Longtime soap opera star Denise Alexander, best known for her portrayall of Lesley Webber on
General Hospital and Susan Hunter Martin on
Days of our Lives, died on March 5 at age 85.
Early in her career Alexander voiced characters on multiple radio soaps before making her Broadway debut in “The Children’s Hour”. On primetime television she made appearances on classics
Father Knows Best,
The Twilight Zone and
The Danny Kaye Show. In the eraly 1960s she moved to daytime TV on the CBS soap
The Clear Horizon.
She joined the cast of
Days of our Lives in 1966 as Susan, where she rose to stardom during her seven-year run. She left
Days in 1973 and joined the cast of ABC's
General Hospital as Lesley to help give the ratings-challenged soap a boost. Lesley fell for Ric k Webber (Chris Robinson) and became entangled in a triangle with rival Monica Bard (played by the late Leslie Charleson, who died earlier this year). Lesley also confessed to the murder of David Hamilton, a crime her daughter Laura (Genie Francis) committed. Her acting earned Alexander a Emmy nomination for outstanding actress in a Daytime drama series.
When storyline called for Lesley to be killed off in a car accident in 1984, fans became outraged. It wasn’t until 12 years later in 1996 that it was revealed that Lesley was actually alive. In between the two soaps, Alexander appeared on NBC’s
Another World as Mary McKinnon, working once again with Robinson a portion of her three-year stint.
“I am so very sorry to hear of Denise Alexander’s passing. She broke barriers on-screen and off, portraying Dr. Lesley Webber – one of the first female doctors on Daytime Television – for nearly five decades,”
GH executive producer Frank said on social media. “It meant so much to have her reprise her role in recent years and I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with her. On behalf of the entire General Hospital family, I extend my heartfelt sympathies to her family, friends, and longtime fans. May she rest in peace.”
Alexander last appeared on
General Hospital in 2021.
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Check out our interviews with Denise Alexander from 2010 and 2013 below.
First published in November 2010
WE LOVE SOAPS TV: You were involved in the industry when it was transitioning from radio to TV.
Denise Alexander: At the tail end of it. I got to do a little bit of everything.
Daytime Emmy Award-winning actress Anna Holbrook, and her Another World co-star, Kale Browne, guest-starred on the September 29, 2008, episode of indie radio soap opera Scripts & Scruples as Sam's parents, Maggie and Alan Zegas.