Dr. Kevin Collins has been a longstanding character on General Hospital, first appearing in 1993. Known for his work as a psychiatrist and for being the twin brother of the Ryan Chamberlain, Kevin has played a role in many of the show's major storylines.
The character is portrayed by American actor Jon Lindstrom in General Hospital. In an interview with Soaps.com on December 3, 2024, Lindstrom shared his experience working on the show.
“At the place that I am now, it’s amazing that every day of the week, I can get out of bed and know that I’ll be able to do something that I love that day, no matter what it is. And there’s a plethora of things that I get to do: I get to write, I get to act, I get to work with films, I get to work with a not-for-profit, I get to see my family,” he said.
Jon Lindstrom plays Kevin Collins on General Hospital
Jon Lindstrom is an American actor known for his long-running role on General Hospital, where he plays Dr. Kevin Collins. He joined the show in the early 1990s, initially portraying the villainous Ryan Chamberlain before taking on the dual role of Kevin, Ryan’s twin brother.
Born on October 18, 1957, in Medford, Oregon, Lindstrom studied theatre and music at the University of Oregon. He later trained in acting in Los Angeles. In addition to General Hospital, Lindstrom has appeared in other daytime dramas such as Port Charles, As the World Turns, and Santa Barbara.
In the interview with Soaps.com on December 3, 2024, Lindstrom commented on his long career, saying he felt fortunate to have worked with "terrific people" across daytime TV, film, and theater. He shared that his experiences in the industry allowed him to live out opportunities many only dream of.
His other TV credits include appearances on shows such as Blue Bloods, NCIS: Los Angeles, and True Detective.
Kevin Collins' major arcs on General Hospital
Dr. Kevin Collins arrived in Port Charles in early 1994 on General Hospital, hoping to rehabilitate his twin brother, serial killer Ryan Chamberlain. Despite good intentions, Kevin faced distrust from the community due to his resemblance to Ryan.
Ryan later escaped by impersonating Kevin, but the latter exposed the truth and stopped the former from ruining Felicia’s wedding. In 1995, Kevin helped rescue Felicia’s baby from Ryan. Kevin formed a close bond with Lucy Coe, becoming her confidant and romantic partner.
Their relationship grew through personal struggles and past trauma. Kevin joined the spin-off Port Charles in 1997, returning to General Hospital in 2004 and again in 2013. Kevin later dated and eventually fell in love with Laura Collins. In 2018, he secretly treated Ryan, who was still alive despite feigning death earlier. But Ryan overpowered Kevin and switched places with him.
While Ryan posed as Kevin and committed murders, Kevin was trapped until his rescue in 2019. Kevin was briefly arrested but cleared. He then helped lure Ryan out of hiding with the help of Laura and others, leading to Ryan's final capture.
In an interview with TV Source Magazine on August 19, 2009, Lindstrom talked about the difficulty of playing a dual role.
"It would be easy for me to say that memorizing the dialogue was the hardest part of it all, but it wasn’t. The scenes where I was essentially talking to 'myself' were certainly taxing, but it was finding ways to differentiate them that was really the challenge."
He continued:
"The audience had to feel like two different people were relating to each other. Creating little quirks that could be repeated as peculiar to one or the other, that’s hard."
Stay tuned for more updates on General Hospital.