On General Hospital, Carly Corinthos has divorced mob boss Sonny Corinthos, lost her business, and is currently spending a lot of time visiting her boyfriend, Drew Cain, in prison. Luckily, things are going more smoothly for Carly’s portrayer, Laura Wright, who has a reason to celebrate!

Happy Birthday, Laura Wright

And that’s because she was born on September 11, 1970, in Washington, D.C., which means that this talented actress is turning 53 years old today! Wright honed her acting skills while still in high school, and she appeared in many theatrical productions, including Gypsy, Our Town, and You Can’t Take It with You.

In 1991, Wright made her television debut on the ABC daytime drama series Loving, where she played Allison “Ally” Rescott Bowman. When Loving was canceled and succeeded by a series titled The City, Wright was retained by the network, and she reprised the part of Ally for the new show.

Between 1997 and 2005, Wright played Cassie Layne on the CBS juggernaut Guiding Light, a role that she eventually ceded to actress Nicole Forester. Fresh off her exit from GL, Wright was tapped to succeed Jennifer Bransford (and both Sarah Joy Brown and Tamara Braun before her) in the role of Carly Roberts Corinthos on GH.

Wright has remained with the ABC serial ever since, and for her efforts, she was awarded the 2011 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Drama Series.

Wright’s other acting credits include an episode of Hit the Floor, the made-for-TV movie Stalked by My Patient, and the feature film Joy (which starred Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence).