imported>Alexisfan07: Added specific 2021 months Alexander appeared

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Added specific 2021 months Alexander appeared

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{{Short description|American actress (1939–2025)}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Denise Alexander
| image = Denise Alexander as Leslie.jpg
| caption = Alexander in 1973
| birth_date = {{birth date|1939|11|11}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2025|03|05|1939|11|11}}
| death_place = [[Boulder, Colorado]], U.S.
| education = [[University of California, Los Angeles]]
| known_for = ''[[General Hospital]]''
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 1949–2025
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Richard A. Colla]]||2021|end=d.}}
}}

'''Denise Alexander''' (November 11, 1939 – March 5, 2025) was an American actress best known for her role as [[Lesley Webber]] on ''[[General Hospital]]'', a role she originally played from 1973 to 1984 (contract),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/31/arts/goodbye-for-fans.html |title=Goodbye For Fans |via=The New York Times |date=January 31, 1984 |work=Associated Press |access-date=October 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130104723/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/31/arts/goodbye-for-fans.html |archive-date=January 30, 2013}}</ref> 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 from January to February 2021.

==Life and career==
[[File:John Beradino Denise Alexander General Hospital 1973.JPG|thumb|210px|Alexander with [[John Beradino]] on ''General Hospital'', 1973|alt=|right]]
Alexander was born in New York City on November 11, 1939,<ref name="TV Insider 1" /> and raised on [[Long Island]]. She moved to Los Angeles when her father, Alec Alexander, an agent who handled such notables as [[Frank Gorshin]]<ref>[http://www.therealfrankgorshin.com/biography.html Frank Gorshin biodata] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129151844/http://www.therealfrankgorshin.com/biography.html |date=2007-01-29 }}, therealfrankgorshin.com; accessed September 16, 2014.</ref> 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]].<ref name=soaps>{{cite web|url=http://soaps.sheknows.com/generalhospital/actor/239/Denise_Alexander|title=Denise Alexander Playing Lesley Webber on General Hospital|website=[[Soaps.com]]|publisher=[[SheKnows Media]]|date=November 11, 1938|location=United States|access-date=October 1, 2013|archive-date=November 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141123032025/http://soaps.sheknows.com/generalhospital/actor/239/Denise_Alexander/|url-status=dead}}</ref> She made her feature movie debut at age fourteen in the [[Don Siegel]] film ''[[Crime in the Streets]]'' starring [[John Cassavetes]]. In 1962 Alexander appeared as Mildred Kroeger on the first season of the TV western ''[[The Virginian (TV series)|The Virginian]]'' on the episode titled "Impasse."

[[File:Days of Our Lives cast 1971.JPG|thumb|210px|''[[Days of Our Lives]]'' cast photo (1971)<br/>L−R: [[Edward Mallory]], Alexander, [[Macdonald Carey]] and [[Susan Flannery]]]]
Alexander first broke into the soap opera genre by playing Lois Adams on ''[[The Clear Horizon]]'' in 1960. Her big break on soaps came via the role of Susan Hunter Martin on ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'' from 1966 to 1973.<ref name=soaps/> In 1973, the character of Susan was written out of the show temporarily during contract negotiations with Alexander. [[ABC Daytime]] 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 (TV series)|Another World]]''. When the commute from her home in [[Los Angeles]] to ''Another World'''s studio in [[New York City]] 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.<ref>{{cite web|last=Newcomb|first=Roger|url=http://www.welovesoaps.net/2013/09/denise-alexander-innterview-1.html|title=EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Denise Alexander Talks Playing THE INN's Mysterious Lola & Returning To GENERAL HOSPITAL (Part 1 of 2)|work=[[We Love Soaps]]|date=2013-09-19|access-date=2013-10-01}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|author=SOD|author-link=Soap Opera Digest|title=Exclusive! Denise Alexander Returns To GH|url=https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/exclusive-denise-alexander-returns-gh/|access-date=January 2, 2018|work=[[Soap Opera Digest]]|agency=Odyssey Magazine Publishing Group Inc.|publisher=[[American Media, Inc.]]|date=November 30, 2017|location=United States}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.abc.soapsindepth.com/posts/denise-alexander-return-general-hospital-147976|title=Denise Alexander Returns to GENERAL HOSPITAL!|first=Chris|last=Eades|magazine=[[Soaps In Depth#Soaps Magazine|ABC Soaps In Depth]]|publisher=[[Bauer Media Group]]|location=[[Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey]]|date=November 30, 2017|access-date=January 2, 2018}}</ref> She also reprised the role from January to February 2021.

