Erika Slezak Reveals She’s Not Playing ‘OLTL’s Viki on ‘General Hospital’
The Doctor Is In
For exclusive news and updates, subscribe to our General Hospital Newsletter:
As Erika Slezak prepares to make her Port Charles debut this fall on General Hospital, longtime One Life to Live fans may be surprised to learn that the Daytime Emmy-winning actress won’t be reprising her iconic role as Victoria Lord, or bringing any of that character’s baggage with her.
According to an announcement on her official website, the veteran soap star will appear on the ABC daytime drama in a short-term role, playing a brand-new character. Her episodes are scheduled to begin taping in early September.
“At this time, Erika does not know which character she will be playing or when her scenes will air, but is excited to be working again with Executive Producer Frank Valentini and the cast of GH!,” a rep for the actress stated on her site.
Often regarded as one of the most complex and layered female character performances in television history, Erika Slezak portrayed Victoria “Viki” Lord on One Life to Live for over 40 years during its run on ABC. During her time on the series, Slezak won six Daytime Emmy Awards for her portrayal of the Lord family matriarch.
First introduced in 1968, Viki evolved from a young heiress into the editor-in-chief of the town’s newspaper, The Banner, and the powerful head of both the Lord and Buchanan clans. She is best remembered for her groundbreaking storyline involving Dissociative Identity Disorder, which her character developed due to childhood trauma, as well as her many, many marriages. She was also the mother to several popular characters on the show, Jessica Buchanan (Bree Williamson) and Natalie Buchanan (Melissa Archer).
The show aired its final broadcast on January 13, 2012, though it enjoyed a brief resurrection as a web series on Hulu and iTunes from April to August 2013.
General Hospital, Weekdays, ABC
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services