Lynn Benesch, born Lynn Benish in

Westchester, New York Westchester County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous coun ...

, aka Lynn Chester, is an American actress and singer, best known for her role as Meredith Lord on the daytime drama ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

'' from 1969 to 1973. In 1972 she won praise for her portrayal as a mother who had twins and one was

stillborn Stillbirth is typically defined as fetal death at or after 20 or 28 weeks of pregnancy, depending on the source. It results in a baby born without signs of life. A stillbirth can often result in the feeling of guilt or grief in the mother. T ...

; this led to addressing the issues around

postpartum depression Postpartum depression (PPD), also called perinatal depression, is a mood disorder which may be experienced by pregnant or postpartum women. Symptoms include extreme sadness, low energy, anxiety, crying episodes, irritability, and extreme cha ...

which was still struggling to be understood as a legitimate medical concern. She briefly reprised the role in 1987, when her character's sister

Victoria Lord Victoria Lord formerly (Gordon, Riley, Burke, Riley, Buchanan, Buchanan, Carpenter, Davidson, Banks) is a fictional character and matriarch of the Lord family on the American soap opera ''One Life to Live'', played for over 41 years by six-time D ...

, having an out of body experience, took a trip to Heaven and reunited her with deceased loved ones. As Lynn Chester her theatrical credits include "Wait Until Dark" with Shirley Jones and "Star-Spangled Girl" with Anthony Perkins as well as the television series "General Hospital". A gifted singer and songwriter, she appeared with Skitch Henderson, and Wayland Pickard, with whom she co-wrote original songs which she performs in BBC-5's American import, radio soap opera "Milford-Haven" music episodes. She was a kindergarten teacher before going into acting and when younger she put on shows for Vietnam vets who were confined to a VA hospital in the late 1960s and early 1970s along with a childhood friend.

Filmography

According to All Media Guide/New York Times: * '' The Doctors'' as Bonnie Evans (March 1968) * ''

'' (1969–1973, 1987) – as Meredith "Merrie" Lord * ''

Comedy Tonight Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

'' (1970) * ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is a science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic world in which humans and intelligent apes c ...

'' (1974) * ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'' (1975) – as Zoe * ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...

'' (1976) – as Miss Franklin * ''

The Next Step Beyond ''The Next Step Beyond'' is a 1978 revival of the 1950s–1960s American television series ''One Step Beyond'', hosted by original host John Newland. Like ''One Step Beyond'', the series purported to tell true stories of the supernatural. Un ...

'' (1978) (sequel series to ''

One Step Beyond One Step Beyond may refer to: Music * ''One Step Beyond'' (Dungeon album) or the title song, 2004 * ''One Step Beyond'' (Jackie McLean album), 1963 * '' One Step Beyond...'', an album by Madness, or the title song (see below), 1979 * ''One Ste ...

'') * '' How the West Was Won'' (1978) – as Mina * ''

Rhoda ''Rhoda'' is an American sitcom television series created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns starring Valerie Harper that originally aired on CBS for five seasons from September 9, 1974 to December 9, 1978. It was the first spin-off of ''The ...

'' (1978) * '' The Great Brain'' (1978) * ''

Starsky and Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a '' Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired ...

'' (1979) – as Candy Reese * ''

Hanging In ''Hanging In'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for four episodes on CBS on Wednesday nights from August 8, 1979, to August 29, 1979. Summary After his failed attempt to launch the sitcom '' Mr. Dugan'', Norman Lear reworked ...

'' (1979) – as Mona * '' Hunter's Moon'' (1979) * ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books comprise a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adulthood in the Midwestern United States, Americ ...

: What Ever Happened to the Class of '56?'' (1980) – as Amy Phillips Sawyer * '' The Sophisticated Gents'' (1981) – as Renee Marcus * '' Command 5'' (1985) – as Ann Bryan * ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...

'' (1986) – as Beverly Stark * '' Daytimes' Greatest Weddings'' (2004) – as Meredeth Lord Wolek

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benesch, Lynn Living people American soap opera actresses American television actresses Actresses from New York (state) 20th-century American actresses 1940 births 21st-century American women