Leslie Charleson dropped to recurring status
by Dan J Kroll
Posted Tuesday, August 24, 2010 8:49:21 PM


Another of General Hospital's long-time veterans has been taken off contract. Leslie Charleson, who has played the role of Monica Quartermaine for 33 years, will now appear only on a recurring basis. Rumors of the actress' firing or demotion have been making the rounds for several years.


General Hospital's longest-running contract player, Leslie Charleson (Monica Quartermaine) has been taken off contract. The actress will, however, remain with the ABC soap on a recurring basis.


Though the change of status probably won't surprise many viewers -- the actress' storyline has been virtually nonexistent for some time -- it still stings. The demotion means fans will see even less of the storied Quartermaine family on their screens. Charleson had been on-contract with General Hospital since August 1977.


Rumors have circled Charleson's status with the show for some time. In 2004, it was rumored that Charleson and her then-contracted co-stars, Stuart Damon (Alan Quartermaine) and Jackie Zeman (Bobbie Spencer), were going to be let go. At that time, the three stars combined for a cumulative tenure of more than 81 years.


Damon would eventually be let go. In December 2006, General Hospital announced that the actor was let go, though he was brought back for a short-term recurring appearance several weeks later. A year later, in December 2007, Zeman learned that she, too, would be taken off contract.


ABC does not comment on contracts.

---

---

Share this story with friends, family or the world.

SEND TO A FRIEND Email this article to a friend.
PRINTABLE VERSION View a printer friendly version of this article
"AIM" THIS ARTICLESend a this article to a friend by AOL Instant Messenger^®

---

Related Information
News Archive: Damon, Charleson, Zeman all rumored cut by GH. [Aug 30, 2004] Who's Who: Read a biography of Monica Quartermaine. About The Actor: Learn more about Leslie Charleson. More Archived News: Review more past GH news headlines. News and More: Return to soapcentral.com's GH FrontPage.