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Marcus Taggert is a fictional character from General Hospital, an American soap opera on the ABC network, most notably portrayed by Reál Andrews. Introduced by executive producer Wendy Riche on December 17, 1996, Detective Taggert is the arch-rival of mobster Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard). Taggert's vendetta against Sonny puts considerable strain on his professional relationships. Taggert befriends Sonny's wife Lily Rivera (Lilly Melgar) and after her tragic death, Taggert becomes a foster father to her son Juan Santiago (Michael Saucedo).

2020–
Taggert resurfaces in 2020 when he visits Sonny's father Mike (Max Gail) and questions Sonny about the recent hijacking of one of his shipments. Taggert returns to Port Charles at the request of his former DEA colleague Jordan Ashford (Briana Nicole Henry) and she informs him of their former co-worker Bob Massicotte's (Randy J. Goodwin) recent death drug overdose. Taggert and Jordan's attempts to keep their connection secret makes her husband Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) suspicious. Meanwhile, Taggert shares a happy reunion with his daughter Trina Robinson (Sydney Mikayla) and gives his blessing for Elizabeth's son Cameron Webber (William Lipton) to accompany her to the school dance. After Curtis accuses Taggert and Jordan of having an affair, Taggert forces Jordan to tell Curtis about their connection to crime lord Cyrus Renault (Jeff Kober).

Creation and casting
Reál Andrews booked the role of Taggert in 1996 and filmed his first scenes in November 1996. The role of "Detective Taggert" was initially created as an "under-five" role. However, he credits his former manager Michael Bruno and his chemistry with co-star Maurice Benard (Sonny) with helping him book the role. "The character written was Italian, and [Bruno] talked them into letting me to do the part." The producers saw the chemistry between Andrews and Benard and immediately contacted Bruno. They said "We want to offer him a role. We haven’t been able to find anybody that can go head-to-head with Maurice." Of his casting, Andrews said in 2011 that "I had been a struggling actor for so many years. Then I got GENERAL HOSPITAL and SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE. It was amazing."

Personality

 * Crazy side


 * Disgruntled cop


 * Hot headed and sexy

Departure (2003)
In February 2003, it was announced that Andrews had decided not to renew his contract with the show. Soapcentral.com reported that Andrews had been in contract negotiations with ABC for several weeks. In a statement about his decision, Andrews said, "Although I have agreed to work off contract through March, I feel it is time for me to move on. These past several years have been an incredible blessing. I have had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented actors I know." Unlike his previous departure, the producers had no desire to recast. Taggert last appeared on May 8, 2003.

In a 2011 interview, Damon L. Jacobs of We Love Soaps said he "always thought the character got short changed" due to lack of investment in Taggert's personal life. Andrews responded: "I think that was my frustration, and ultimately why I left… Back then I was complaining, 'I need more depth in my character.' I left the show saying, 'I’m better than this.'” In 2019, Andrews said to ABC Soaps In Depth "If I'm keeping it real, I do have regrets about leaving GH." He stated to Soap Opera Digest, "I was young, I wanted to be rich, I wanted to be famous, I had a big ego, all that. So I made some stupid decisions and one of them was moving on from GH." He then stated that "If I were to do it again, I'd choose differently, because it was the best time of my life."

Return (2020)
In the fall of 2019, Andrews told ABC Soaps In Depth that he would "100 percent be ready to go" if the opportunity to reprise the role ever presented itself. "I would take the opportunity with open arms and be grateful." On the January 16, 2020 episode, Taggert was featured in the "Next-On-General Hospital" segment and Andrews took to Twitter to confirm his return on January 17. "Great to be back, make sure you follow me on Instagram @realandrews and twitter @realandrews so you don’t miss to stay up to all the juicy details." On his return, Andrews said "It's been 17 years and I probably thought about it every day, one way or another. I got to a point where I just kind of really turned it over to God… and I kind of just stopped thinking about it." Three weeks later, Andrews was invited back to the show by casting director Mark Teschner. While he was excited, Andrews was "very nervous." But like his debut, Andrews first scenes were opposite his longtime friend Maurice Benard and Steve Burton, who played Jason. "Once I got onstage, right from the get-go, it all went away and we were back like we never missed a beat."