Joan Benedict Steiger (born July 21, 1927) is an American actress best known for her role as Edith Fairchild on '' General Hospital''.

Early life and education

Benedict Steiger was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and first performed at the age of seven at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. She continued her training at Rome Opera Ballet School before studying with acting coaches Robert Lewis and

Stella Adler Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher.
''

Actors Studio in New York.

Career

Theatre

Her list of stage credits include acclaimed productions of contemporary offerings such as "Promises, Promises," "The Beauty Queen of Leenane," "Collected Stories" by Donald Margulies, P.J. Barry's ''

The Octette Bridge Club ''The Octette Bridge Club'' is a play by P.J. Barry. Set in Providence, Rhode Island, it focuses on eight sisters of Irish descent who meet on alternate Friday evenings to play bridge and gossip. The first act, which opens with the women posing ...

'', Horton Foote's ''The Traveling Lady'', and Morris West's ''The World is Made of Glass'', opposite Don Knotts in the comedy ''The Mind with the Dirty Man'', and others.

Film

Benedict Steiger is also known for a classic bit from the original version of '' Candid Camera'', where she played a lost tourist looking for directions from passersby. She was also part of the ensemble of the original '' Steve Allen Show'', where she did double duty as the spokesperson for Hazel Bishop cosmetics. On daytime drama, she had regular and recurring roles on '' General Hospital'', '' Days of Our Lives'', and ''Capitol''. She has a starring role the 2011 feature ''Dead Border''.

Personal life

Joan Benedict Steiger is also known for her personal relationships, which are the basis for her one-woman show, ''The Loves of my Life''. Steiger's first marriage was to actor

John Myhers John Benjamin Myhers (December 18, 1921 – May 27, 1992) was an American stage and screen actor. His film roles included playing Mr. Bratt in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (1967 ...

, best known for his work in ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying''. They were married from 1962 until Myers' death in 1992. Benedict Steiger is also the widow of the Academy Award-winning actor Rod Steiger, whom she married October 10, 2000. They appeared in two films together, ''A Month of Sundays'' and the telefilm ''The Flying Dutchman''. Following Rod Steiger's death in 2002, Benedict Steiger's partner was actor

Jeremy Slate Jeremy Slate (born Robert Bullard Perham; February 17, 1926 – November 19, 2006) was an American film and television actor, and songwriter. He is best known for Larry Lahr in ''The Aquanauts'' (1960–1961), Chuck Wilson in ''One Life to Li ...

, a veteran of over 80 films and television shows dating back to 1959, until his death in 2006. Steiger lives in

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*Official Sit

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steiger, Joan Benedict Actresses from New York City 1927 births Living people People from Brooklyn People from Malibu, California American soap opera actresses American stage actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women