Soap Legend Erika Slezak Joins General Hospital!

A beloved daytime icon is returning to television screens soon as Erika Slezak joins the cast of General Hospital! The actress’s fan club posted the news to her official website to reveal that she has signed “a short-term contract” with the ABC soap. “At this time, Erika does not know which character she will be playing or when her scenes will air,” read a message on the site, “but is excited to be working again with executive producer Frank Valentini and the cast of GH!”

Valentini echoed the news on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “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. Stay tuned as we prepare to introduce another daytime legend to Port Charles.”

The Comeback Trail

Slezak is best known to soap fans for her role of matriarch Victoria Lord on One Life to Live, which she played from 1971 until the show’s final episode on ABC in January 2012. She was also one of the main cast members who returned for the short-lived online revival in 2013. Over her years with the soap, Slezak earned nine Daytime Emmy Award nominations in the Lead Actress category, taking home the trophy a record six times: in 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1996, and 2005.

Working on GH will reunite Slezak with Valentini, who was the executive producer of OLTL from 2003 until its final episode on ABC. Their affiliation goes back even further, though, as Valentini began his tenure with the soap in 1986, first as a stage manager, then as an associate producer and producer before being named show runner.

Following OLTL’s cancellation, Valentini took over as executive producer of GH in February 2012. One of his first moves was to bring three Llanview favorites aboard, hiring Roger Howarth (ex-Todd; ex-Franco; ex-Austin), Michael Easton (ex-John; ex-Silas; ex-Finn), and Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr; ex-Kiki) to bring their OLTL characters over to Port Charles. GH has also hosted short-term visits from Florencia Lozano as Téa Delgado, Hillary B. Smith as Nora Buchanan and Kassie DePaiva as Blair Cramer. Yet more OLTL alumni have appeared on the show as new characters; that list includes Mark Lawson (ex-Brody, OLTL, who played Lulu’s beau Dustin), Bree Williamson (ex-Jessica), who played Claudette, and current cast member Chris McKenna (Brennan), who played Joey Buchanan, son of Slezak’s Viki.

Since OLTL went off the air over 13 years go, Slezak has appeared in prime-time series like The Resident and Blue Bloods as well as in films like Guest Artist and Next Stop, Christmas.

Currently, there are no details as to when Slezak’s run on GH will be, how long it will last, or what kind of drama her as-yet-unnamed character will be stirring up in Port Charles, but keep checking back here for updates, and we’ll let you know when more information is released.