Tonja Walker is an American actress and singer, who is also a former beauty pageant titleholder who has competed in the

Miss USA Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020. ...

pageant. She is known for her role as Alex Olanov on ''

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 ...

'' and for her role as Olivia St. John 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 ...

''.

Career

Walker's first acting role was in ''

Liar's Moon ''Liar's Moon'' is a 1981 film directed by David Fisher and starring Matt Dillon, Cindy Fisher, Yvonne De Carlo, and Hoyt Axton. It tells the story of two star-crossed lovers in 1940s Texas—a working-class teen and the banker's daughter who e ...

'' with

Matt Dillon Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and two Independent Spirit Awards alongside nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, ...

. Walker's work has been primarily as a performer on daytime dramas. Her first daytime role was on the television serial '' Capitol''. She played Lizbeth Bachman, a sophisticated heiress torn between playboy Jordy Clegg and handicapped doctor Thomas McCandless. Walker played the role from the show's launch until she left in 1984. She returned to daytime as mob princess Olivia St. John on ''

'' from 1988 to 1990, playing a villainess complicating the lives of Duke Lavery and his family. Walker would make a brief return to this role in 2017. Walker was then cast as Alex Olanov Hesser Buchanan Buchanan on ''

''. Alex was initially an FBI agent, but became involved with the mob. Walker had the longest run in this role, playing Alex from 1990 to 1997, with several return visits in 2001 and 2002. She made additional appearances as Alex on ''One Life to Live'' in August 2007 for the show's 9,999th and 10,000th episodes, Her character later returned again on November 2, 2007 for a brief run and again on January 2, 2009, March 15, 2011 and November 17, 2011. She also had recurring roles as Marie Green on ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...

'' from 2003 to 2004, where she worked with ''Capitol'' costar

Marj Dusay Marjorie Ellen Mahoney Dusay (; née Mahoney; February 20, 1936 – January 28, 2020) was an American actress known for her roles on American soap operas. She was especially known for her role as Alexandra Spaulding on ''Guiding Light'', a role ...

, and as D.A. Grace Nancier on ''

Passions ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and ...

'', a role meant to spoof

Nancy Grace Nancy Ann Grace (born October 23, 1959) is an American legal pundit, commentator and television journalist. She hosted ''Nancy Grace (TV program), Nancy Grace'', a nightly celebrity news and current affairs (news format), current affairs show ...

. Walker is also a singer and has released one album collection of her songs. She produced a film in which she also appeared, The Derby Stallion. The film starred

Zac Efron Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. Efron began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence as a teen idol for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' film ...

Bill Cobbs Wilbert Alexander Cobbs (June 16, 1934 – June 25, 2024) was an American actor, known for such film roles as Louisiana Slim in '' The Hitter'' (1979), Walter in '' The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984), Reginald in ''Night at the Museum' ...

, and

William R. Moses William Remington Moses (born November 17, 1959) is an American actor. Early life Moses was born in Los Angeles, the son of actress Marian McCargo (1932–2004) and advertising executive Richard Cantrell Moses Sr., who married in 1951 and divorc ...

and was released on

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...

and on DVD in 2007.

Personal life

Walker has two daughters and three stepchildren. Her two daughters are Isabella and Abrianna, who played her on-screen daughters in '' The Derby Stallion''. Her three stepchildren are named Evan, Samantha, and Alec. All of her children use the last name Davidson.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Miss Maryland USA official website
*
Tonja Walker Speaks About GH Return
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Tonja American soap opera actresses Musicians from Huntington, West Virginia Place of birth missing (living people) Living people Miss USA 1980 delegates Miss Maryland USA winners 21st-century American women Year of birth missing (living people)