Leslie Charleson | |
|---|---|
 Charleson in 1967 | |
| Born | February 22, 1945[1][2] Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Spouse |
Bill Demms
(m. 1988; 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.
Charleson was born in Kansas City, Missouri.[3] 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.[4]
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.[5][6]
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.[4]: 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.[7] 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.[8][9] Charleson is the longest-serving cast member of General Hospital.[10]
| 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" |
