Leslie Charleson, best known for playing Dr. Monica Quartermaine on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, has died. She was 79.
General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini shared the news on social media on January 12. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Leslie Charleson,” he wrote in a message shared by the show’s official Instagram account. “Her enduring legacy has spanned nearly 50 years on General Hospital alone and, just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaine family, Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the entire cast and crew. I will miss our daily chats, her quick wit and incredible presence on set. On behalf of everyone at General Hospital, my heartfelt sympathy goes out to her loved ones during this difficult time.” See the post below.
Charleson, who was born on February 22, 1945, in Kansas City, Missouri. She began acting in the 1960s, with guest spots on daytime dramas including A Flame in the Wind and As the World Turns. She also appeared on TV shows such as N.Y.P.D., The Wild Wild West, Emergency!, Ironside, The F.B.I., Happy Days, The Rockford Files, Diagnosis Murder, Dharma & Greg, and Friends.
Charleson starred on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, but she was best known for playing Dr. Monica Quartermaine on General Hospital — and appeared as the same character on spinoffs Port Charles and General Hospital: Night Shift — beginning in 1977. Her last appearance as the character came in 2023. (That was also her last onscreen appearance as an actress.) During that time, her character was part of a major love triangle, with Rick (Chris Robinson) and Alan (Stuart Damon). Monica and Alan were also a supercouple.
Charleson was nominated for four Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series for her role as Monica on General Hospital in 1980, 1982, 1983, and 1995.