Question: American actor and producer, as well as series eight regular in Stargate SG-1, began his television career playing who in the series General Hospital?

Context articles: Richard Dean Anderson
Stargate: Continuum
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 (season 8)
Stargate: The Ark of Truth
George Hammond (Stargate)
Robert C. Cooper
Jonathan Glassner
Stargate SG-1 (season 1)
Carl Binder

Richard Dean Anderson (born January 23, 1950) is an American actor and producer.
 He began his television career in 1976, playing Dr. Jeff Webber in the American soap-opera series "General Hospital", then rose to prominence as the lead actor in the television series "MacGyver" (1985–1992).
 He later appeared in films such as "Through the Eyes of a Killer" (1992), "Pandora's Clock" (1996), and "Firehouse" (1997).
Stargate: Continuum is a 2008 Canadian-American military science fiction direct-to-video film in the "Stargate" franchise.
 It is the second sequel to television series "Stargate SG-1" following "".
 It is directed by Martin Wood, director and producer of many episodes of "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis", written by "SG-1" and "Atlantis" creator Brad Wright, and produced by Wright and "Ark of Truth" director Robert C. Cooper.
Stargate SG-1 (often abbreviated as SG-1) is an adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's "Stargate" franchise.
 The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 science fiction film "Stargate" by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich.
 The television series was filmed in and around the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
 The series premiered on Showtime on July 27, 1997 and moved to the Sci Fi Channel on June 7, 2002; the final episode first aired on Sky1 on March 13, 2007.
 With 214 episodes over ten seasons, "Stargate SG-1" had surpassed "The X-Files" as the longest-running North American science fiction television series, until it was surpassed by the series "Smallville" in 2011.
Season eight of "Stargate SG-1", an American-Canadian military science fiction television series, began airing on July 9, 2004 on the Sci Fi channel.
 The eighth season concluded on February 22, 2005, after 20 episodes on British Sky One, which overtook the Sci Fi Channel in mid-season.
 This was the first season of the show to have 20 episodes instead of 22, as well as the first to air concurrently with "Stargate SG-1" spinoff series "Stargate Atlantis" (the first season thereof).
 The series was originally developed by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, while Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper served as executive producers.
 Season eight regular cast members include Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, and Michael Shanks.
 The eighth season begins with the SG-1 team trying to revive Colonel Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) after the events of the seventh season.
 At the end of the two-episode season opener, Colonel O'Neill is promoted to General and assumes command of Stargate Command (SGC), while Major Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) is promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and assumes command of SG-1.
 The season arc centers on the growing threat and seemingly final defeat of the Goa'uld and the Replicators, races who were introduced in the first and third season of the show, respectively.
Stargate: The Ark of Truth is a 2008 Canadian-American military science fiction film in the "Stargate" franchise, acting as a sequel to the television series "Stargate SG-1".
 It is written and directed by Robert C. Cooper, produced by Cooper, John G. Lenic, and the series' creator Brad Wright, and stars its regular cast.
 The film is the conclusion of the Ori arc, and picks up after the" SG-1" series finale.
 However, it takes place before the Stargate Atlantis third season finale.
Lieutenant General George S. Hammond, USAF (Ret.)
 is a fictional character in the "Stargate franchise".
 Played by American actor Don S. Davis, General Hammond serves as the commander of Stargate Command (SGC) in the first seven seasons of the television series "Stargate SG-1".
 He is relieved of command in the series' season 7 finale "Lost City", but becomes head of the new Homeworld Security department at the beginning of season 8.
 Hammond's off-screen retirement is confirmed in "SG-1"' s season 10, and the character's death is mentioned in the series finale of "SG-1"' s spin-off series "Stargate Atlantis", "Enemy at the Gate".
Robert C. Cooper is a Canadian writer and producer best known for his work in the "Stargate" franchise.
 He was formerly an executive producer of "Stargate SG-1", "Stargate Atlantis" and "Stargate Universe".
 He also co-created both "Stargate Atlantis" and "Stargate Universe" with Brad Wright.
 Cooper has written and produced many episodes of "Stargate SG-1", "Stargate Atlantis" and "Stargate Universe" as well as directed a number of episodes.
Jonathan Glassner is a Norwegian-American television writer, director, and producer.
 He is known for his involvement with "Stargate SG-1" (where he was executive producer for the first three seasons) and "The Outer Limits".
 Glassner was initially noticed as a writer for his work on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents".
 After writing for several television series, including "21 Jump Street", Glassner moved on to "The Outer Limits", which naturally segued into his involvement with "Stargate SG-1" as a staff writer and executive producer.
 His most recent work is as a writer and director for "", "", and other shows.
 He was also a Co-Executive Producer on the NBC show "Heist" and the FOX show "Standoff", as well as for Sci-Fi Channel's "The Invisible Man".
The first season of the military science fiction television series "Stargate SG-1" commenced airing on the Showtime channel in the United States on July 27, 1997, concluded on the same channel on March 6, 1998, and contained 22 episodes.
 The show itself is a spin off from the 1994 hit movie, "Stargate" written by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich.
 Stargate SG-1 re-introduced supporting characters from the film universe, such as Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill and Daniel Jackson and included new characters such as Teal'c, George Hammond and Samantha "Sam" Carter.
 The first season was about a military-science expedition team discovering how to use the ancient device, named the Stargate, to explore the galaxy.
 However, they encountered a powerful enemy in the film named the Goa'uld, which is bent on destroying Earth and all that oppose them.
Carl Binder is a television writer and producer.
 He is most noted for his contributions to the "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis" series as well as "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" and "Little Men".
 Binder currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia and created the Pocahontas for the 1995 movie, "Pocahontas".
 Binder will co-write the third "Stargate SG-1" movie with Brad Wright and serves as an executive producer for the new "Stargate" series, entitled "Stargate Universe".