What role did Ellen Travolta play on General Hospital? Character details explored

Ellen Travolta, sister of Hollywood star, John Travolta, is on General Hospital’s recurring cast list. Playing Lois’s mother and Brook Lynn’s grandmother, Gloria Cerullo, she appeared on the soap intermittently as per the plot’s demands. 

Ellen Travolta’s Gloria first appeared on the General Hospital storyline in 1994 when Lois got engaged to Ned Quartermaine. She was last seen leaving with Lois for Bensonhurst after a showdown with Brook Lynn over Giovanni’s true parentage revelation.

Meanwhile, Brook Lynn and Lois’s relationship recently saw a thaw after Monica’s death. Unable to handle the grief, Tracy went missing, while, Lulu and Brook Lynn presumed her location. Brook Lynn accompanied Ned to search for Tracy while Ned assigned Lois to meet the senior Quartermaine at the bar she could be in. While Ned talked to his mother, Brook Lynn and Lois resolved their conflict and forgave each other.

Elsewhere, Monica’s will named her estranged sister as the chief beneficiary of her property and assets. The Quartermaine family is currently going through a turmoil as Tracy refuses to accept Veronica while the rest of the family welcomes her presence. Port Charles currently awaits much drama on the long-running ABC soap.

General Hospital: A glimpse at Ellen Travolta’s Gloria

Ellen Travolta’s Gloria arrived into the storyline in 1994 and was part of the soap’s plot till 1996 initially. Gloria and her husband, Carmine, came to town to check out Lois’s fiancé, Ned Quartermaine. While not enthusiastic about her daughter dating a musician, Gloria accepted Ned as a salesman.

General Hospital fans found her trying to help with the wedding plans. However, Lois hated the wedding dress Gloria picked. The mother also threatened Lois’s former lover who came to town to win Lois back. After the wedding Gloria discovered that Lois was pregnant. During the pregnancy, false contractions found Lois and Gloria at the hospital. Later Ned took up a three-year contract with ELQ and Lois broke up with him to move to Brooklyn.

Three decades later, Sonny spoke about Gloria after tasting Dex’s experimental cooking using a recipe from recipe cards. He explained about his past in Bensonhurst, Gloria, and her recipes. Thanksgiving of 2023, saw Ellen’s Gloria back for a surprise visit to granddaughter, Brook Lynn, Ned and Olivia. She and Lois cooked the Thanksgiving dinner.

Later Gloria admitted to her confrontations with the Russian mob. Since Yuri’s uncle, Mr. Petrov had connections with the Russian mob, Yuri suggested they talk it out with him. Brook Lynn bribed Petrov with a trombone-playing seat for his nephew in her musical tour. In exchange he agreed to leave Gloria alone and warned her away from playing Bingo at his place.

The May 2024 storyline of General Hospital saw Gloria back in town to attend Brook Lynn’s wedding to Chase. March 2025 saw her again when Giovanni’s parentage was accidentally revealed. Brook Lynn confronted her mother for keeping this a secret from her for so long. Gloria arrived to support Lois leaving BLQ feel betrayed by both.

May and June of 2025 blew up the Giovanni parentage arc with Dante and BLQ coming to terms with all the secrecies while Giovanni hated his biological parents for giving him up. June 3, 2025, saw Gloria encouraging Gio to get back with his family, while the young man rejected the idea.

While Brook Lynn admitted that giving her baby up was hard but meant love, Giovanni continued to feel deprived. Meanwhile, the mother-son duo learned that Gloria and Lois had forced Camilla to hold on to the secret before dying. This was a final straw for BLQ who refused to have any further connection with Lois and Gloria.

Gloria was seen leaving for Bensonhurst with her daughter. Since then, she has not returned to the storyline. With BLQ and Lois patching up, she may make an appearance in Port Charles in the future.

Meanwhile, actor Ellen Travolta is slated to appear on the third Haul Out series, Haul Out the Halloween, to premiere on the Saturday before Halloween 2025 on Hallmark Channel. For General Hospital fans, the soap is available on ABC every weekday and available to stream on Hulu the next day.