Kimberly Anne McCullough (born March 5, 1978) is an American actress and television director. She is best known for her role as
Robin Scorpio
Robin Scorpio is a fictional character from the ABC Daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'' and its primetime SOAPnet spin-off '' General Hospital: Night Shift'', originated and portrayed by Kimberly McCullough on and off for over 30 years sinc ...
on the
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
General Hospital
''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...
'', a role which she originated at age seven, playing the character on and off from 1985 to 2001 with a stint in 2004. McCullough later returned to the show in 2005 as a doctor and departed in 2012. She has made sporadic guest appearances since July 2012. She returned to the show in August 2013, but went off-contract in 2018 and has subsequently retired from acting to focus on a directing career.
McCullough has also played the character in one episode of the ''GH'' spinoff ''
Port Charles
''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes pl ...
'', and in a few episodes of ''
All My Children
''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...
''. In summer 2007, again as Robin, she played one of the leads in the primetime ''GH'' spinoff, ''
General Hospital: Night Shift''.
McCullough is also an ABC Director Fellow, shadowing other directors.
Career
In 1985, after failing to land a role on the TV sitcom ''
Webster
Webster may refer to:
People
*Webster (surname), including a list of people with the surname
*Webster (given name), including a list of people with the given name
Places Canada
*Webster, Alberta
*Webster's Falls, Hamilton, Ontario
United State ...
'', McCullough auditioned for the role of
Robin Scorpio
Robin Scorpio is a fictional character from the ABC Daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'' and its primetime SOAPnet spin-off '' General Hospital: Night Shift'', originated and portrayed by Kimberly McCullough on and off for over 30 years sinc ...
, the 6-year-old daughter of
Robert Scorpio
Robert Scorpio is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'', played by actor Tristan Rogers.
Casting
Tristan Rogers originally played the role from December 2, 1980 through February 25, 1992. The popularity and longevity o ...
(
Tristan Rogers
Tristan Rogers (born 3 June 1946) is an Australian-American actor. He is best known for playing Robert Scorpio on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' and for voicing Jake in Walt Disney Pictures' ''The Rescuers Down Under''. He is curren ...
) and
Anna Devane
''General Hospital'' is the longest-running American television serial drama, airing on ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a general hospital (hence the title), in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the cit ...
(
director/actress Finola Hughes). The producers made her audition 12 times but eventually gave her the part and her role became a popular success.
In the fall of 1985, McCullough made her debut during the Asian Quarter storyline, which showcased her acting skills alongside veteran actor
Keye Luke
Keye Luke (, Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Cant ...
through the majority of the storyline. In 1989 at the age of 11, McCullough won her first
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
, for "Outstanding Juvenile Female in a Drama Series". One of her most memorable storylines began in 1995, when her teenage character contracted
HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
after having unprotected sex with her boyfriend Stone, who was unknowingly infected with the virus and later died of
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
. She won a second Daytime Emmy in 1996 for this storyline, once again for "Outstanding Younger Leading Actress in a Drama Series". In 1996, she took a short break from playing the character when she went off to college for a brief stint at New York University Tisch School of the Arts from 1996 to 1997, although she never graduated or received a degree from the university. On ''General Hospital'', Robin Scorpio was also written out for the same reason, except the character was attending
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
to study medicine. Unlike many soap opera characters, her character of Robin Scorpio has never been "
sorased" but has aged in real time along with McCullough.
In 1998, she returned to the show, but then left once again to pursue other acting opportunities, which included co-starring in the primetime drama series ''
Once and Again
''Once and Again'' is an American family drama television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999, to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father. It was created by Marshall Herskovitz a ...
'' and ''
Joan of Arcadia
''Joan of Arcadia'' is an American fantasy family drama television series telling the story of teenager Joan Girardi (Amber Tamblyn), who sees and speaks with God and performs tasks she is given. The series originally aired on Fridays on CBS for ...
''. She also wrote and directed the
mockumentary
A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary.
These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...
''Lil Star'' about girls in childhood
beauty pageants
A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...
, a story which allowed McCullough to draw on her own experiences. In 2001 she appeared in the movie ''
Legally Blonde
''Legally Blonde'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic in his List of directorial debuts, feature-length directorial debut, and scripted by Karen McCullah, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith (writer), Kirsten Smith from ...