Alexander died in [[Boulder, Colorado]], on March 5, 2025, at the age of 85.<ref name="TV Insider 1">{{cite web |last1=Sloane |first1=Stephanie |title=''GH'' Star Denise Alexander Dies: Genie Francis Remembers TV Mom |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/1180503/denise-alexander-dead-general-hospital-lesley-webber/ |website=[[TV Insider]] |publisher=[[Fandom, Inc.]] |access-date=May 9, 2025 |date=May 9, 2025}}</ref> According to her stepson, she died of natural causes.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Barnes |first1=Mike |title=Denise Alexander, Dr. Lesley Webber on ''General Hospital'', Dies at 85 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/denise-alexander-dead-general-hospital-lesley-webber-1236212880/ |magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]] |access-date=May 13, 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250513144442/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/denise-alexander-dead-general-hospital-lesley-webber-1236212880/ |archive-date=May 13, 2025 |location=United States |issn=0018-3660 |oclc=44653726 |date=May 11, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==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.{{citation needed|date=September 2014}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! class="sortable" | Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 1950
| ''[[Dimension X (radio program)|Dimension X]]''
| Mink
| Episode: "There Will Come Soft Rains / Zero Hour"
|-
| 1951
| ''[[Robert Montgomery Presents]]''
|
| Episode: "Bubbles"
|-
| 1951
| ''[[Armstrong Circle Theatre]]''
|
| Episode: "That Man Is Mine"
|-
| 1952
| ''[[Kraft Television Theatre]]''
|
| Episode: "Lace on Her Petticoat"
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Robert Montgomery Presents]]''
| Jeannie
| Episode: "The Tall Dark Man"
|-
|1955
| ''[[Climax!|The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]''
| Mary Jane Wilks
| TV movie
|-
| 1956
| ''[[Crime in the Streets]]''
| Maria Gioia
|
|-
|1956
| ''[[Father Knows Best]]''
| Georgia
| Episode: "No Apron Strings"
|-
| 1958
| ''The Veil''
| Ruth Cooper
| TV mini-series
|-
| 1958
| ''[[The Walter Winchell File]]''
| Teresa Filchok
| Episode: "Hot Night in Manhattan"
|-
| 1958
| ''[[Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse]]''
|
| Episode: "Song of Bernadette"
|-
| 1958
| ''[[The Danny Thomas Show|Make Room for Daddy]]''
| Connie Coleman
| Episode: "Terry's Girlfriend"
|-
| 1959
| ''[[The Danny Thomas Show]]''
| Gerta Shoentler
| Episode: "Red Tape"
|-
| 1959
|''[[The DuPont Show with June Allyson]]''
| Ellie
| Episode: "Love Is a Headache"
|-
| 1959
| ''[[The Ann Sothern Show]]''
| Connie
| Episode: "The Sal Mineo Story"
|-
| 1960–1962
| ''[[The Clear Horizon]]''
| Lois Adams
| Series regular
|-
| 1960
| ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]''
| Jody Sturka
| Episode: "[[Third from the Sun]]"
|-
| 1960
| ''[[Letter to Loretta]]''
| Joyce Parker
| Episode: "Plain, Unmarked Envelope"
|-
| 1960
| ''[[The Detectives (1959 TV series)|The Detectives]]''
| Donna
| Episode: "Armed and Dangerous"
|-
| 1960
| ''[[The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis]]''
| Jini Metzger
| Episode: "Rock-A-Bye Dobie"
|-
| 1960
| ''The Blue Angels (TV series)''
| Sally Beckett
| Episode: "Blind Flight"
|-
| 1961
| ''[[The Detectives (1959 TV series)|The Detectives]]''
| Madge Snyder
| Episode: "The Frightened Ones"
|-
| 1961
| ''[[The Barbara Stanwyck Show]]''
| Janue Hunter
| Episode: "Call Me Annie"
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Angel (1960 TV series)|Angel]]''
|
| Episode: "Goodbye, Young Lovers"
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Sea Hunt]]''
| Caroline Tucker
| Season 4, episode 23: "Baby"
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Ben Casey]]''
| Ann Muller
| Episode: "A Memory of Candy Stripes"
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Stoney Burke (TV series)|Stoney Burke]]''
| Arlette Hughes
| Episode: "The Mob Riders"
|-
| 1962
| ''[[The Virginian (TV series)|The Virginian]]''
| Mildred Kroeger
| Episode: "Impasse"
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Ben Jerrod]]''
| Emily Sanders
| Series regular
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Combat!]]''
| Annette
| Season 1 Episode 21 "No Time for Pity"
|-
| 1964
| ''[[Combat!]]''
| Jacqueline
| Season 2 Episode 18 "The General and the Sergeant"
|-
| 1964
| ''The Fisher Family''
| Lois
| Episode: "The Trap of Freedom"
|-
| 1965
| ''Diamond Jim: Skulduggery in Samantha''
| Catherine
| TV movie
|-
| 1965
| ''[[That Funny Feeling]]''
| Helen
|
|-
| 1966–1973
| ''[[Days of Our Lives]]''
| [[Susan Martin (Days of Our Lives)|Susan Martin]]
| Series regular
|-
| 1973
| ''[[The ABC Afternoon Playbreak]]''
| Laura
| Episode: "The Gift of Terror"
|-
| 1973–1984,<br/>1996–2009, 2013,<br/>2017, 2019, 2021
| ''[[General Hospital]]''
| [[Lesley Webber]]
| Series regular (1973–1984), Recurring (1996–2009, 2013), guest (2017, 2019, 2021)<br/>Nominated − [[Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series]] (1976)
|-
| 1976
| ''[[The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case]]''
| Violet Sharpe
| TV movie
|-
| 1983
| ''Shaft of Love''
| Maxine Burke
| TV movie
|-
| 1984
| ''[[Hotel (U.S. TV series)|Hotel]]''
| Gail McLain
| Episode: "Lifelines"
|-
| 1986–1989, 1991
| ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]''
| Mary McKinnon
| Series regular
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Danielle Steel|Zoya]]''
| Axelle
| TV movie
|-
| 1997–1998
| ''[[Sunset Beach (TV series)|Sunset Beach]]''
| Sister Beatrice
| 15 episodes
|-
| 2010–2012
| ''Pretty the Series''
| Louise Fitzpatrick
| 8 episodes
|-
| 2013
| ''The Inn''
| Lola
| 10 episodes
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0018368|name=Denise Alexander}}
* {{IBDB name|94745}}

{{Authority control}}

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

Denise Alexander - Revision history

imported>Alexisfan07: Added specific 2021 months Alexander appeared