Image: The Everett Collection

For four decades, from 1964 until 2004, Peter Hansen appeared on General Hospital. The actor's story arc took him from addiction counselor to Mayor of Port Charles. His work earned him a supporting actor Daytime Emmy Award in 1979.

Today, soap opera fans are saddened, as the daytime legend has passed away at the age of 95, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Hansen began on the big screen, landing some major roles in the 1950s. He starred in the sci-fi dazzler When Worlds Collide in 1951 and worked alongside Charlton Heston the following year in The Savage.

Not long after, he had transitioned to television, regularly appearing on series like The Adventures of Jim Bowie, The Lone Ranger and Science Fiction Theatre.

In 1964, Hansen turned up in the earliest episodes of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., playing Lieutenant Colonel Van Pelt. He also popped up on other MeTV series like Petticoat Junction and Perry Mason.

Decades later, he was turning up on Cheers and Golden Girls, on which he played a doctor boyfriend of Bea Arthur's character.

Hansen's family reported his death in The Los Angeles Times.