Erika Alma Hermina Slezak is an American actress, best known for her role as
Victoria Lord on the American daytime soap opera One Life to Live from 1971
through the television finale in 2012 and again in the online revival in 2013.
She is one of the longest-serving serial actors in American media.
Life and career Slezak was born in Hollywood, California
of Austrian and Dutch descent, the daughter of Tony award-winning Austrian
actor Walter Slezak and Johanna "Kaasi" Van Rijn, and the granddaughter of opera
tenor Leo Slezak. She was born two months after her grandfather died.
Raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, Slezak attended high school at the Convent of
the Sacred Heart, Eden Hall in Torresdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
At age 17, she became one of the youngest individuals ever accepted into
London's prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, later graduating in 1966.
Establishing a noteworthy reputation in theater, she performed in Milwaukee,
Chicago, and Houston. = One Life to Live=
In 1971, Slezak auditioned for the role of nurse Mary Kennecott on the ABC soap
opera All My Children. She was not cast on that show, but the network offered
her the role of Victoria "Viki" Lord Riley on One Life to Live. In her 42
years in the role, Slezak won six Daytime Emmy Awards, which is an Emmy
record. In 2007, Slezak voiced strong criticism
of OLTL‍‍ '​‍s then-head writer, Dena Higley. In the March 2007 edition of
Slezak's fan club newsletter, she stated, "Dena doesn't care about the
rich history of the show, which is evident in what she writes" and that
Higley "wants to write stories that she thinks are interesting but nobody else
does." Ron Carlivati was subsequently made co-head writer, with Higley
ultimately leaving the series in September 2007.
In April 2011, ABC announced that OLTL would be cancelled, with its final
airdate in January 2012. However, media company Prospect Park licensed the
creative rights to the show from ABC in July 2011 and announced that they would
migrate the series to an online format. In September 2011, Slezak confirmed she
would be participating in the new version show, along with other regular
cast members. The Prospect Park project stalled in November 2011, and OLTL ended
its run on ABC as scheduled. In early 2013, Prospect Park announced it was
moving forward with their online versions of One Life to Live and All My
Children, with Slezak confirmed on board. The revived series, taped in
Stamford, Connecticut, premiered on Hulu, Hulu Plus, and iTunes on April 29,
2013 and ran through August 19, 2013. = Other projects=
Slezak portrayed Jean Roberts in the 1996 television film adaptation of
Danielle Steel's novel Full Circle. Personal life
Slezak is married to Brian Davies, and is the mother of two children, Michael
and Amanda. In 2003, Amanda played a teenaged Victoria in flashback scenes on
One Life to Live. Awards and nominations
Slezak has won six Daytime Emmy Awards in the category of "Outstanding Lead
Actress in a Drama Series" out of nine nominations for her role as Victoria.
Nominated in 1983, 1988, and 2012, she won in 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1996 and
2005, making the record for most wins by an actress and, along with Justin Deas,
is second to 8-time winner Anthony Geary, for the most wins for playing one
character. Additionally, Slezak won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite
Couple with Mark Derwin in 2000. Daytime Emmy Award wins
Soap Opera Digest Award wins References
External links Official website
Erika Slezak at the Internet Movie Database
Erika Slezak interview video at the Archive of American Television