| Dante Falconeri | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| General Hospital character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Dominic Zamprogna | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2009–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | June 22, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Robert Guza, Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by |
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| Book appearances | The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dante Falconeri is a fictional character from General Hospital, an American soap opera on the ABC network, played by Dominic Zamprogna. Zamprogna made his debut on June 22, 2009. In 2018, Zamprogna announced his decision to leave the role, and departed on June 28, 2018; he later returned for a one-off episode on November 12, 2018. In 2019, he again reprised the role from March 15 to March 29. The following year, he returned in a full-time capacity.
Under executive producer Jill Farren Phelps and head writer, Robert Guza, Dante is introduced to the series as an undercover cop investigating mob boss, Sonny Corinthos, who happens to be his father. In addition to his initial investigation of Sonny, Dante's most significant stories include his romance with Lulu Spencer, his unintentionally landing his brother Michael in prison, his past relationships with Brook Lynn Ashton and Brenda Barrett, and his friendship with Ronnie Dimestico.
In 2011, Dante and Lulu are married and under executive producer Frank Valentini and head writer Ron Carlivati, the couple embarks on a journey to have a child. However, they are forced to utilize Maxie Jones as a surrogate which ends in them losing custody of another child which proves to be Maxie's own. It is then revealed that Dante and Lulu's embryo was stolen and birthed by Dr. Britt Westbourne. The couple is eventually reunited with their son whom they name Rocco. In 2013, in honor of General Hospital's 50th anniversary celebration, Dante and Lulu are featured in a revisit of the iconic 1980s storyline, known as the Ice Princess, the original of which featured Lulu's legendary supercouple parents, Luke and Laura.
Zamprogna's performance has been met with critical acclaim, having garnered him Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2014, 2016 and 2019. He ascended and earned a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2021.