'' as Amy, one of Elle Woods' sorority sisters. After brief returns to ''General Hospital'' in 2000 and 2004, she returned on a permanent basis in October 2005, with her character Robin Scorpio a doctor, having graduated from medical school. In November 2011, McCullough announced her plans to leave ''General Hospital'' once again in order to pursue a career as a director, and her character was believed to have died on February 21, 2012. However, scenes airing on March 27, 2012 showed Robin to be alive and held captive in an undisclosed location, leaving the door open for her to return in the future. Starting in July 2012, McCullough made several guest appearances on ''General Hospital'', and returned to the role in 2013.
She again went off contract in 2018, announcing her retirement from acting to focus on a directing career. McCullough did make an appearance in 2021 to participate in an on-air tribute for actor John Reilly, who played Sean Donely.
In 2011, McCullough directed the short film ''Nice Guys Finish Last''. The film starred
Danielle Harris
Danielle Andrea Harris (born June 1, 1977) is an American actress and film director. She is known as a " scream queen" for her roles in multiple horror films, including four entries in the ''Halloween'' franchise ('' Halloween 4'' and '' 5''; 19 ...
and McCullough's ''General Hospital'' co-star
Lexi Ainsworth
Alexandra Danielle Ainsworth (born October 28, 1992) is an Emmy Award-winning American actress. She is recognized for her roles as Kristina Davis on ''General Hospital'', Amber from '' Shameless'', and Jessica Burns in the 2015 film '' A Girl L ...
.
Personal life
McCullough was born in
Bellflower, California
Bellflower is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was founded in 1906 and municipal corporation, incorporated on September 3, 1957. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total popu ...
. She has two older brothers and is of Mexican descent. Her mother is a dance teacher, who took her to rehearsals, and got her involved with acting. McCullough's first appearance was as a 7-month-old baby in a
diaper
A diaper /ˈdaɪpə(r)/ (American and Canadian English) or a nappy ( Australian English, British English, and Hiberno-English) is a type of underwear that allows the wearer to urinate or defecate
Defecation (or defaecation) follows dig ...
commercial, co-starring with actress
Juliet Mills
Juliet Maryon Mills (born 21 November 1941) is an English-American actress. She is the daughter of actor Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell and the eldest of three siblings; her younger siblings are actress Hayley Mills and director Jonathan M ...
. She started doing
gymnastics
Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...
at the age of 4, and performed as part of a group called the
Gym Dandies
The Gym Dandies is the largest children's circus in New England. Located in Scarborough, Maine, the program is an extracurricular activity for any children in grades three through twelve who wish to participate.
Mission statement
This is the G ...
. McCullough followed this up with a dancing part in ''
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo''. McCullough was involved in a long-term relationship with Freddie Prinze Jr., before he met
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Prinze ( ; born April 14, 1977) is an American actress. After being spotted at the age of four in New York City, she made her screen acting debut in the television film ''An Invasion of Privacy'' (1983). A leading role on the te ...
.
In a year-end blog post for 2015, McCullough revealed she had a miscarriage. In her 2016 Year End Wrap Up, she revealed she was pregnant again with her second child. McCullough gave birth to her son, Otis, on June 7, 2017.
Filmography
Film
Television
As a director
Awards
All of McCullough's awards and nominations have been for her role as Robin Scorpio on ''General Hospital''.
Won
*(1986) Young Artist Award, Outstanding Young Actress – Regular Daytime Serial
*(1986) ''Soap Opera Digest'' Award, Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress on a Daytime or Prime Time Serial
*(1986)
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
, Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress in a Daytime Series
*(1989)
Daytime Emmy
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (N ...
,
Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series
*(1993)
''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards, Outstanding Child Actor
*(1996)
Daytime Emmy
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (N ...
,
Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series
Nominated
*(1988) Young Artist Award, Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Drama Series
*(1989) Young Artist Award, Best Young Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
*(1989) Young Artist Award, Best Young Actress in Theater
*(1990) Young Artist Award, Best Young Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
*(1990) Daytime Emmy, Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series
*(1991) Daytime Emmy, Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series
*(1992) ''Soap Opera Digest'' Award, Outstanding Younger Leading Actress: Daytime
*(1995) Daytime Emmy, Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series
*(1997) YoungStar Award, Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Daytime TV Program
*(1997) Young Artist Award, Best Performance in a Daytime Drama – Young Actress
*(1997) Daytime Emmy, Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCullough, Kimberly
1978 births
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from California
American child actresses
American soap opera actresses
American television actresses
Living people
People from Bellflower, California
Daytime Emmy Award winners
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series winners
American television directors
American women television directors