Lynn Benesch, born Lynn Benish in

Westchester, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

, aka Lynn Chester, is an American actress and singer, best known for her role as

Meredith Lord Meredith Lord is a fictional character from the American soap opera ''One Life to Live''. Actress Trish Van Devere originated the role of Meredith from the series television pilot, pilot aired July 15, 1968 through December 1968. Meredith was then ...

on the daytime drama ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

'' from 1969 to 1973. In 1972 she won praise for her portrayal as a mother who had twins and one was

stillborn Stillbirth is typically defined as fetal death at or after 20 or 28 weeks of pregnancy, depending on the source. It results in a baby born without signs of life. A stillbirth can result in the feeling of guilt or grief in the mother. The term i ...

; this led to addressing the issues around

postpartum depression Postpartum depression (PPD), also called postnatal depression, is a type of mood disorder associated with childbirth, which can affect both sexes. Symptoms may include extreme sadness, low energy, anxiety, crying episodes, irritability, and chan ...

which was still struggling to be understood as a legitimate medical concern. She briefly reprised the role in 1987, when her character's sister

Victoria Lord Victoria Lord is a fictional character and matriarch of the Lord family on the American soap opera ''One Life to Live'', played for over 41 years by six-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning actress Erika Slezak. The character was created as one of the ...

, having an out of body experience, took a trip to Heaven and reunited her with deceased loved ones. As Lynn Chester her theatrical credits include "Wait Until Dark" with Shirley Jones and "Star-Spangled Girl" with Anthony Perkins as well as the television series "General Hospital". A gifted singer and songwriter, she appeared with Skitch Henderson, and Wayland Pickard, with whom she co-wrote original songs which she performs in BBC-5's American import, radio soap opera "Milford-Haven" music episodes. She was a kindergarten teacher before going into acting and when younger she put on shows for Vietnam vets who were confined to a VA hospital in the late 1960s and early 1970s along with a childhood friend.

Filmography

According to All Media Guide/New York Times: * '' The Doctors'' as Bonnie Evans (March 1968) * ''

'' (1969-1973, 1987) - as Meredith "Merrie" Lord * '' Comedy Tonight'' (1970) * ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

'' (1974) * ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

'' (1975) - as Zoe * ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most succ ...

'' (1976) - as Miss Franklin * ''

The Next Step Beyond ''The Next Step Beyond'' is a 1978 revival of the 1950s–1960s American television series ''Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond, One Step Beyond'', hosted by original host John Newland. Like ''One Step Beyond'', the series purported to tell true ...

'' (1978) (sequel series to ''

One Step Beyond One Step Beyond may refer to: Music * ''One Step Beyond'' (Dungeon album) or the title song, 2004 * ''One Step Beyond'' (Jackie McLean album), 1963 * '' One Step Beyond...'', an album by Madness, or the title song (see below), 1979 * ''One Step ...

'') * '' How the West Was Won'' (1978) - as Mina * ''

Rhoda ''Rhoda'' is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns starring Valerie Harper that originally aired on CBS for five seasons from September 9, 1974, to December 9, 1978. It was the first spin-off of ''The Mary Tyle ...

'' (1978) * ''

The Great Brain ''The Great Brain'' is a series of children's books by United States, American author John D. Fitzgerald, John Dennis Fitzgerald (1906–1988). Set in the small town of Adenville, Utah, between 1896 and 1898, the stories are loosely based on Fitz ...

'' (1978) * ''

Starsky and Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a ''Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired by th ...

'' (1979) - as Candy Reese * ''

Hanging In ''Hanging In'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for four episodes on CBS on Wednesday nights from August 8, 1979, to August 29, 1979. Summary After his failed attempt to launch the sitcom ''Mr. Dugan'', Norman Lear reworked th ...

'' (1979) - as Mona * '' Hunter's Moon'' (1979) * ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the Midwestern United States, American M ...

: What Ever Happened to the Class of '56?'' (1980) - as Amy Phillips Sawyer * ''

The Sophisticated Gents ''The Sophisticated Gents'' is a TV miniseries that aired on three consecutive nights from September 29 to October 1, 1981, on NBC. Its ensemble cast featured a number of African-American stage and film actors, many of whom were customarily seen ...

'' (1981) - as Renee Marcus * ''

Command 5 Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on Apple Macintosh computer keyboards * ...

'' (1985) - as Ann Bryan * ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

'' (1986) - as Beverly Stark * '' Daytimes' Greatest Weddings'' (2004) - as Meredeth Lord Wolek

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benesch, Lynn Living people American soap opera actresses American television actresses Actresses from New York (state) 20th-century American actresses 1940 births 21st-century American women