Erika Slezak

Infobox actor


name = Erika Slezak
imagesize =
caption =
birthdate = birth date and age|1946|08|05
location = Hollywood, California
birthname = Erika Alma Hermina Slezak
spouse = Brian Davies (married 1978)
emmyawards = Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series
1984 "One Life to Live"
1986 "One Life to Live"
1992 "One Life to Live"
1995 "One Life to Live"
1996 "One Life to Live"
2005 "One Life to Live"
homepage = http://www.erikaslezak.com/
imdb = 0805785

Erika Slezak (born August 5, 1946 in Hollywood, California) is an American actress of Czech and Dutch descent. She is the daughter of actor Walter Slezak and Johanna "Kaasi" Van Rijn. She is also the granddaughter of opera tenor Leo Slezak.

Slezak attended high school at the Sacred Heart High School near Greenwich, Connecticut. 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, performing in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Houston, in 1971 she auditioned for the role of nurse Mary Kinnecott 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 on "One Life to Live". Slezak currently resides in a suburb of New York City with her husband Brian Davies. She has a son Michael and daughter Amanda (who is an actress and has also appeared on "One Life to Live"). Both are in their mid-20's.

Viki's story

Slezak's character Victoria Lord has suffered many tragedies, and has struggled with dissociative identity disorder (or DID, once known as multiple personality disorder). She has been married and divorced several times (her full legal name is now "Victoria Lord Riley Burke Riley Buchanan Buchanan Carpenter Davidson"), and has endured through the deaths of loved ones, breast cancer, stroke, and most recently, heart disease, for which Slezak won her most recent Daytime Emmy Award. She has performed musically on the show, as well as spoken German.

In addition to her three children Kevin, Joey and Jessica, over the years Viki discovered that she had two long-lost daughters: eldest child Megan and Jessica's fraternal twin Natalie.

Criticism of Higley

In 2007, Slezak voiced strong criticism of "One Life to Live"'s Head Writer, Dena Higley. In the March 2007 edition of Slezak's fan club newsletter, she states, "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." [http://erika_slezak.tripod.com/ESFC/March07.pdf] Higley was fired as head writer in June.

Awards & Nominations

Slezak has won six Daytime Emmys in the category of "Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series," in 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1996 and 2005, tying the record for most wins by an actor (shared with Justin Deas and Anthony Geary), as well as the tie for most wins for playing one character (with Geary) and by an actress. Additionally, Slezak won a "Soap Opera Digest" Award for Favorite Couple with Mark Derwin in 2000.

Wins
*Daytime Emmy Awards

*"Soap Opera Digest" Award

External links

* [http://www.erikaslezak.com ErikaSlezak.com ~ Official site]
*imdb name|id=0805785|name=Erika Slezak