Actress Finola Hughes celebrates 30 years on 'General Hospital'

NEW YORK (WABC) -- It's hard to believe that it was 30 years ago Friday that Finola Hughes made her debut on "General Hospital," and fans have loved her character, Anna Devane, ever since.

Hughes got her start as a dancer in her native England and was part of the original cast of the long-running musical "cats." She first garnered wide attention in the sequel to "Saturday Night Fever," but it was a desire for a steady job that led "GH."

And she says lasting long enough to celebrate three decades there has a lot to do with her role.

"That Anna resonates with people, you know," she said. "I'm very happy about that."

Her character has been a sinner and a saint, and she's gotten married a few times.

Back in 1980s, Hughes was "Staying Alive" in New York City, in the sequel directed by Sylvester Stallone, starring opposite John Travolta, but she wanted stability.

"I didn't have the confidence to just go from job to job," she said. "I really felt that I needed to be in a group...for me, (General Hospital) was the perfect job at the perfect time, and it still feels that way."

She has been in the public eye for so long that she has, like her character, figured out the formula for sticking around.

"Never believe anything that anybody says, good or bad," she said. "Because it's really your own opinion about yourself, that's all that matters, and your loved ones."

During her long run, Hughes has left "GH" sometimes for years at a time, and she even played the same iconic character on "All My Children" for awhile. She's been married to the same man since 1992, and together, they raise their teenage son and two pre-teens they adopted.

The family lives in Santa Barbara, just a few hours away from Hollywood.