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Leslie Charleson
Leslie Charleson
	Charleson in 1967
Born	February 22, 1945 (age 79); 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.

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

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1968	A Lovely Way to Die	Julie	Feature film
1973	The Day of the Dolphin	Maryanne	Feature film
1977	Cheering Section	Rocker Girl	Feature film

Television

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	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 (ABC)
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	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–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 (NBC)
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"