Tristan Rogers, who became a fixture of daytime television by playing a mysterious spy-turned-police commissioner on the soap opera “General Hospital,” died on Friday at his home in Palm Springs, Calif. He was 79.

Meryl Soodak, his manager, confirmed his death and said the cause was lung cancer.

Mr. Rogers joined the cast of “General Hospital” in 1980 as Robert Scorpio, a seasoned international spy whose charisma quickly made him a fan favorite.

He was a heartthrob mainstay of the show during its ratings peak in the 1980s.

Mr. Rogers appeared in more than 1,400 episodes of “General Hospital,” which has been part of ABC’s daytime lineup for more than 60 years and follows characters who live in the fictional town of Port Charles, N.Y.

Tristan Rogers was born on June 3, 1946, in Melbourne, Australia. He had several television roles in Australia, including in the police drama series “The Link Men” in 1970 and the mini-series “Power Without Glory” in 1976.

Mr. Rogers is survived by his wife, Teresa Parkerson, two children and a grandson, Ms. Soodak said.

In 2020, he won an Emmy Award for a supporting actor in a digital drama series for his role in “Studio City,” which follows an aging soap opera star who must navigate drama on-set and in his personal life.

On the show’s two seasons, Mr. Rogers played Doc, the protagonist’s flawed stepfather who is coming to terms with his mortality.

He also appeared on “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful.” In an essay in “The Survival of Soap Opera,” published in 2010, Mr. Rogers expressed a strong appreciation for the genre.

“They have made their mark, and almost every type of medium owes something to the way the soaps have been put together, whether they want to admit it or not,” he wrote.

Mr. Rogers was initially hired to work on “General Hospital” for two days, he said during a 2020 interview on the podcast “That’s Awesome With Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson.”

His character was set to disappear after beating up the show’s protagonist, Luke Spencer, but an executive producer quickly offered him a longer contract, he said during a 2022 interview on the podcast “State Of Mind With Maurice Benard.”

Mr. Rogers became one of the show’s most captivating characters. After three months, he was receiving 1,500 to 5,000 pieces of fan mail each week, he said on the “That’s Awesome” podcast.

In 1983, he further endeared himself to fans when his character transitioned from being a suave, cunning spy into the devoted, principled police commissioner of Port Charles.

Robert’s close friendship with Luke and Laura, the show’s golden couple, as well as his romances with Holly Sutton and Anna Devane, boosted Mr. Rogers’s longevity on the show.

He first left “General Hospital” in 1992, when Robert appeared to have been killed in an explosion on a boat off South America. But his body was never seen. Three years later, Robert returned as a spirit to comfort his daughter, Robin Scorpio.

In subsequent appearances, his character was alive.

He returned to the franchise several times during the 2000s and 2010s, including in 12 episodes in 2008 of “General Hospital: Night Shift,” a prime-time spinoff.

His final performance in “General Hospital” aired in July, when he returned for a farewell to his on-screen daughter, as the actress who played her was leaving the show.

His 2006 return to “General Hospital” — his first appearance in more than a decade — lured back many lapsed fans. For the second week of his arc, the soap was the No. 1 daytime drama among women 18 to 49.

He acknowledged his legacy in a 2006 interview with The New York Times, saying, “I think this character will follow me to my grave.”