "Hi, I'm Steve. What's your name?" That's it.

Steve: Confidence... but not arrogance, a sense of humor and someone who won't do anything to compromise their morals or values.

It's frequently mentioned that when Jason Quartermaine was 'reborn' as Jason Morgan, it represented a turning point in Steve Burton's career. But maybe it was Burton himself who was reborn and Jason merely followed the lead. "I don't think Jason was ever born," Burton says, flashing a dazzling smile. "He was just waiting for the right time to arrive."

Steve describes Jason Morgan as vulnerable, caring, honest, and honorable. "Am I a villain? I guess. If I kill people, then I guess I'm a villain. The audience knows that it's been done." Then he adds with a bold smile, "But they don't care."

Tony Jones (testifying at Michael's custody trial): "Jason Morgan sustained irreversible damage to his frontal lobe. He is physically incapable of feeling emotion, empathy, love, compassion. His personality is learned. He mimics what he sees. He also has an adrenaline imbalance which triggers uncontrollable rage at the slightest provocation. And yet he cannot experience fear. So he can't perceive danger for himself or for anyone else."

Jason: "Your diagnosis is wrong, Dr. Jones. Oh, I can feel. I can hate. Because I hate you."

Steve: You have no idea how annoying it can be to play 'just plain nice' all the time! I'd love to play a killer, someone really crazy.

  

Steve: I've made a lot of great friends, many who have helped me grow. It's been the best experience, working with these guys ... they give me huge motivation to succeed.

  

Billy Warlock: Steve and I have been "buds" for 12 years. I've known him since he was doing "Out of This World", since he was a kid. Now he's this young man who's grown so much as a person, and I'm amazed how much he's grown as an actor.

Leslie Charleson: Steve Burton, I adore. He's got the overall picture. He's wise beyond his years. He's not overwhelmed, and he's not in awe. He's a gentleman. And a hunk.

Stuart Damon: No one on this show is a bigger fan of Steve Burton's. From the first day he came on I used to tell the producers, the writers, and everybody else, 'Steve Burton is a star. You're missing the boat with this kid. I know a fine actor when I see one, I know a serious actor when I see one, I know a prepared actor when I see one. This kid has it all, and the looks.' I think the sky's the limit for him, and I have never said that about anyone else in the eighteen years I've been on General Hospital. This kid had talent from day one, and humility, and no attitude. It couldn't happen to a more deserving young man, because he will treasure it and look after it.

Bob Guza: I love Steve Burton. I love the character (Jason). Steve is one of the most amazing young actors I've ever seen. Amber Tamblyn: I dream of taking moonlit strolls with Steve Burton. But who doesn't do that?

Real Andrews: Maurice likes to play games and be a little flamboyant, so when we have scenes together, I have to play the straight guy because they couldn't have the two of us fooling around. But Steve plays things very straight, which means I get to be the clown.

Steve: Maurice (Benard) has helped me so much. He inspires me to become the actor I've become. We still push each other these days. Always trying to do more and do things better. We set a high standard with Tony Geary and Sarah Brown.

  

Steve: If you're going to do a scene with Maurice, you'd better know your stuff or you're not going to walk out of there alive. He told me, "You got to make people work. You got to make them afraid to have a scene with you. If they're afraid, they're going to work harder."

Steve: It's what you do with the ordinary moments, not the emotional or dramatic stuff, that makes it work. You'll have days when you are just talking about nothing, and those are the days you've got to be good. The other stuff is easy to be good at.

Steve: It's a difficult job to basically pull off a mobster at 27 years old ... so Tony could have easily disregarded me when we started doing scenes together, but the fact that he was behind me taking over where Maurice left off - it was really encouraging and nice of him to do ... through his character he showed me respect.

Steve: My favorite thing about Maurice is that he's honest no matter what. That's kind of like me. I say it like it is, and sometimes people don't really like that. But it's the truth. And every time we're together, we crack up.

Maurice (on Steve's departure from GH): The biggest thing for me is going to be not being able to work with somebody who's as solid and truthful an actor as Steve is. I laugh a lot with him. We're like kids. But I wish him well, and I know he'll do well.

He's pretty, and he can act. And he's got Woody Woodpecker hair.

  

Steve: I love my hair. I think it's the most wonderful thing about my acting. LOL!! I do comedy shows. I make fun of myself, first of all. You know? Cuz I say I'm the retarded Fonzie of daytime.

