'General Hospital' Star Joan Benedict Dead at 96
General Hospital star Joan Benedict has died. She was 96 years old.
The actress passed away on June 24, 2024, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, due to complications from a stroke, according to a family spokesperson who confirmed the news.
The longtime TV star, also known for appearing on Candid Camera and The Steve Allen Show, began acting in the 1950s after diverting from dancing.
Other credits include roles in The Incredible Hulk, and Fantasy Island, as well as parts in films such as The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington and Perfect Victims.
Benedict also had recurring spots on Days of Our Lives and General Hospital, where she portrayed the character of Edith Fairchild. Her final onscreen appearance came in the 2017 film Opus of an Angel.
Joan Benedict Steiger, who was part of the original stock company for ‘Candid Camera’ and later became the wife of actor Rod Steiger, died June 24. She was 96 https://t.co/ENCL2YZiGA
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) July 8, 2024
In her personal life, the actress found love a few times, and was married to fellow actor John Myhers, with whom she welcomed her only child, for 30 years. The two tied the knot in 1962, and remained together until Myhers' 1992 death.
Following the loss, Benedict reconnected with actor Rod Steiger, whom she'd first met as a teenager. The former couple married in 2000, however, Steiger died just two years later.
Benedict also carried on a separate relationship with Jeremy Slate, who passed away in 2006.
"Both of my husbands, and my lifetime partner, Jeremy, were wonderful men who respected me as an actress," she told Women Fitness in 2016. "They all died from different forms of cancer, so my memories are sometimes bittersweet, but with no regrets."
The Flying Dutchman actress is survived by her daughter, Claudia, and granddaughters, Hanna and Ashley.
