Leslie Charleson was an actress who played Chief of Staff Monica Quartermaine on “General Hospital” for decades.
- Died: January 12, 2025 (Who else died on January 12?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 79.
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Leslie Charleson’s legacy
Though Charleson became renowned in the soap opera world for her long-running role on “General Hospital,” it wasn’t her first soap opera. Before joining its cast, she made her debut on the 1960s soap opera “A Flame in the Wind” and became one of the original stars of “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing,” playing Iris Donnelly Garrison from 1967 to 1970. She told herself she wouldn’t take another soap opera role after she left the latter, but her mind changed when she got the offer to replace Patsy Rahn in the role of Monica Quartermaine.
Charleson joined the cast of “General Hospital” in 1977 and remained until late 2023, becoming the show’s longest-tenured star as she appeared in more than 2,000 episodes. Her character was a cardiologist and, as she often reminded others, the owner of the Quartermaine mansion. Her character, who battled breast cancer, was in a high-profile, often contentious marriage with Dr. Alan Quartermaine, played by Stuart Damon (1937–2021), before becoming his widow. Charleson was nominated for four Daytime Emmy Awards for her performance, and she also crossed over to the spinoff show “Port Charles,” appearing on more than two dozen episodes.
Soap operas were far from the only acting work on Charleson’s resume. She made many TV appearances over the years, with guest roles on such shows as “The Wild Wild West,” “Adam-12,” “Happy Days,” “The Rockford Files,” “Dharma & Greg,” and “Friends.” She was also in several made-for-TV movies, including a remake of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” as well as “Cheering Section” and “Woman on the Ledge.”
Notable quote
“’General Hospital’s’ fans are fiercely loyal, and I think, because these characters appear in their homes each weekday, year after year, they truly feel a connection to us personally. I once had a fan come up to me to introduce me to her friend, before she realized that I hadn’t actually met her before either!” —from a 2020 interview for FBJ Fit
Tributes to Leslie Charleson
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
