Erika Slezak
Encyclopedia
Erika Alma Hermina Slezak ˈsleɪzæk (born August 5, 1946) is an American actress, best known for her role as Victoria Lord
on the American daytime soap opera
One Life to Live
. She is one of the longest-serving serial actors in American media.
n 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
. Raised in Greenwich, Connecticut
, 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, she performed in Milwaukee, Chicago
, and Houston.
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
(OLTL). To date, Slezak has won six Daytime Emmy Award
s for her portrayal, which is an Emmy record.
In 2007, Slezak voiced strong criticism of OLTLs 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 on September 10, 2007.
In 2011, it was announced OLTL was to be cancelled. However, Prospect Park
, a media company, bought the creative rights to the show from Disney
and announced that it would be migrated to an online format on January 16, 2012. In September of that year, Slezak confirmed she would be moving with the show, along with cast members who include Jerry verDorn (Clint Buchanan
), Kassie DePaiva
(Blair Cramer
), and Melissa Archer
(Natalie Buchanan
).
On November 23, 2011, Prospect Park executives announced that they would not be financially able to go forward with moving One Life to Live and All My Children to the Internet; thus, the series last air date will be January 13, 2012.
scenes on One Life to Live. She and Robin Strasser
, who, until August 2011, played her perennial frenemy and former stepmother, Dorian Lord are friends in real life.
s in the category of "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
" out of eight nominations for her role as Viki. Nominated in 1983 and 1988, she won 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.
Daytime Emmy Award
wins
Soap Opera Digest Award
wins
Victoria Lord
Victoria "Viki" Lord is the principal fictional character and matriarch of the Lord family on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
on the American daytime soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
. She is one of the longest-serving serial actors in American media.
Early life
Slezak was born in Hollywood, California of AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n and Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
descent, the daughter of Tony award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-winning Austrian actor Walter Slezak
Walter Slezak
Walter Slezak was a portly Austrian character actor who appeared in numerous Hollywood films. Slezak often portrayed villains or thugs, most notably the German U-boat captain in Alfred Hitchcock's film Lifeboat , but occasionally he got to play lighter roles, as in The Wonderful World of the...
and Johanna "Kaasi" Van Rijn, and the granddaughter of opera tenor Leo Slezak
Leo Slezak
Leo Slezak was a world-famous Moravian tenor. He was associated in particular with German opera as well as the title role in Verdi's Otello.- Beginnings :...
. Raised in Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, Slezak attended high school at the Sacred Heart High School
Sacred Heart High School (Connecticut)
Sacred Heart High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Waterbury, Connecticut. It is in the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford.-Background:...
near Greenwich
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. At age 17, she became one of the youngest individuals ever accepted into London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
, later graduating in 1966. Establishing a noteworthy reputation in theater, she performed in Milwaukee, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and Houston.
One Life to Live
In 1971, Slezak auditioned for the role of nurse Mary Kennecott on the ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
. She was not cast on that show, but the network offered her the role of Victoria "Viki" Lord Riley
Victoria Lord
Victoria "Viki" Lord is the principal fictional character and matriarch of the Lord family on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
on One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
(OLTL). To date, Slezak has won six Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
s for her portrayal, which is an Emmy record.
In 2007, Slezak voiced strong criticism of OLTLs then-head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
, Dena Higley
Dena Higley
Dena Higley is an American television soap opera writer who lives in Los Angeles, California. She was head writer of Days of our Lives...
. 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
Ron Carlivati
Ron Carlivati is an American soap opera writer born on November 25, 1968 .-Career:It was announced in the February 27 edition of Soap Opera Digest that Carlivati was promoted to Co-Head Writer of the ABC Daytime serial One Life to Live alongside Dena Higley. On June 4, 2007, Frank Valentini...
was subsequently made co-head writer, with Higley ultimately leaving the series on September 10, 2007.
In 2011, it was announced OLTL was to be cancelled. However, Prospect Park
Prospect Park
Prospect Park may refer to:* Prospect Park , a park in Brooklyn, New York, United States* Prospect Park , a park in Troy, New York, United States...
, a media company, bought the creative rights to the show from Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
and announced that it would be migrated to an online format on January 16, 2012. In September of that year, Slezak confirmed she would be moving with the show, along with cast members who include Jerry verDorn (Clint Buchanan
Clint Buchanan
Clinton "Clint" Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live.-Casting:The role was originated in September 10, 1979 by actor Clint Ritchie, portraying the role nearly continuously through December 30, 1999. Ritchie reappeared in the 2003 and 2004. Actor Jerry...
), Kassie DePaiva
Kassie DePaiva
Kassie DePaiva is an American soap opera actress and singer. She was credited prior to 1996 as Kassie Wesley.-Private life:...
(Blair Cramer
Blair Cramer
Blair Cramer is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live...
), and Melissa Archer
Melissa Archer
Melissa Jean Archer is an American actress.-Career:Archer first appeared as "bad girl" Natalie Balsom on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live on July 16, 2001...
(Natalie Buchanan
Natalie Buchanan
Natalie Buchanan Banks is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live and daughter of former supercouple Victoria Lord and Clint Buchanan...
).
On November 23, 2011, Prospect Park executives announced that they would not be financially able to go forward with moving One Life to Live and All My Children to the Internet; thus, the series last air date will be January 13, 2012.
Personal life
Slezak is married to Brian Davies, and is the mother of two children, Michael (born 1980) and Amanda Davies (born 1981). In 2003, Amanda played a teenage Viki in flashbackFlashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
scenes on One Life to Live. She and Robin Strasser
Robin Strasser
Robin Strasser is an American actress.Strasser is best known for her Daytime Emmy Award-winning portrayal of Dr. Dorian Lord on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. Strasser stepped into the role in March 1979, first appearing Friday, April 13, 1979 and left in 1987, returning from...
, who, until August 2011, played her perennial frenemy and former stepmother, Dorian Lord are friends in real life.
Awards and nominations
Slezak has won six Daytime Emmy AwardDaytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
s in the category of "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974...
" out of eight nominations for her role as Viki. Nominated in 1983 and 1988, she won in 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1996 and 2005, tying the record for most wins by an actor (shared with Justin Deas
Justin Deas
Justin Deas is an American actor. He is known for his role as Tom Hughes #10 on As the World Turns and for his role as Buzz Cooper Sr. on Guiding Light...
and Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary is an American actor. He has starred on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital as Luke Spencer from 1978 to 1984 and from 1993 to present.-Life and career:...
), 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
Soap Opera Digest Awards
The Soap Opera Digest Awards were an awards show held by the daytime television magazine Soap Opera Digest. The awards were founded in 1984 to replace the less-lavish Soapy Award; those awards shows had run since 1977. The Soap Opera Digest Awards are meant to promote excellence in the soap opera...
for Favorite Couple with Mark Derwin
Mark Derwin
Mark Derwin is an American television and soap opera actor. Derwin is known for his role as George Juergens on The Secret Life of the American Teenager.-Biography:...
in 2000.
Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
wins
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974... for One Life to Live One Life to Live One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social... |
| 1996 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for One Life to Live |
| 1995 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for One Life to Live |
| 1992 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for One Life to Live |
| 1986 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for One Life to Live |
| 1984 | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series for One Life to Live |
Soap Opera Digest Award
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
wins
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Favorite Couple for One Life to Live (shared with Mark Derwin Mark Derwin Mark Derwin is an American television and soap opera actor. Derwin is known for his role as George Juergens on The Secret Life of the American Teenager.-Biography:... ) |