GH Denise Alexander (Dr. Leslie Webber) Dead At 85

General Hospital fans will remember Leslie Webber (Denise Alexander) not only as Laura Collins’ (Genie Francis) onscreen mother, but as Monica Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson) rival. .

However, Leslie was also a Days Of Our Lives alum as well. Leslie also played Susan Hunter Martin on Days Of Our Lives as well.

Denise Alexander Was A Very Significant Part Of Daytime TV

Alexander stands out as one of the most important actresses from the 1960s and 1970s. Of course, Alexander hadn’t been seen on the show in some time.

However, she was 85 when she passed away. Alexander was born in New York City and began appearing as as child actor is things like Perry Mason and I remember Mama.

Denise had an amazing life making her Broadway debut in 1952, she starred as Evelyn Munn in The Children’s Hour. Later, at the age of 14, Alexander starred with Sal Mineo in Crime in the Streets.

Alexander also did a lot of prime time appearances as well in shows such as, Father Knows Best, The Twilight Zone, The Danny Kaye Show and many others.

Denise Alexander Moved To Daytime In 1960

Alexander was in a few short lived soaps when she began her daytime career in 1960. She played Lois Adams in The Clear Horizon, a short lived CBS soap.

Another short lived soap followed, Ben Jerrod, on NBC. Alexander was also in the unaired GH pilot called Emergency Hospital before playing Lorna Hill on GH in 1965.

Alexander’s true rise to fame began in 1966 when she got the role of Susan Martin on Days Of Our Lives.

In an interview with Soap Opera Digest in 2015, Alexander explained, “[DAYS Creators] “Betty and Ted Corday were darling people and they knew my father [a talent agent].

When they were creating the show, they wanted it to be multigenerational, and they called my dad about me coming on, but I didn’t want a long contract.

Not quite six months into the show, we got another call, about a character who was a bad influence on Julie and brought chaos into her life and the Horton family.

They said, ‘It’s just for the summer.’ I didn’t often get cast as the bad girls and it was the Cordays, so I thought, ‘Oh, that’d be fun!’ Seven-and-a-half years later, I was still there. I worked that whole period of time without a signed contract! It was home to me.”

Denise Alexander Had Some Amazing Storylines

Alexander “played out dramatic twists that included rape, murder, love affairs, the death of a child and mental illness. “Alexander marveled to Digest, “To have the wonderful, amazing [then-Head writer] Bill Bell writing for me — every day was a gift.”

Denise also shared with SOD, “The Cordays were having a terrible time casting a young leading man when they were launching the show. Ted [Corday] met him through Macdonald Carey [ex-Tom] and immediately wanted him to read for the part of Tony Merritt, who was Maree Cheatham’s character’s boyfriend.

He wanted to be a director, but they offered him the part and they promised him he’d get a chance to direct, so when Days of Our Lives went on the air, their young romantic leading man was Richard Colla, who’d never acted professionally in his life.

By the time I got there, which was about six months in, we looked at each other and went, ‘Huh.’ We weren’t connected on the show. Seven years later, we met again—and 40 years later, we’re still together.”

Everyone was shocked in 1975 when Alexander chose to move on to GH. GH was struggling at the time but things improved when Douglas Marland was tapped as head writer in 1977 and Gloria Monty was named executive producer in 1978. Later from 1986-1989, Alexander starred on Another World.

Alexander returned to GH a few times during the 2000s. She last appeared on GH in 2019 and 2021. Alexander will be sadly missed by fans and colleagues.

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