Denise Alexander (November 11, 1939 – March 5, 2025) was an American actress best known for her role as Lesley Webber on ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

'', a role she originally played from 1973 to 1984 (contract), 1996 to 2009, and a guest stint in 2013, in honor of the show's 50th anniversary. Alexander returned to ''General Hospital'' for two other guest appearances in December 2017 and April 2019, the latter to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the show. She then reappeared in early 2021.

Life and career

John Beradino Denise Alexander General Hospital 1973

Alexander was born in New York City on November 11, 1939, and raised on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. She moved to Los Angeles when her father, Alec Alexander, an agent who handled such notables as

Frank Gorshin Frank John Gorshin Jr. (April 5, 1933 – May 17, 2005) was an American actor, comedian and impressionist. He made many guest appearances on television variety and talk shows, including '' The Ed Sullivan Show'', '' Tonight Starring Steve Allen' ...

and Sal Mineo, decided to make the switch from the East to the West Coast. Alexander had appeared on TV and radio by the time she was a junior at

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

. She made her feature movie debut at age fourteen in the

Don Siegel Donald Siegel ( ; October 26, 1912 – April 20, 1991) was an American film director and producer. Siegel was described by ''The New York Times'' as "a director of tough, cynical and forthright action-adventure films whose taut plots centered o ...

film '' Crime in the Streets'' starring

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...

. In 1962 Alexander appeared as Mildred Kroeger on the first season of the TV western '' The Virginian'' on the episode titled "Impasse." Days of Our Lives cast 1971

Alexander first broke into the soap opera genre by playing Lois Adams on ''

The Clear Horizon ''The Clear Horizon'' is an American soap opera which ran on CBS Daytime from July 11, 1960, to March 10, 1961, and February 26 to June 15, 1962. Manya Starr created the program and was its head writer. Premise ''The Clear Horizon'' (titled ''T ...

'' in 1960. Her big break on soaps came via the role of Susan Hunter Martin on ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...

'' from 1966 to 1973. In 1973, the character of Susan was written out of the show temporarily during contract negotiations with Alexander.

ABC Daytime ABC Daytime (sometimes shortened to ABC-D or ABCD) is a division responsible for the daytime television programming block on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC Network and syndicated programming. The block has historically encompassed soap o ...

rushed to offer her a then-unheard of salary/perks package to join ''General Hospital''. When Susan eventually returned to ''Days'', she was portrayed by Bennye Gatteys. Alexander's role on ''General Hospital'', Lesley Webber, became a long-running role. She stayed with the show for eleven years as one of the show's most popular leading ladies, leaving in 1984 after a contract dispute. In 1986, she was offered a big salary to portray McKinnon matriarch, Mary, on '' Another World''. When the commute from her home in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to ''Another Worlds studio in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

proved to be difficult for her, she left the show, filming her last scene in 1989, but briefly returned for a guest appearance in 1991. In 1996, she returned to the role of Lesley (brought back from the dead after almost 13 years) on ''General Hospital'', which she continued playing on a recurring basis until 2009 when the character simply faded from view. She reprised the role in time for the show's 50th anniversary in 2013 and remained on canvas as a recurring character throughout that year. Alexander reprised her role on ''General Hospital'' in late December 2017 for a short stint, and also for one episode in April 2019 for the show's 56th anniversary. She also reprised the role in early 2021. Alexander died in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

, on March 5, 2025, at the age of 85. According to her stepson, she died of natural causes.

Filmography

In November 1949, Alexander played Perry Como's daughter on ''Perry Como's Chesterfield Supper Club'' on NBC. It was a Thanksgiving-themed show with guest Raymond Massey portraying Abraham Lincoln.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Denise 1939 births 2025 deaths Actresses from New York (state) American soap opera actresses American film actresses American television actresses People from Long Island University of California, Los Angeles alumni 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses