# Steve Burton (actor)

Jack Stephen Burton (born June 28, 1970) is an American television actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Jason Morgan on General Hospital from 1991 to 2012, reprising the role from 2017 to 2021 and in March 2024, and Dylan McAvoy on The Young and the Restless from 2013 to 2017. In 2019, he played the role of Morgan's twin brother, Drew Cain (Billy Miller) in flashbacks with Shiloh Archer (Coby Ryan McLaughlin). He also voiced Cloud Strife in various Square Enix products, including Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and the Kingdom Hearts series.

## Early life

Jack Stephen Burton was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 28, 1970. He grew up in the Cleveland, Ohio, suburb of Richmond Heights before moving to Hollywood and graduating from Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, California.

## Career

Burton's first major role was as surfer Chris Fuller on Out of This World in 1987, later appearing as Harris Michaels on Days of Our Lives in 1988. In the 1990s, he studied acting at Theater Theater in Hollywood, California and was coached by Jon Cedar and Chris Aable. Burton began playing Jason Quartermaine, later renamed Jason Morgan, on the daytime soap opera General Hospital in 1991, and won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 1998. In 2007, Burton also appeared as Jason in the first season of General Hospital: Night Shift.
In 2001, Burton appeared in the movie The Last Castle as Captain Peretz alongside Robert Redford and James Gandolfini; in 2002, he appeared in the science fiction miniseries Taken as Russell Keys. He was also the voice of Cloud Strife in the Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy series, as well as the film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
On August 28, 2012, Burton confirmed that he would exit General Hospital in October. On January 29, 2013, he joined the cast of The Young and the Restless as Dylan McAvoy. On October 6, 2016, Burton announced on social media that he would not renew his deal with the series and would exit the role of Dylan. He was subsequently awarded another Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor for the role in 2017. In June 2017, ABC Daytime announced that Burton would be returning to General Hospital. In November 2021, Burton was fired from General Hospital due to his refusal to comply with the production's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. In April 2022, it was announced Burton had joined the cast of Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem in his former role as Harris Michaels. In January 2024, he announced that he had completed filming for the role the month prior. That same month, it was announced that he would reprise the role of Jason Morgan on General Hospital.

## Personal life

Burton married Sheree Gustin on January 16, 1999. They had three children: daughters Makena and Brooklyn, born in 2003 and 2014, and son Jack, born in 2006. In May 2022, Burton announced he and Gustin had separated and that he was not the father of the child Gustin was pregnant with. Burton filed for divorce in July 2022, citing March 1 as their date of separation and 'irreconcilable differences' as the reason for the divorce. The divorce was finalized in December 2023, with the couple sharing legal and joint custody of their three children, and with Burton ordered to pay Gustin child support for their minor children through April 2024. In January 2025, Burton announced his engagement to Michelle Lundstrom.
Burton appeared on High Stakes Poker season three, donating his earnings to his fan club to build a clubhouse.

## Filmography

Film performances :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1986 | The Manhattan Project | Local FBI Agent Ithaca | |
| 1994 | Red Sun Rising | Bar Patron | |
| 1994 | CyberTracker | Jared | Direct-to-video |
| 1995 | Cyber-Tracker 2 | Jared | |
| 2001 | The Last Castle | Capt. Peretz | |
| 2001 | Semper Fi | Steve Russell | |
| 2006 | Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children | Cloud Strife (voice) | English version |
| 2009 | Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete | Cloud Strife (voice) | English version |
Television performances :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987–1991 | Out of This World | Chris Fuller | 60 episodes |
| 1988, 2023–2024 | Days of Our Lives | Harris Micheals | Series regular |
| 1988 | Circus of the Stars | Himself | Episode: #13 Nov 25, 1988 |
| 1990 | Who's the Boss? | Tim | Episode: "Her Father's Daughter" |
| 1991–2012 2017–2021 since 2024 | General Hospital | Jason Morgan | Series regular |
| 1991 | Secret Bodyguard | Rick | Credited as Stephen Burton |
| 1998 | Soaps' Most Unforgettable Love Stories | Jason Morgan | Television film |
| 2002 | Taken | Captain Russell Keys | 3 episodes |
| 2007 | General Hospital: Night Shift | Jason Morgan | Main role |
| 2013–2017 | The Young and the Restless | Dylan McAvoy | Series regular |
| 2022 | Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem | Harris Micheals | Chapter 2 |
Video games :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Kingdom Hearts | Cloud Strife | English version |
| 2006 | Kingdom Hearts II | Cloud Strife | English version |
| 2006 | Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII | Cloud Strife | English version |
| 2007 | Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ | Cloud Strife | English version |
| 2008 | Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories | Cloud Strife | English version |
| 2008 | Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII | Cloud Strife | English version |
| 2009 | Dissidia Final Fantasy | Cloud Strife | English version |
| 2011 | Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy | Cloud Strife | English version |
| 2011 | Kingdom Hearts Re:coded | Cloud Strife | English version |
| 2014 | Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX | Cloud Strife | English version |
| 2016 | Final Fantasy Explorers | Cloud Strife | English version |
| 2016 | World of Final Fantasy | Cloud Strife | English version |
| 2017 | Mobius Final Fantasy | Cloud Strife | English version |
| 2018 | Dissidia Final Fantasy NT | Cloud Strife | English version |
As writer :
| Year | Title | Role |
| 2005 | Laws of Gambling | Writer |
As director :
| Year | Title | Role |
| 2005 | Laws of Gambling | Director |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1997 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series | General Hospital | Nominated |
| 1997 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Younger Lead Actor | General Hospital | Won |
| 1998 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | General Hospital | Won |
| 1998 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Younger Lead Actor | General Hospital | Won |
| 1999 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Hottest Male Star | General Hospital | Won |
| 2000 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | General Hospital | Nominated |
| 2003 | Soap Opera Digest Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor | General Hospital | Won |
| 2005 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | General Hospital | Nominated |
| 2014 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | The Young and the Restless | Nominated |
| 2016 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | The Young and the Restless | Nominated |
| 2017 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | The Young and the Restless | Won |
| 2020 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | General Hospital | Nominated |
| 2021 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | General Hospital | Nominated |
| 2021 | Soap Hub Award | General Hospital Favorite Actor | General Hospital | Won |
| 2023 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series | Beyond Salem: Chapter Two | Nominated |