Courtney Matthews

Courtney Matthews
Alicia Leigh Willis as Courtney Matthews
General Hospital
Portrayed by	Alicia Leigh Willis
Duration	2001–2006
First appearance	December 20, 2001
Last appearance	February 21, 2006
Cause/reason	Died of Encephalitis Virus
Created by	Megan McTavish
Profile
Gender	Female
Occupation	Founder of the Courtney Matthews Foundation to help under-privileged kids Former CEO of Pride-Phillips Former Waitress at Kelly's Diner Former Cocktail Waitress at Club 101 Former Stripper at the Oasis
Residence	Old Town Loft Port Charles, New York
Relationships Parents Mike Corbin Janine Matthews Sibling(s) Sonny Corinthos Spouse(s) A.J. Quartermaine (2002-2003; divorced) Jason Morgan (2003-2004; divorced) Jasper Jacks (2005-2006; divorced) Romances A.J. Quartermaine Jason Morgan Brian Beck Jasper Jacks Nikolas Cassadine Children Unnamed child (with Jason; miscarried) Unnamed child (with Jax, carried by Elizabeth Webber; miscarried) Spencer Cassadine (son, with Nikolas) Nieces and nephews Dante Falconeri Michael Corinthos III (adoptive) Kristina Corinthos Morgan Corinthos

Courtney Matthews (formerly Quartermaine, Morgan and Jacks) was a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. She was the daughter of Mike Corbin and Janine Matthews, and the half sister of mobster, Sonny Corinthos. Courtney was portrayed by Alicia Leigh Willis from December 20, 2001 until February 21, 2006. Willis received two consecutive Emmy nominations for "Outstanding Younger Actress."

Storylines

Arrival and A. J. Quartermaine

Soon after her arrival in Port Charles, she fell in love with and married A.J. Quartermaine, who used her to get to his biological son Michael Corinthos III, the illegally adopted child of Courtney's half-brother Sonny. When Courtney defended AJ to his family, he realized he truly loved her. AJ ceased trying to trade Courtney for Michael. The Quartermaines froze AJ's bank account, leading him further into his alcoholism. After being blackmailed into stripping due to AJ's drunk driving accident, AJ became verbally abusive and had Courtney purposely stalked by Coleman Ratcliffe, the strip club owner.

Jason Morgan

Courtney's husband always lost to Sonny and Jason. For once, AJ wanted to be the hero. She found out about the stalking and his original intentions. They divorced. Before the stalker was revealed, Courtney turned to Sonny's enforcer for help and developed feelings for him. The guilt now gone due to AJ's involvement, Courtney fell in love with Jason Morgan (who happened to be AJ's brother and Sonny's best friend), and caused tension between Sonny and Jason. After many trials, including the miscarriage of their child, they finally married in a private ceremony in France. However, the miscarriage haunted her. She eventually decided, due to the nature of Jason's Mob organization, she could not bear to lose him. She'd rather leave him than watch him die for the mob. Also, Jason's lifestyle made Courtney act in ways she never had before, including shooting officer Brian Beck. Although Brian knew Courtney had shot him, he framed Zander Smith for the incident, because he had fallen in love with Courtney. During a fire at the Port Charles Hotel, Detective Capelli mortally wounded Brian. He died in the hospital with Courtney at his side. This incident was part of a string of events leading to the death of Zander Smith. Shortly, Courtney and Jason parted ways. Yet they still loved each other.

Jasper Jacks and Nikolas Cassadine

After months of grieving the failed relationship, Courtney declared her independence and began a foundation for needy and troubled kids. Jasper "Jax" Jacks signed on to lend credibility to her new endeavor. The two formed a tight bond. Always looking for a fresh challenge, Jax bet Courtney $10 million the could seduce her in 3 months. Courtney gleefully accepted. The pretty blonde believed beating Jax at his own game would be a breeze. Unfortunately for her, Jax proved far more difficult to resist than she bargained for. The two slowly fell in love. The bet a playful part of their past. Jax proposed to Courtney. She tearfully agreed to become his wife. The two married on June 3, 2005 in a beautiful ceremony in the park that took them full circle. The only thing missing from their blissful lives was the baby Courtney had long yearned for - and desperately wanted to give her eager hubby.

The newlyweds decided to have a surrogate child (Courtney was left barren from her first pregnancy).This led to the demise of their relationship as Jax had begun bonding with their surrogate mother, Elizabeth Spencer. During this time, Courtney found friendship and solace in Nikolas Cassadine, which quickly blossomed into a forbidden attraction. Courtney miraculously became pregnant with his child. Jax changed the DNA results to say he was the father. Still, Courtney and Nikolas chose to fight Jax for custody once the baby was born. However, Courtney saw Nikolas and his ex-wife Emily together, and thought they were getting back together, so she broke up with him.

Death

In early January 2006, Courtney left town to have her baby in peace. She returned in February 2006 stricken with the disease plaguing Port Charles. She met Nikolas, who was also infected, and the two renewed their love and got engaged. The disease took its toll on Courtney. Faced with the impossible choice between her life or her baby's, Courtney fearlessly chose to give her baby boy the chance to live. After the birth, Courtney told Jax she suggested naming the baby John, after his father. Jax finally admitted to Courtney that Nikolas was the father. Though she was upset with him for lying, she forgave him, and asked to see Nikolas. However, Nikolas arrived too late. The childbirth had greatly weakened Courtney, though with her last breath she told Nikolas she loved him. She died a few moments later.

Courtney didn't get the chance to tell Nikolas he was the father. Jax hid this fact after her death and raised her baby as his own, naming him John Michael Jacks. The truth was eventually revealed to Nikolas a few months later by Dr. Robin Scorpio. Nikolas subsequently changed John's name to Spencer Cassadine.

Originally, the role of Courtney was going to be recast, but Willis hinted on Soap Talk she didn't want her character being played by someone else. Courtney was eventually killed off. However, in typical soap fashion, the gaping hole in her "death" leaves the possibility of a return. This seems unlikely since Courtney was cremated after her death.

References

External Links

• Soapcentral.com biography for Courtney Matthews