Soaps Shocker: Erika Slezak Joins General Hospital! Here's What We Know So Far
The great Erika Slezak — a record-holding six-time Daytime Emmy winner for her run as One Life to Live's Viki (and sometimes Niki et al) — has inked a short-term deal to appear on ABC's General Hospital.
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The jaw-dropping news was delivered via Slezak's longtime fan club president, Walter Miller.
'Erika has just informed me she has signed a short-term contract with ABC's General Hospital,' Miller posted to ErikaSlezak.com on Thursday. 'At this time, Erika does not know which character she will be playing or when her scenes will air, but [she] is excited to be working again with executive producer Frank Valentini and the cast of GH!'
Valentini was the boss at OLTL from 2003 until its very end.
'I am thrilled to confirm that my dear friend and former One Life to Live colleague, Erika Slezak, will appear on General Hospital this fall,' Valentini confirmed via X. 'Stay tuned as we prepare to introduce another daytime legend to Port Charles.'
The daughter of Tony Award-winning Austrian actor Walter Slezak (but no relation to TVLine alumni Michael), Slezak famously first auditioned for All My Children and the role of nurse Mary Kennicott back in 1971 — albeit unsuccessfully. Instead, and fortuitously, she was offered the role of OLTL's Victoria 'Viki' Lord Riley. She made her OLTL debut in 1971, and stuck with it until 2013 — including as part of the show's short-lived, dying breath on Prospect Park's The Online Network.
Slezak earned her first Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 1983, grabbed gold for the first time the following year, and then claimed Emmys again in 1986, 1992, 1995 and 1996. (Yes, she holds the record for most wins in the Outstanding Lead Actress category.)
Since OLTL's true and sincere end, Slezak has been spotted guest-starring on primetime series including Blue Bloods and The Resident.
Who do think Slezak will be playing on ?
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