For nearly the last fifty years Genie Francis was able to call Denise Alexander “Mom” on the ABC Soap Opera General Hospital. Now after the devastating loss of Alexander, Francis has taken to social media to pay tribute to iconic actress.
Francis took to X, sharing two rare photos. One from when Francis originally joined the program back in 1977, and then a more recent photo of the two actresses together. She captioned the post, “Thank you mama, for so much more than u know. #GH“
Thank you mama, for so much more than u know. #GH pic.twitter.com/6wecutiQUp
— Genie Francis (@GenieFrancis) May 10, 2025
Alexander was born in New York City on November 11, 1939. She made her professional television debut in 1949 on The Ford Theater Hour. Her father, Alec Alexander, was an agent who worked with talent such as Frank Gorshin and Sal Mineo.
Alexander’s feature film debut would come in 1956 when she would appear in Don Siegal’s film Crime in the Streets.
Alexander made her soap opera in the role of Lois Adams on The Clear Horizon in 1960, however the role that catapulted her into stardom was that of Susan Hunter Martin on Days of Our Lives. She portrayed Susan for 7 years, when she made the transition to General Hospital to play the iconic role of Dr. Lesley Williams. Alexander portrayed this role on and off for nearly 50 years, with the character initially being killed off in 1984, only to be resurrected in 1996. Alexanders last appearance on the soap aired in 2021.
Prior to playing Dr. Lesley Williams, Alexander had made an appearance in General Hospital’s unaired 1962 pilot episode, as well as making an appearance in the short-term role of Lorna Hill in 1965.
For the role of Williams, Alexander was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in 1976.
Over the years Alexander performed in other soaps including: Another World, Sunset Beach, Port Charles, and web series The Inn and Pretty The Series
Alexander is survived by a stepdaughter, Elizabeth Colla, from her marriage to Days of Our Lives star Richard A. Colla.
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC at 2 p.m. ET and streams weekdays on Hulu.