Steve: I like the wardrobe. I don't think the wardrobe can make up their mind – if I'm in jeans or I'm a businessman. I like it. If there is something I don't like, I go and tell them.

Jax (speculating on Jason's successor): Whoever they put in place of you might be a full-fledged human being, with a heart, mind, five or six facial expressions, the whole apparatus, you know.
Jason (reviewing 'The English Patient'): Everyone in the movie had accents. It was like watching two and a half hours of Jax.

Steve: If I knew then [when I was 16] what I know now, I probably wouldn't have started acting. I think I was too young to know any different. There are head games – people mess with you. Sure, I thought it would be great if I could be on TV. But it was never my designated career.

A lot has happened in my life, but I've always had GH. It's given my life stability, and as an actor, that's hard to come by.

If I wasn't an actor, my fantasy job would be playing professional football. I'll watch just about anything on TV having to do with sports!

  

   

Steve: Spring fever to me is being able to go surfing and enjoy it more because the water is warmer and it doesn't freeze me to death as it does in the wintertime. I look forward to that every spring. It reminds me of my childhood, growing up on the East Coast and always having snow. It was the first sign of spring when the weather got better and I could leave the house and not have to shovel snow to get to my car.

Steve has quite a few scars on his body as a result of his time in the Pacific Ocean. "Sure, surfing can be dangerous, but it's the only thing I can do to take the stress out of L. A." He recalls one incident in particular where he had to perform first aid on his own face. "I took off on a wave, ate it and got sucked under while the board stayed on top, attached to me an on leash. When it came up, white water caused the board to snap back at me, sending the point of the surfboard through my mouth." OUCH!

Steve: I do ride motorcycles, but considering I live in LA, I would like to live for the rest of my life.

  

Working on the movie set of CyberTracker, the story of a crime fighting news cameraman, was pure satisfaction according to Steve. "General Hospital is all about story, emotion and relationships," Steve said at the time. "I've been playing Jason long enough to satisfy my dramatic side, so it's a lot of fun to add some action to my acting platter."

While Jason may not see a lot of action on GH, Steve gets into his fair share of skirmishes on the set. "You have no idea how much action I see backstage at GH. During those long waits between scenes, John York, who plays Mac, whips out his squirt guns and Nerf ball guns, and before you know it, it's a madhouse! If you just want to sit back and learn lines, forget it."

Steve: The best thing about doing daytime is as an actor you get to work every day. The worst thing is your job does not stop at work. You can do nine hours and then go home and memorize thirty to forty pages. You do the same thing all day, every day.

Steve: I'd love to do a film like 'Jerry Maguire'. I think Tom Cruise is underrated. Just because he's 'Mr. Million-Dollar Smile', people don't give him the respect he deserves.

Maurice Benard: He's the next Tom Cruise - only better. The amount of charisma that Tom Cruise has is enormous. But acting wise, Steve was born with more.

   

Steve: I never, ever thought I would win an Emmy. That was probably one of the best days of my life, ever. It was so unbelievable and unexpected. It still amazes me now. I was so nervous and I had so much anxiety for the two days I was in New York. Finally, luckily they said my name... I got up to the stage and I was overwhelmed and my whole body just kind of tingled like it was falling asleep. I barely remember being up on stage, it was so cool. It was amazing. I keep it in my house, on the fireplace right next to my Soap Opera Awards.

Steve: There is so much anxiety [being up on stage]. I had some outline of a speech I was going to say, but I totally forgot to thank Soap Opera Digest and the fans. The light was flashing 'two seconds' and I was scared!

 

Steve: I've always loved my fans from day one. I wouldn't be here without people who support me. I've always tried to show my appreciation to the fans. I've done lots of appearances and been out to talk to people. I do personal appearances every weekend. The traveling can be tiring, but the fans are cool. They will tell you the truth.

If you were a word, under what entry in the dictionary would we find you?

Credits: Quotations are from ABC Soaps In Depth, articles by Rosemary Rossi and Daytime TV, interview by Anne Marie Allocca, and from General Hospital, ABC Daytime. "Gee Whiz" picture taken by Jim Warren.

A BIG thank you goes to Cin (dchoate@nwa.quick.com) who provided some of the video captures and prepared the animated gifs. Your efforts are very much appreciated!