Francis began acting in the two part episode titled "Jury Duty" on the television series "Family". Her biggest role came in 1977 with Laura Spencer on "General Hospital" as she was a recast. It would bring her instant stardom in the late 1970s. The television couple of Luke and Laura wed on November 17, 1981, with 30 million viewers tuning in to make the episode the highest-rated hour in soap opera history. At the peak of her success, Francis left the series in 1982 to try her hand at prime-time television. Soon afterward, she landed a starring role in her own series, "Bare Essence", which was unsuccessful. She returned to "General Hospital" in 1983 for a limited run, to coincide with the departure of Luke when Anthony Geary decided to leave the series. Francis was also offered the lead role for the movie "Splash" but turned it down because she thought the script was silly.