General Hospital alum Denise Alexander passes away at 85

Denise Alexander, a veteran of American daytime television best known for her work as Dr. Lesley Webber on General Hospital, died at the age of 85. According to reports from Variety and Soap Opera Digest, Alexander died on March 5, 2025. The news of her death was confirmed by General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini on May 9, 2025.

Alexander's entertainment career lasted more than half a century, with radio, television, and movie work. She was well known for her daytime drama work, especially at General Hospital, where she worked intermittently from 1973 to 2021.

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General Hospital star Denise Alexander's early life

Denise Alexander was born on November 11, 1939, in New York City. She started working in radio at the age of six, and by the time she moved into TV and film work, she had done thousands of radio shows. She first appeared in the film Crime in the Streets (1956) and in a variety of TV series during the early part of her career.

Denise Alexander began her soap opera career in 1960 with a short role on The Clear Horizon. Her first major role came in 1966 on Days of Our Lives as Susan Hunter Martin, where she stayed until 1973 and was involved in many dramatic storylines.

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Role on General Hospital

Denise Alexander started her job as Dr. Lesley Webber (who was initially introduced as Lesley Williams Faulkner) on General Hospital in 1973. The doctor/mother character became a pivotal element of the series' constant storylines. A significant story was her character adopting Laura Vining, an actress played by Genie Francis, which developed into one of the more recognizable parent-child pairs on the show.

Her plotlines often crossed over with those of other main characters, such as Rick Webber (Chris Robinson) and Monica Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson). In the mid-to-late 1970s, General Hospital became more popular, and Alexander's character was involved in a number of the show's central storylines.

Alexander was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 1976 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Lesley Webber. She was a series regular on the show until 1984, when her contract expired and she was written out of the show.

Alexander reprised her role on the show in 1996, when the writers explained that her character had not perished, but had been in captivity for years. She remained in recurring status until 2009 and made further guest appearances in 2013, 2017, 2019, and 2021.

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Other work and personal life

Apart from the show, Alexander also appeared in other soap operas such as Another World, where she played Mary McKinnon from 1986 to 1989. She also had roles in other primetime series throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

Alexander married television director Richard A. Colla, a man who is noted for having directed episodes of Battlestar Galactica and other shows. They were together until Colla died in 2021. Alexander leaves behind her stepdaughter, Elizabeth Colla.

In the wake of the announcement of her passing, condolences were expressed by those connected to the show, such as executive producer Frank Valentini. Actress Genie Francis, who played Alexander's on-screen daughter, also went public, speaking about Alexander's role in her early career and long professional relationship.

Denise Alexander’s long run on General Hospital is part of the broader trend of serialized drama in 20th-century American TV. Her work is still available through broadcast archives and streaming platforms that air the show's episodes.

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Catch the latest episode of General Hospital streaming on ABC.