Soap opera legend dies at 79; appeared in more than 2,000 episodes

A soap opera star who appeared in more than 2,000 episodes of “General Hospital” has died at age 79.

Variety reports Leslie Charleson, the actress best known for playing Dr. Monica Quartermaine on “GH,” died Sunday after a long illness. Health problems included mobility problems after falls in recent years, and she was hospitalized last week after a fall.

“It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Leslie Charleson,” said the show’s executive producer, Frank Valentini. announced on Instagram. “Her enduring legacy has spanned nearly 50 years on ‘General Hospital’ alone, and just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaines, Leslie was a beloved matriarch to the entire cast and crew. I will miss our daily chats, his quick wit, and his incredible presence on set. “On behalf of everyone at ‘General Hospital,’ my deepest condolences to your loved ones during this difficult time.”

Charleson first appeared on “General Hospital” in 1977 and appeared in 2,079 episodes over five decades, most recently in 2023, as well as the spin-off series “General Hospital: Night Shift.” She was nominated for four Daytime Emmy Awards, and her character Monica Quartermaine was known for a love triangle with Rick and Alan and became legendary for her mix of comedy (famously slapping her on-screen co-stars) and drama (getting shot, losing three children). and surviving breast cancer).

“We would really slap him in the face,” Charleson said. people magazine. “Stuart (Damon, who played Alan Quartermaine) was always afraid I was going to poke his eye out. I faked a slap in the dress rehearsal, but when we went to record it, everything went out the window!

Charleson, who was born in Kansas City, Missouri, began acting as a child and in high school. He studied theater at Bennett College in upstate New York; Hudson Valley’s all-girls school closed in 1977.

According to Variety, Charleson began her career in daytime television in 1964, when she was 19, on ABC’s “A Flame in the Wind.” He then participated for three years on CBS’ “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” and guest starred on major television shows such as “The Rockford Files,” “The Wild West,” “The Streets of San Francisco,” “Marcus Welby,” MD”, “Mannix”, “Ironside” and “Happy Days”, becoming actor and director Ron Howard’s first on-screen kiss.

Her later credits included “Friends” (playing herself opposite Matt LeBlanc’s Joey), “Dharma & Greg,” “Diagnosis: Murder” and the TV movie “Woman on the Ledge.”