‘General Hospital’ Casts Alimi Ballard — But Who Is William Baines?

Port Charles is getting another new face, and the timing of this arrival definitely has our attention. Alimi Ballard is joining General Hospital in the newly created role of William Baines, with the actor scheduled to make his first appearance on Thursday, September 3.

TV Insider broke the casting news on Wednesday, but there is one rather important detail being kept under wraps: Who exactly is William Baines? No storyline information has been revealed about the character, which naturally means General Hospital fans are going to start putting on their detective hats. And considering everything happening in Port Charles right now, there are certainly a few places a mysterious newcomer could fit.

Alimi Ballard Is No Stranger to Daytime

While William Baines may be new to the soap world, Ballard definitely isn't. Longtime daytime viewers may remember the actor as Frankie Hubbard, the son of All My Children supercouple Angie and Jesse Hubbard. Ballard originated the role on ABC's Loving in 1993 before continuing with the character when the series transitioned into The City.

That makes his arrival on General Hospital something of a daytime homecoming more than 30 years later. Ballard has built an extensive television résumé since his soap days and is perhaps best known for playing FBI agent David Sinclair on Numb3rs. He also appeared as the Quizmaster on Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

His additional credits include Criminal Minds, Queen Sugar, Queen of the South, The Rookie, Law & Order, NCIS and Grey's Anatomy. On the film side, viewers may recognize him from Deep Impact and Fast Five. Basically, GH didn't exactly bring in a newcomer.

So, Who Is William Baines?

That's where things get interesting. General Hospital is keeping the details surrounding William Baines quiet ahead of Ballard's debut. We don't know whether William has family connections in Port Charles, represents another organization or is walking into town because of one of the many stories already unfolding.

But come on now, look at the timing. Jack Brennan is dead, Port Charles suddenly has another murder mystery on its hands, and questions surrounding the WSB aren't going away anytime soon. Then, almost immediately, a mysterious new man named William Baines arrives?

We're not saying those things are connected because, to be clear, nothing about William's storyline has been revealed. We're just saying our soap senses are tingling. Could William be connected to the WSB, law enforcement or Brennan's death? Or is GH about to send him in a completely different direction and make all of us look ridiculous for trying to solve the mystery before the man even says hello? Honestly, that last option would be very soap opera.

Whatever brings William Baines to Port Charles, Ballard's casting adds an experienced daytime and primetime actor to the canvas at a particularly interesting moment for General Hospital. Thankfully, we don't have long to wait for answers to start arriving, as Alimi Ballard makes his General Hospital debut as William Baines on Thursday, September 3.