She was on “General Hospital” for nearly 50 years, acting in over 2,000 episodes.
NEW YORK — Leslie Charleson, known for playing Monica Quartermaine on “General Hospital,” died at 79.
Social media accounts for the ABC medical soap opera announced her death Sunday evening.
The message, signed by show executive producer Frank Valentini, described Leslie as a cherished figure within the cast and crew. Valentini expressed his fondness for the daily conversations, humor, and captivating presence Leslie brought to the set. He extended his sincere condolences on behalf of everyone at General Hospital to Leslie’s family and friends during this challenging period.
No cause of death was provided, but The Hollywood Reporter said she was “battling an illness for some time.”
Leslie Charleson, originally from Kansas City, Missouri, discovered her passion for acting at a young age, participating in school plays before pursuing theater studies at Bennett College in upstate New York, as reported on IMDb.
With an impressive tenure of almost five decades, Charleson dedicated a significant part of her career to “General Hospital.” Since its inception in 1963, the show has aired 62 seasons comprising over 15,000 episodes, in which Charleson contributed to more than 2,000 of them.
She also was a prominent character in “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” in the ‘60s, playing Iris Donnelly.
Charleson was nominated for four Daytime Emmy Awards, four Soap Opera Digest Awards and two Soap Hub Awards for her work on “General Hospital.”
