When Jackson left the role in 1999 , a recast was opposed by viewers and costars . When Jackson 's departure had previously been rumored in 1996 , Anthony Geary ( Luke ) told '' TV Guide '' that he " went to ( the '' GH '' powers ) and said , ' If we lose him , then let 's kill Lucky . ' Jonathan is too much a part of us to replace him . " Geary repeated these sentiments when Jackson confirmed leaving in 1999 . When a recast was rumored in early 2000 , Jackson stated : " When all the actors who are going to be working with the character do n't want it , it 's kind of too bad that they still do it . But I do n't really get surprised with a lot of things that they do . " The role was recast with Jacob Young , and by the time he appeared on-screen in February 2000 , the character had been off-screen for almost a year , speculated to be an attempt to ease the transition between actors due to Jackson 's popularity . Young was able to become accepted by fans ; in 2001 , Candace Havens wrote in '' The Free Lance – Star '' : " His hard work has paid off and many fans ca n't even remember there was ever someone else in the role . " Young was named Sexiest Soap Star by '' People '' magazine in 2001 . In 2002 , Young won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor . Greg Vaughan , who took over the role from 2003 to 2009 , was the only portrayer of Lucky not to be nominated for an Emmy award . However , Vaughan did have a fan following . He was chosen by ABC Daytime and SOAPnet to participate in their 2008 Hot Guys Calendar , featuring popular male costars from ABC soap operas . At the start of 2008 , '' Zap2it '' named Vaughan No. 6 on their Top 10 Most Improved list , stating : " The gorgeous Mr. Vaughan plays angry and sexy very well . Thank goodness we 're getting to see it . " During Vaughan 's tenure , Lucky entered into a relationship with Sam McCall ( Kelly Monaco ) that was popular with fans . '' Zap2it '' named them No. 6 on their list of Top Couples of 2007 , and tied them for No. 3 in 2008 along with entangled couple Elizabeth ( Herbst ) and Jason Morgan ( Steve Burton ) , stating : " Lucky and Sam were conceived out of a revenge plot , yet quickly surprised fans and execs alike with their instant chemistry . Is the Quad in for another partner-switching shake-up in 2009 ? " When Vaughan left in 2009 , he reflected on his reception : " I am grateful as to how the fans embraced me , whether they liked me or not . It was my job to win them over and I did that in due time . " Some felt Vaughan was not a good fit for the character . In April 2008 , Allison Waldman of '' The Huffington Post '' named Jackson as one of the top ten actors to make an impact on '' General Hospital '' , stating : " He 's still the real Lucky to many people , even though two other actors have subsequently played the part . " When Jackson was hired to reprise the role in 2009 , his return was highly anticipated , but accompanied by controversy as Vaughan was let go in order to bring Jackson back . Fans had a bittersweet reaction to the switch . The network promoted Jackson 's return with the phrase , " Elizabeth 's first love is back ! " , which angered some of Vaughan 's fans . However , ratings rose the week Jackson returned , and his performance was well received . Jackson was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2010 , only having been with the show for three months of 2009 . Jackson 's return changed the dynamic of the Elizabeth and Nikolas affair storyline , which had a negative reception from fans who thought it did not align with the history between Herbst and Jackson . The scenes in early 2010 where Lucky confronts Elizabeth and Nikolas about their affair received praise . That April , '' We Love Soaps '' named Jackson No. 26 of the top 50 Greatest Soap Actors , Damon L. Jacobs commenting : " From that first scene as Lucky in the Canadian diner , to his recent scenes of betrayal railing against Elizabeth and Nikolas , Jonathan adds a profound depth and spiritual gravity to the scripted words that is far beyond his years . His piercing bloodshot eyes shoot daggers far more deadly than Sonny 's guns , and his smile encapsulates all that was celebrated about Luke and Laura 's connection . " Michael Logan of '' TV Guide '' named Jackson the best actor of 2010 , referencing the affair confrontation when stating : Jackson submitted those scenes for the 38th Daytime Emmy Awards , where he won his fourth Daytime Emmy Award and first win as Outstanding Supporting Actor . The scenes were compared to classics such as Judith Light 's performance of Karen Wolek 's courtroom confession scene on '' One Life to Live '' and Kim Zimmer ’s performance of Reva Shayne 's fountain scene on '' Guiding Light '' . Jackson 's on-screen chemistry with Erin Chambers ( Siobhan ) also had a positive reception at the end of 2010 . However the following year they were rated the No. 6 Worst Soap Opera Couple of 2011 by '' Zap2it '' , who stated : " We spent 2011 desperately clinging to those few early memories , as Siobhan transformed from an appealing character into a shrill , insecure harpy ( ... ) Try as Jackson and Chambers might , the actors were unable to salvage an ounce of their prior appeal as a couple . " On the other hand , the entertainment website named Jackson No. 3 of the Top 10 Male Entertainers that year . Jackson had a range of emotional work in 2011 that received acclaim , including the scenes following the death of Lucky 's son Jake , a storyline met by criticism by some fans . In 2012 , Jackson won his fifth Daytime Emmy Award for his scenes where Lucky tells Luke that Luke was the driver that hit Jake and confronts him about his drinking . When Jackson was nominated , '' On-Air On-Soaps '' stated :
38th Daytime Emmy Awards
38th Daytime Emmy Awards
Lucky Spencer