Soap opera star Denise Alexander, best known for her roles on “General Hospital” and “Days of Our Lives,” has died at 85.
“General Hospital” executive producer Frank Valentini took to social media over the weekend to offer his condolences.
“She broke barriers on-screen and off, portraying Dr. Lesley Webber - one of the first female doctors on Daytime Television - for nearly five decades. 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,” he said.
“On behalf of the entire General Hospital family,” Valentini continued. “I extend my heartfelt sympathies to her family, friends, and longtime fans. May she rest in peace.”
Soap opera actors alike also offered their condolences on social media, with “Days of Our Lives” alum, Susan Seaforth Hayes, paying tribute to her “treasured friend.”
“We both began as child actors, both had strong mothers and both were raised as Christian Scientists in our early years. I was grateful for her wisdom, taste, humor, and goodness every time I saw her. It was never enough. And my love for her will never be over.”
Born in 1939 and raised in Long Island, New York, Alexander started out young in the entertainment industry alongside her father, who was an agent in the business.
She acted in thousands of radio shows before making her onscreen television debut in 1949, during an episode of Perry Como’s “Kraft Music Hall.”
In the early 1950s, Alexander appeared on Broadway in “The Children’s Hour,“ and added film acting to her credits with a role in ”Crime in the Streets” in 1956.
She made hundreds of TV appearances in classics such as “Father Knows Best“ and ”The Twilight Zone,“ but it wasn’t until her role in ”The Clear Horizon” that soap operas opened their doors.
Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, Alexander portrayed Susan Hunter Martin on “Days of Our Lives” before leaving the show and making her “General Hospital” debut in 1973 as Dr. Lesley Webber.
She received a Daytime Emmy nomination for outstanding actress in a drama series for her “General Hospital” role in 1976, and appeared on the soap on a recurring basis over nearly five decades before her final return in 2021.
