‘General Hospital’ Star Joan Benedict Passes Away

Soap opera actress Joan Benedict has passed away at the age of 96.

Her death on June 24 was confirmed by a family spokesperson to The Hollywood Reporter. The spokesperson said Benedict died of complications from a stroke at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Benedict was a notable cast member of the “Candid Camera” show. Regarding her participation in the stunt reality show, she once remarked, “Essentially, it’s acting. I can’t laugh or the whole stunt is broken up.”

Besides her stint on “Candid Camera,” she also graced “The Steve Allen Show,” performing in comedy bits and serving as a spokesperson for Hazel Bishop cosmetics.

Throughout her career, she appeared on a multitude of television shows, including “Fantasy Island” and “The Incredible Hulk.” However, she is perhaps best remembered for her role as Edith Fairchild on the soap opera “General Hospital.”

While primarily known for her television career, Benedict also made significant contributions to the theater. She starred in numerous one-woman shows on Broadway and various Off-Broadway productions, as reported by People magazine.

Born in Brooklyn in 1927, she began taking dance lessons as a child at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Her passion for dance led her to study at the Rome Opera Ballet School, according to Deadline.

Upon returning to New York, she enrolled in acting classes at The Actors Studio.

Benedict was married twice. Her first marriage was to John Myhers, lasting until 1992. Later, she rekindled a romance with Rod Steiger, who she had a brief relationship with when she was just 19.

“I got a call from him out of the blue,” Benedict recalled, as quoted by Deadline. “He’d been at a party where someone had mentioned me, and we got together again after all those years.”

The two married in 2000 and remained together until his death in 2002.

Benedict later entered a relationship with Jeremy Slate from “One Life to Live,” which lasted until his death in 2006.

Reflecting on her relationships in a 2016 interview with Deadline, she said, “Strangely, I met all three of these men when I was in New York, just beginning my career while I was still a teenager. Both of my husbands, and my lifetime partner Jeremy, were wonderful men who respected me as an actress. They all died from different forms of cancer, so my memories are sometimes bittersweet, but with no regrets.”

Benedict is survived by her daughter and two granddaughters, according to People magazine.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, People, Deadline