Kelly Monaco is an American model, actress, reality television contestant and winner of Dancing with the Stars in Season 1. She is best known for her portrayal of Sam McCall on the soap opera General Hospital, a role she originated in 2003 and Livvie Locke, a character she originated in 1999 on the soap opera Port Charles.
Career and personal life[]
Monaco's first television role was on the nighttime drama Baywatch from 1997 to 1998. In addition to playing the role of Susan on the show, Monaco also was Carmen Electra's body double at times, as Electra could not swim. Monaco also had minor roles in the late 1990s films BASEketball, Idle Hands, and Mumford.
Monaco had two roles on the supernatural television soap opera Port Charles: Olivia "Livvie" Locke Clay Morley (1999–2003) and Tess Ramsey (2002–2003). When that program ended, she joined the cast of soap opera General Hospital as Samantha "Sam" McCall in September 2003. She also played Sam's look alike, Alicia Montenegro on GH in 2005.
In 2003, Monaco was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role on Port Charles.
In 2005, Monaco joined the first season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars and was the first champion, along with her partner, Alec Mazo, of what turned into a multi-season competition.
In 2006, Monaco was again nominated for a Daytime Emmy, this time for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Sam McCall on General Hospital. In 2006, Monaco also co-hosted the 33rd Annual Daytime Emmys, with Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron.
In March 2009, Monaco was chosen by Donald Trump and Paula Shugart to be one of the judges for the 2009 Miss USA pageant.
In 2011, Ms. Monaco starred as Julie in the Lifetime movie, The Edge of the Garden. Monaco is a fan of extreme sports, and participated in the all-women's Hi-Tec Racing Series, which consisted of 12 miles of off-road running, 3–4 miles of kayaking and 12–15 miles of mountain biking, interspersed with a Marine-style obstacle course. Monaco's team came in second.[1] Monaco was close friends with late General Hospital co-star, Billy Miller.[2]
Monaco is very close friends with General Hospital co-star Kirsten Storms. They were both featured in the reality show Dirty Soap which debuted on September 25, 2011.
In 2011, Storms had to take a medical leave from General Hospital due to endometriosis. She was temporarily replaced by actress Jen Lilley from September 28, 2011 to August 10, 2012. Dirty Soap showed her dealing with the painful illness, and how her friends Monaco and Farah Fath tried to learn more about what she is going through and help her.
On July 27, 2012, it was announced that Monaco be apart of the cast for the Dancing with the Stars:All Stars season.[3] She placed 3rd in with partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, who made a cameo on GH as a boxer in 2013. Val's brother, Maks Chmerkovskiy made a guest appearance on GH as Anton Ivanov.
In November 2017, Monaco returned to 25th season in Week eight,[4] to participate in a trio rumba with Terrell Owens and his professional partner Cheryl Burke.[5]
On August 26, 2024, it was revealed that Monaco has been let go from GH after 21 years.[6] Rumors also suggested that her character would be killed off this fall and her exit is storyline-dictated. Her last air-date is unknown.
Humanitarian work[]
Monaco and several other daytime celebrities such as Susan Lucci and Anthony Geary traveled to Kenya, Africa as a part of the Feed the Children program on July 13, 2009. Monaco, along with Geary, Lucci and the other stars, documented their journey with their own video cameras as they aided the Feed the Children founders Larry and Frances Jones in delivering food and items to the needy and accompanying them on visits to local schools, as well as an abandoned baby center built by Feed the Children.
Monaco was recently on the streets of Kibera, playing with some young orphaned boys and teaching them how to say "hello" in English. Monaco and the other stars will be staying in Africa for 10 days with the Feed the Children organization. Part of the footage will be shown during the 36th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards, as part of a segment titled "Daytime Gives Back." The documentary is intended to give the American public with an up-close and personal look at Kenya and its wonderful people and to raise awareness of the desperate situation faced by Africa’s poor.[7]
On October 24, 2009, Monaco took part in another volunteer day of service, the iParticipate campaign. She along with several other of her General Hospital co-stars, such as Lisa LoCicero, Kimberly McCullough, Leslie Charleson and more all volunteered to help beautify a local school in Los Angeles.[8]
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1997-1998 | Baywatch | Susan |
| 1998 | BASEketball | Sharon |
| 1999 | Idle Hands | Tiffany |
| 1999 | Mumford | Landlady's daughter |
| 2001 | Spin City | Nurse |
| 1999-2003 | Port Charles | Olivia "Livvie" Locke Clay Morley Tess Ramsey |
| 2007 | Football Wives (pilot) | Ruby Monroe |
| 2011 | The Edge of the Garden | Julie |
| 2011 | Dirty Soap | Herself |
| 2003-present | General Hospital | Samantha "Sam" McCall Alicia Montenegro |
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ http://www.maxim.com/portal/site/amg/404
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYuO3Gv9C38
- ↑ http://www.eonline.com/news/333437/dancing-with-the-stars-all-star-cast-revealed
- ↑ ‘Dancing with the Stars’ trio dances will invite back Kelly Monaco, Alfonso Ribeiro, Laurie Hernandez, Corbin Bleu. goldderby.com. Retrieved on November 2, 2017.
- ↑ ‘Dancing with the Stars’ trio dances will invite back Kelly Monaco, Alfonso Ribeiro, Laurie Hernandez, Corbin Bleu. J-14.com. Retrieved on November 2, 2017.
- ↑ https://www.soapoperanetwork.com/2024/08/kelly-monaco-out-general-hospital-exclusive
- ↑ http://daytimegivesback.com/index.html
- ↑ http://sn.soapnet.go.com/news/article/soap-nation-i-participate-october