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 on ''
One Life to Live'' and for her role as Olivia St. John on ''
General Hospital''.
Career
Walker held the
Miss Teen All American title in 1979 and won the
Miss Maryland USA 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 pop ...
, 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'' with
Matt Dillon.
Walker's work has been primarily as a performer on daytime dramas. Her first daytime role was on the television serial ''
Capitol''. 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'' 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''. 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'' from 2003 to 2004, where she worked with ''Capitol'' costar
Marj Dusay, and as D.A. Grace Nancier on ''
Passions'', a role meant to spoof
Nancy Grace.
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,
Bill Cobbs, and
William R. Moses 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 ...
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'' as
Olivia St. John
* (1990–97, 2001–02, 2007, 2009, 2011): ''
One Life to Live'' as
Alex Olanov
* (1994): ''Clear Cut (short)''
* (2003–04): ''
Guiding Light'' as Marie Green
* (2005): ''Never Been Thawed'' as Christian Band Slut (as Tonya Walker)
* (2005–07): ''
Passions'' 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)