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Erika Slezak Interviews

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Ben & Blondie Romance Page

CONTACT ERIKA:

Write to Erika Slezak at: Erika Slezak (Viki, One Life to Live) c/o One Life to Live 56 West 66th Street New York, New York 10023

Erika Slezak has been honored with a record five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress -- in 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995 and 1996 -- for her portrayal of Victoria Buchanan Carpenter. A woman of great character, Viki was successful in her struggle with multiple personality disorder and rebuilt her life. Now she is enjoying a relationship with new love Ben Davidson, and still trying to protect her family from longtime nemesis Dorian Lord.

A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, Erika was admitted to the prestigious school when she was only 17, one of the youngest students ever accepted. But honors in the world of the arts are a tradition in her family. Her father, the late Walter Slezak, starred in many films and Broadway hits, among them Fanny, for which he won the Tony Award. Erika's grandfather was the world-famous operatic tenor, Leo Slezak, who sang in Vienna and Berlin as well as at New York's Metropolitan Opera. Born in Hollywood, Erika learned to speak German at home before she learned English. For high school, she attended the Sacred Heart Schools in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

When did Erika first decide she wanted to act? "I can't recall a time when I didn't want to act. When I was a sophomore in high school, my father talked to me about training for a career in acting. "One thing my father did for me was not discourage my ambitions. But he made sure I had no illusions about the acting profession, explaining that it was going to be harder for me because I had a famous father. I would have to prove myself more than others and, as usual, he was right." Before making her debut in television on One Live to Live, Erika established solid credentials in the theater. She was a member of the Milwaukee Repertory Company for three seasons when she starred in everything from Chekhov to Noel Coward, and she acted for another season at the Alley Theater in Houston. Erika is the only Slezak of her generation to pursue an acting career. Her sister, Ingrid, is an attorney and her brother, Leo, is a pilot. Erika and her husband, actor Brian Davies, have two children: Michael Lawrence, born Jan. 23, 1980, and Amanda Elizabeth, whose birthdate is Oct. 29, 1981. The family lives in a suburb of New York on Long Island. -from ABC Daytime

ERIKA SLEZAK CRITICAL ACCLAIM

NAMED FAVORITE COUPLE OF 2000 (Ben & Viki)
Soap Opera Digest Award

NAMED 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1996 OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS
Daytime Emmy

NOMINATED 1983, 1988 OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS
Daytime Emmy

ERIKA SLEZAK PHOTO ALBUM