Leslie Charleson dropped to recurring status

Another of General Hospital's long-time veterans has been taken off contract. Leslie Charleson, who has played the role of Monica Quartermaine for 33 years, will now appear only on a recurring basis. Rumors of the actress' firing or demotion have been making the rounds for several years.

General Hospital's longest-running contract player, Leslie Charleson (Monica Quartermaine) has been taken off contract. The actress will, however, remain with the ABC soap on a recurring basis.

Though the change of status probably won't surprise many viewers -- the actress' storyline has been virtually nonexistent for some time -- it still stings. The demotion means fans will see even less of the storied Quartermaine family on their screens. Charleson had been on-contract with General Hospital since August 1977.

Rumors have circled Charleson's status with the show for some time. In 2004, it was rumored that Charleson and her then-contracted co-stars, Stuart Damon (Alan Quartermaine) and Jackie Zeman (Bobbie Spencer), were going to be let go. At that time, the three stars combined for a cumulative tenure of more than 81 years.

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Damon would eventually be let go. In December 2006, General Hospital announced that the actor was let go, though he was brought back for a short-term recurring appearance several weeks later. A year later, in December 2007, Zeman learned that she, too, would be taken off contract.

ABC does not comment on contracts.

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