Leslie Charleson | |
|---|---|
 Charleson in 1967 | |
| Born | February 22, 1945 [1] Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Known for | Monica Quartermaine in General Hospital |
| 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. [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]
| 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" |
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