‘General Hospital’ (GH) spoilers reveal that long-time viewers may remember Ron Hale, who played Mike Corbin on GH. He was the first actor to play mob boss Sonny Corinthos’s (Maurice Benard) father.
‘General Hospital’ Spoilers: Hale Gave A Compassionate Portrayal Of Mike Corbin
When Mike was first introduced, he was the friendly bartender at Luke’s club. Unbeknownst to Luke Spencer (Tony Geary), he hired Sonny’s long-lost father.
Mike left Adela and Sonny as a young boy, thinking his family would be better off without him. However, after a period of time, Adela marries a cop named Deke, who constantly beat Adela and Sonny.
Mike left his family due to his gambling and alcohol addiction. When Sonny discovered he was the father who left him and his mother to deal with his abusive stepfather, he was livid and wanted nothing to do with Mike.
Not only was he not there for him as a child, but Deke beat Adela to death. To put it mildly, it was not the warm family reunion Mike had in mind.
Mike never gave up on trying to reconnect with his son. Ron Hale has played every emotional beat of this storyline since he first appeared on the GH canvas in 1995. He played Mike on and off until 2010, when he retired.
Hale brought compassion to his role and his on-screen chemistry with Benard, as his son was genuine, and they played off each other beautifully.
Hale also had stellar father/daughter chemistry with Alicia Leigh Willis, who played Sonny’s sister, Courtney Matthews, on the show. Mike later tried to clean up his act and worked as the manager of Kelly’s.
Max Gail later took over the role of Mike Corbin in 2018 and played the part until the character died from Alzheimer’s in 2021.
‘General Hospital’ Spoilers: Hale Portrayed Roger Coleridge On Ryan’s Hope
Ron Hale was popular with fans. From 1997 to 2000, he played the same role as Mike Corbin on the General Hospital spin-off Port Charles.
Even more notable than his portrayal of Mike on GH and Port Charles, Hale played Roger Coleridge on Claire Labine (who would later be head writer for General Hospital) and Paul Avila Mayer’s now-defunct soap, Ryan’s Hope for all its run, from 1975 to 1989.
Ron Hale Thigpen was born on January 2, 1946, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to his parents, James Ray Thigpen, Sr. and Elinor Jane Doerr Thigpen.
He attended Furman University and was a theater actor in plays with Columbia’s Trustus Theatre. He also played in television and movies. Hale was a member of the Screen Actors Guild.
His final acting credit was in 2017’s American mystery thriller The Ghost and the Whale, which also starred Maurice Benard.
His obituary confirms Hale died on August 27, 2024, at his St. George, South Carolina home. He is survived by his nieces and nephews, Lori Brown, Max Brabham, Erin Wilson, and Marc Brown.
Billy Warlock (AJ Quartermaine, General Hospital and Frankie Brady, Days of Our Lives) shared his condolences on X, writing,
“It’s with a heavy heart that we’ve lost another great one. My dear friend Ron Hale has passed away. Ron was an amazing talent and an even better friend. I will miss you.”
