American actress
Leslie Charleson
Charleson in 1967
Born (1945-02-22 ) February 22, 1945 (age 79) [ 1] Occupation Actress Years active 1964–present Known for Monica Quartermaine in General Hospital Spouse
Bill Demms
(
m. ;
div. 1991)
Leslie Charleson (born February 22, 1945) is an American actress, best known for her role as Monica Quartermaine in the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital .
Life and career
Charleson was born in Kansas City, Missouri .[ 2] Actress Kate Charleson was her sister. Her career began on short-lived ABC daytime soap opera A Flame in the Wind in 1964. In 1966 she joined the cast of As the World Turns . In 1968, she played the role of a doctor's daughter in The Wild Wild West in the episode "The Night of Fire and Brimstone". From 1967 to 1970, she starred on the CBS soap opera Love Is a Many Splendored Thing .[ 1] She played the role of Iris Donnelly Garrison . Her character was a part of a highly popular love triangle with David Birney and Donna Mills .[ 3]
Charleson guest-starred on many series from 1970 to 1977, including Adam-12 ; Emergency! ; Ironside ; Mannix ; Marcus Welby, M.D. ; Happy Days ; Cannon ; The Streets of San Francisco ; and The Rockford Files . She had a supporting role in the 1973 science-fiction film The Day of the Dolphin and co-starred opposite Shelley Winters in the television thriller Revenge! (1971). Charleson also had leading roles in a number of unsuccessful television pilots, most notable 1975 sitcom pilot Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner .[ 4] [ 5]
On August 16, 1977, Charleson returned to daytime television with the role of Monica Quartermaine in the ABC soap opera General Hospital . Fred Silverman, then president of ABC, asked her to join the series, which at that time was near the bottom of the ratings and near cancellation.[ 3] : 117 For her role, Charleson received four Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series nominations: in 1980, 1982, 1983 and 1995.[ 1] During her General Hospital years, Charleson starred alongside Deidre Hall and Colleen Zenk in the 1993 made-for-television movie Woman on the Ledge .[ 6] She also guest-starred on sitcoms Dharma & Greg in 2001 and Friends in 2004. On August 24, 2010, it was announced that Charleson was being demoted to recurring status.[ 7] [ 8] Charleson is the longest-serving cast member of General Hospital .[ 9]
Filmography
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1964
A Flame in the Wind
Pam
Recurring role
1966
As the World Turns
Alice Whipple
Series regular
1967
N.Y.P.D.
Ginger
Episode: "Cruise to Oblivion"
1968
A Lovely Way to Die
Julie
1968
The Wild Wild West
Dooley Sloan
Episode: "The Night of Fire and Brimstone"
1967–1970
Love Is a Many Splendored Thing
Iris Donnelly Garrison
Series regular
1970
Mannix
Marge Lavor
Season 3-Episode 16: "A Chance at the Roses"
1971
Revenge!
Nancy Grover
Television film
1972
Adam-12
Kathy Royal
Episode: "The Princess and the Pig"
1972
O'Hara, U.S. Treasury
Helga Kuyper
Episode: "Operation: Deathwatch"
1972
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Lisa Kenny
Episode: "Just a Little Courage"
1972
Search
Search
Episode: "Live Men Tell Tales"
1972
The Rookies
Anne Dawson
Episode: "The Good Die Young"
1972
Emergency!
Christy Todd
Episode: "Women"
1972
Cannon
Katherine 'Kate' Machen
Episode: "Sky Above, Death Below"
1972
Medical Center
Patti
Episode: "Gladiator"
1973
Ironside
Nicky Jameson
Episode: "A Special Person"
1973
The F.B.I.
Ginny Wyatt
Episode: "The Loper Gambit"
1973
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Alice Henley
Episode: "The Circles of Shame"
1973
The Day of the Dolphin
Maryanne
1973
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Edie Nolan
Episode: "They've Got to Blame Somebody"
1974
Another April
April Weston Moss
Television pilot
1974
Cannon
Joan Stevens
Episode: "The Sounds of Silence"
1974
The Streets of San Francisco
Joanna Randolph Reed
Episode: "Death and the Favored Few"
1975
Kung Fu
Amy Starbuck
Episode: "One Step to Darkness"
1975
Happy Days
Mrs. Dorothy Kimber
Episode: "Get a Job"
1975
Caribe
Claire Grune
Episode: "Murder in Paradise"
1975
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Joanna Prentiss
Television pilot
1975
Medical Story
Episode: "The God Syndrome"
1975
Cannon
Susan Baylor
Episode: "The Man Who Died Twice"
1975
Barnaby Jones
Victoria Norris
Episode: "Honeymoon with Death"
1976
The Streets of San Francisco
Donna Sinclair
Episode: "Underground"
1976
Most Wanted
Lee Herrick
Television pilot
1976
Bert D'Angelo/Superstar
Episode: "A Concerned Citizen"
1976
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Captain Anne Schaeffer
Episode: "Love and War"
1977
McMillan & Wife
Ginny Lindauer
Episode: "Coffee, Tea, or Cyanide?"
1977
The Rockford Files
Patsy Fossler
Episodes: "To Protect and Serve: Part 1" and "To Protect and Serve: Part 2"
1977
Cheering Section
Rocker Girl
1977–present
General Hospital
Monica Quartermaine
Series regular (1977–2010), recurring cast (2010–present) Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (1980, 1982–83, 1995) Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama (1986, 1988, 1990) Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress (1993)
1993
Woman on the Ledge
Rachel
Television film
1997
Diagnosis: Murder
Herself
Episode: "Physician, Murder Thyself"
1997–2000
Port Charles
Monica Quartermaine
Recurring role
2001
Dharma & Greg
Katherine
Episode: "Dharma Does Dallas"
2004
Friends
Herself
Episode: "The One Where the Stripper Cries"
2006
The Return of the Muskrats
Waitress
Short film
2008
General Hospital: Night Shift
Monica Quartermaine
Episodes: "Truth and Consequences" and "Past and Presence: Part 2"
References
^ a b c "Leslie Charleson" . June 8, 2015.
^ "Leslie Charleson 411 - Soap Opera Digest" . Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014 .
^ a b Schemering, Christopher (1987). The Soap Opera Encyclopedia . New York: Ballantine. p. 150. ISBN 9780345324597 .
^ Goldberg, Lee (2001). Unsold Television Pilots Vol. 1: 1955–1976 . Lincoln, Nebraska: iUniverse . p. 230. ISBN 978-0-595-19429-2 .
^ Baugess, James S.; DeBolt, Abbe Allen, eds. (2012). Encyclopedia of the Sixties: A Decade of Culture and Counterculture . Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood . p. 274. ISBN 978-0-313-32944-9 .
^ Scott, Tony (March 15, 1993). "Nbc Monday Night at the Movies Woman on the Ledge" .
^ "Leslie Charleson dropped to recurring status" . SoapCentral . Retrieved 24 October 2014 .
^ "Leslie Charleson taken off contract at GH!" . Michael Fairman On-Air On-Soaps . 2010-08-24. Retrieved September 15, 2012 .
^ Brounstein, Diane (August 17, 2022). "Paging Dr. Q: Leslie Charleson Celebrates 45 GH Years!" . Soap Hub .
External links