She is best known for playing the role of Laura Spencer on the television soap opera General Hospital from 1977 to present, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2007.

[citation needed] Francis began acting in the two part episode titled "Jury Duty" on the television series Family.

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.

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.

She starred on Days of Our Lives as Diana Colville (a reporter who became involved with John Black, at the time believing himself to be Roman Brady) from 1987 to 1989 and on All My Children as con artist and incest victim Ceara Connor Hunter from 1990 to 1992.

[10] In June 2006, she began negotiating with the casting directors on the show to return to the role of Laura Spencer for a limited run through November.

Though she reprised the role for only one month, Francis' stint garnered her a Daytime Emmy Nomination[11] for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, which she won in June 2007.

[13] In March 2011, it was announced that Francis would join The Young and the Restless as Genevieve Atkinson, the long-absent birth mother of Cane Ashby.

With her appearance, she was reunited with former General Hospital co-star Tristan Rogers, who portrayed Colin Atkinson, Cane's estranged biological father.

[15] On January 8, 2013, executive producer Frank Valentini and Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Francis would return to General Hospital, first airing on February 11.

[16] In January 2018, Francis was dropped to recurring status[17] and in late July 2018 signed a contract to return to General Hospital full-time.