‘General Hospital’ actress Joan Benedict dead at 96

Joan Benedict, the actress best known for her role on “General Hospital,” has died at the age of 96.

She died on June 24 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles due to complications from a stroke.

Her family confirmed her passing on Monday to Deadline and the Hollywood Reporter.

Benedict was born in Brooklyn, New York, and studied dance at the Rome Opera Ballet School.

She later transitioned into acting, with two of her earliest jobs being on “Candid Camera” and “The Steve Allen Show” in the 1950s.

Her subsequent TV credits included “The Smith Family,” “Apple’s Way,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Fantasy Island,” “Hunter,” “Days of Our Lives” and more.

She had a recurring role as Edith Fairchild on “General Hospital.”

Benedict appeared in a number of movies, including “The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington,” “A Month of Sundays” and “The Theory of Everything.”

She was a big theater star, as well. She was in the plays “Promises, Promises,” “The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” “Leona,” and her one-woman autobiographical show “The Loves of My Life.”

According to Deadline, Benedict once said in an interview, “The theater for me is like being in church. When you feel the audience and feel that communication with other souls, it’s like music. As a performer, I’m always pursuing that wonderful experience where you are completely alert and clear, and yet transported through your imagination.”

Benedict’s final acting role was in the 2017 movie “Opus of an Angel.”

The late actress was married to actor John Myhers from 1962 until his death in 1992. They had a daughter named Claudia.

She was married to her second husband, Oscar-winning actor Rod Steiger, from 2000 until his death two years later.

Benedict was also in a relationship with actor Jeremy Slate from 2002 until his death in 2006.

She reportedly said in a 2016 interview, “Strangely, I met all three of these men when I was in New York, just beginning my career while I was still a teenager.”

“Both of my husbands, and my lifetime partner Jeremy, were wonderful men who respected me as an actress,” Benedict added. “They all died from different forms of cancer, so my memories are sometimes bittersweet, but with no regrets.”