Erika Slezak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Erika Slezak
Erika Slezak with her father, Walter Slezak, on the set of One Life to Live (1974)
Born	(1946-08-05) August 5, 1946 (age 78) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1971–present
Known for	Victoria Lord
Television	One Life to Live
Spouse(s)	Robert Daniel Mooney ​ (m. 1968⁠–⁠1971)​ Brian Davies ​ ​ (m. 1978)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	Walter Slezak Johanna Van Rijin
Relatives	Margarete Slezak (aunt) Leo Slezak (grandfather)
Awards	Daytime Emmy Award (1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1996, 2005) Soap Opera Digest Award (2002)

Erika Slezak (born August 5, 1946) is an American actress. She is most famous for playing Victoria "Viki" Lord on the TV show One Life to Live. She played this role from 1971 until the show ended on TV in 2012. She also returned for its online version in 2013.

Erika Slezak is one of the actors who has been on a soap opera for the longest time in American TV history. She has won six Daytime Emmy Awards for her role as Viki. This is more than any other actress in daytime drama.

About Erika Slezak's Life and Career

Erika Slezak was born in Hollywood, California. Her father, Walter Slezak, was a famous actor who won a Tony Award. Her mother was Johanna Van Rijn. Erika's grandfather, Leo Slezak, was a well-known opera singer.

Erika grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut. She went to high school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart. When she was 17, she was accepted into the famous Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She was one of the youngest students ever to get in. She graduated in 1966. After college, she became a respected theater actress. She performed in cities like Milwaukee, Chicago, and Houston.

Her Role on One Life to Live

In 1971, Erika Slezak tried out for a role on another TV show called All My Children. She did not get that part. However, the TV network ABC offered her the role of Victoria "Viki" Lord Riley on One Life to Live (OLTL).

Erika played Viki for 42 years. During this time, she won six Daytime Emmy Awards. This is a record for a female actor in daytime TV.

In 2011, ABC announced that OLTL would stop airing in January 2012. A company called Prospect Park then bought the rights to the show. They planned to move the series to an online format. In September 2011, Erika Slezak said she would join the new online version.

The online project faced some delays. OLTL ended its run on ABC as planned. In early 2013, Prospect Park announced they were moving forward with the online shows. Erika Slezak was confirmed to be part of the One Life to Live revival. The new series started on April 29, 2013, and ran until August 19, 2013. It was available on Hulu, Hulu Plus, and iTunes.

Other Acting Projects

Erika Slezak has also appeared in other TV shows and movies. In 1996, she played Jean Roberts in the TV movie Full Circle. This movie was based on a novel by Danielle Steel.

In April 2018, she appeared on the TV series The Resident as Dr. Eileen Jacoby. In 2019, she acted with Jeff Daniels in the drama film Guest Artist. Later that year, she was a guest star on the CBS police drama Blue Bloods. She returned to Blue Bloods in 2022.

In 2019, Erika Slezak was interviewed for the ABC news show 20/20. The episode was about the murder of actress Rebecca Schaeffer. Rebecca Schaeffer had also acted on One Life to Live in the 1980s. In 2021, she appeared in the television film Next Stop, Christmas. She is also set to appear in the upcoming 2025 film Song Sung Blue.

Erika Slezak's Family Life

Erika Slezak is married to Brian Davies. They have two children, Michael and Amanda. In 2003, her daughter Amanda Davies played a younger version of Viki, her mother's character, in flashback scenes on One Life to Live. Amanda Davies passed away on January 29, 2024.

Awards and Recognitions

Erika Slezak has won six Daytime Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series". She was nominated nine times for her role as Victoria. She won in 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1996, and 2005. This makes her the actress with the most wins in this category.

She also won a Soap Opera Digest Award in 2000. She shared this award with Mark Derwin for "Favorite Couple."

Daytime Emmy Award wins

Soap Opera Digest Award wins

Erika Slezak's Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Erika Slezak para niños