Five Fast Facts: Leslie Charleson of General Hospital

You’ve known Leslie Charleson as Dr. Monica Quartermaine on “General Hospital” for decades. Here are some Five Fast Facts you may not have known about this beloved soap vet.

A Star is Born
Leslie Charleson was born on February 22, 1945 in Kansas City, Missouri. While she’s earned for Daytime Emmy nominations as Monica, GH wasn’t her first soap role. She also briefly appeared on “As the World Turns” as Alice before joining “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” as Iris. She recently reunited with her onscreen sister, Donna Mills (ex-Laura), when the actress recently appeared on GH as Madeline.

Love Those Pearly Whites
In the 1970s, Charleson starred in a successful string of commercials for the toothpaste, Pearl Drops. In fact, she credits that ad with getting her the role in the film “Day of the Dolphin.” The movie about talking dolphins enabled her to work with legendary actor George C. Scott and director Mike Nichols.

Love Me Tender
Charleson is a huge fan of The King, Elvis Presley. In fact, her first day on the GH set coincided with the day he died. It must have been a thrill to speak with castmate Jane Elliot (Tracy). Her onscreen nemesis co-starred with Elvis in his last film, “A Change of Habit.”

Uber Anyone?
When Stuart Damon first joined the show as her love interest Alan Quartermaine, he didn’t have a car. Not to worry! Enter Leslie – who would pick him up in her convertible and take him to work. The two quickly bonded and became lifelong friends.

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Charleson had her fair share of guest spots on primetime dramas like “Mannix,” “Emergency!” and “The Rookies.” She also appeared on sitcoms “Friends,” “Dharma & Greg,” and “Happy Days.” In the latter, she played a divorced (oh no!) woman who was interested in Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard). Guess that scandalous role helped her prepare to play Monica.
 

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