‘General Hospital’ (GH) spoilers confirm that Denise Alexander, who is best known for playing the iconic Lesley Webber on the soap, has died at the age of 85.
‘General Hospital’ Spoilers: Alexander Is A Soap Legend
The beloved actress also played Susan Hunter Martin on Days of Our Lives and Mary McKinnon on Another World.
Born in New York City in November 1939, she began acting on radio shows as a child. She played on Broadway and appeared in the film Crime in the Streets.
According to Soap Opera Digest, Alexander’s daytime career began in 1960 when she played Lois Adams on the short-lived soap, The Clear Horizon.
In 1966, she made it big on Days of Our Lives, where she got to play a bad girl who was a bad influence on soap darling Julie Williams (Susan Seaforth Hayes). Alexander and Seaforth Hayes forged a strong bond and became lifelong friends.
It was on Days she also met her future husband, Richard Colla. The two of them were married until he passed away on Christmas Eve, 2021.
Seven years later, General Hospital moved mountains to get her on the show. GH offered Alexander four times what Days could afford for her to stay.
Alexander switched soaps and joined the cast of GH as Laura Vining’s (Genie Francis) mother. The story of Lesley taking the rap for Laura killing David Hamilton and the love triangle between Lesley, Rick Webber (Chris Robinson), and Monica Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson) is the stuff of soap legend.
Lesley was killed in a car accident in 1984, which triggered a massive outcry from the fans. Her exit from GH was covered by The New York Times.
‘General Hospital’ Spoilers: Genie Francis Pays Tribute To Denise Alexander
In 1996, Lesley returned to Port Charles after being presumed dead for twelve years, much to the delight of her daughter, Laura.
She made a few returns until 2021 when she was written off the show. In an interview with TV Insider, Genie Francis reflected on her relationship with Denise Alexander.
“I love her, she loved me,”
She said.
“I stole her good stuff. When I look at myself sometimes on television, which I don’t so often, because I really don’t like to watch myself, but I have seen myself do stuff and been kind of taken aback because I just did Denise,”
Genie explained.
“So when I say I stole her good stuff, I’m saying I was so young, she imprinted on me. And some of my acting, some of my style of acting, was directly imprinted on me by Denise Alexander. And she was very, very good to me as I was growing up.”
She continued,
“She actually gave me this lovely necklace. It’s like a little angel that’s standing on a cloud, and it’s on a pearl. It was a charm, and I wore it all the time. And when my daughter wanted to become an actress when she was young, I said, You’ve got to have your good luck charm.”
Genie’s daughter, Eliza, inherited the necklace, and it has become invaluable to her. When Genie told Denise this, she was moved to tears. Lesley was the heart of the Spencer family on GH. She leaves behind an unforgettable legacy.
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