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Tonja Annette Walker is an American actress and singer, who is also a former beauty pageant titleholder who has competed in the
Miss USA Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020, ...
pageant. She is known for her role as
Alex Olanov Alex Gwendolyn Olanov is a fictional character from the long-running ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live''. She was portrayed by Tonja Walker since the character's inception in 1990 to 1997, with appearances in 2001, 2002, 2007, 2009, and 2011 . S ...
on ''
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 ...
'' and for her role as Olivia St. John on ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...
''.


Career

Walker held the
Miss Teen All American Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or " Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, i ...
title in 1979 and won the
Miss Maryland USA The Miss Maryland USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Maryland in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is directed by D&D Productions. The first Miss USA winner from Maryland, Mary Leona Gage, won Miss U ...
title in 1980. That year she represented Maryland in the Miss USA 1980 pageant broadcast live from
Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...
, and placed in the top twelve. She placed sixth after the preliminary round of competition, and went on to place eighth in the final swimsuit competition, seventh in interview and sixth in evening gown, and finished seventh overall. Her first acting role was in ''
Liar's Moon ''Liar's Moon'' is a 1982 film directed by David Fisher and starring Matt Dillon, Cindy Fisher, Yvonne DeCarlo, and Hoyt Axton. It tells the story of two star-crossed lovers in 1940s Texas—a working-class teen and the banker's daughter who el ...
'' with
Matt Dillon Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Oscar and Grammy nomination. Dillon made his feature film debut in '' Over the Edge'' (1979) and established himself as a te ...
. Walker's work has been primarily as a performer on daytime dramas. Her first daytime role was on the television serial ''
Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...
''. She played Lizbeth Bachman, a sophisticated heiress torn between playboy Jordy Clegg and handicapped doctor Thomas McCandless. Walker played the role from the show's launch until she left in 1984. She returned to daytime as mob princess Olivia St. John on ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...
'' from 1988 to 1990, playing a villainess complicating the lives of Duke Lavery and his family. Walker would make a brief return to this role in 2017. Walker was then cast as Alex Olanov Hesser Buchanan Buchanan on ''
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 ...
''. Alex was initially an FBI agent, but became involved with the mob. Walker had the longest run in this role, playing Alex from 1990 to 1997, with several return visits in 2001 and 2002. She made additional appearances as Alex on ''One Life to Live'' in August 2007 for the show's 9,999th and 10,000th episodes, Her character later returned again on November 2, 2007 for a brief run and again on January 2, 2009, March 15, 2011 and November 17, 2011. She also had recurring roles as Marie Green on ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...
'' from 2003 to 2004, where she worked with ''Capitol'' costar
Marj Dusay Marjorie Ellen Mahoney Dusay (; née Mahoney; February 20, 1936 – January 28, 2020) was an American actress known for her roles on American soap operas. She was especially known for her role as Alexandra Spaulding on ''Guiding Light'', a role s ...
, and as D.A. Grace Nancier on ''
Passions ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and pro ...
'', a role meant to spoof
Nancy Grace Nancy Ann Grace (born October 23, 1959) is an American legal commentator and television journalist. She hosted ''Nancy Grace'', a nightly celebrity news and current affairs show on HLN, from 2005 to 2016, and Court TV's ''Closing Arguments' ...
. Walker is also a singer and has released one album collection of her songs. She produced a film in which she also appeared, The Derby Stallion. The film starred
Zac Efron Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence in the late 2000s for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' trilo ...
,
Bill Cobbs William Francisco Cobbs (born June 16, 1934) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in movies such as Louisiana Slim in '' The Hitter'' (1979), Water in ''The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984), and as Lewis Coleman on ''I'll Fly Aw ...
, and
William R. Moses William Remington Moses (born November 17, 1959) is an American actor. Early life Moses was born in Los Angeles, the son of actress Marian McCargo (1932–2004) and advertising executive Richard Cantrell Moses Sr., who married in 1951 and divor ...
and was released on
video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
and on DVD in 2007.


Personal life

Walker has two daughters and three stepchildren. Her two daughters are Isabella and Abrianna. Her three stepchildren are named Evan, Samantha, and Alec. All of her children use the last name Davidson.


Filmography

* (1981): ''Mr. Merlin'' as Jessie Taylor * (1982–84): ''Capitol'' as Lizbeth Bachman * (1982): ''Liar's Moon'' as Karen Covucci * (1983): ''Making of a Male Model'' as Alma Rockwell * (1985): ''Hunter'' as Claire Jorgensen * (1986): ''T.J. Hooker'' as Nancy Bosca * (1987): ''Kidnapped'' as Claudia * (1987): ''Spies'' as Lana * (1988–90, 2017): ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...
'' as Olivia St. John * (1990–97, 2001–02, 2007, 2009, 2011): ''
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 ...
'' as
Alex Olanov Alex Gwendolyn Olanov is a fictional character from the long-running ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live''. She was portrayed by Tonja Walker since the character's inception in 1990 to 1997, with appearances in 2001, 2002, 2007, 2009, and 2011 . S ...
* (1994): ''Clear Cut (short)'' * (2003–04): ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...
'' as Marie Green * (2005): ''Never Been Thawed'' as Christian Band Slut (as Tonya Walker) * (2005–07): ''
Passions ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and pro ...
'' as Grace Nancier * (2007): ''The Derby Stallion'' as Linda McCardle * (2011): ''Spy'' as Yvonne Hayworth


References


External links

*
Miss Maryland USA official website
*
Tonja Walker Speaks About GH Return
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Tonja American soap opera actresses Musicians from Huntington, West Virginia Place of birth missing (living people) Living people Miss USA 1980 delegates 21st-century American women Year of birth missing (living people)