Erika Slezak Photo Album
Erika Slezak made Emmy history when she won her fifth Outstanding Lead Actress Daytime Emmy Award in 1996 for her portrayal of Victoria Lord. She also won the prestigious award in 1984, 1986, 1992 and 1995. Viki is a woman of great character and a well respected member of the community. However she continues to struggle with a multiple personality disorder. After fighting a courageous battle against breast cancer in 2000, Viki looked forward to spending time with her husband, Ben Davidson (Mark Derwin). Her life was soon turned upside down once again when she learned that her daughter, Jessica (Erin Torpey), was switched as a baby. Now she is trying to get to know her biological daughter, Natalie (Melissa Archer), and come to terms with the events of the past. However since the re-emergence of her alternate personality, Niki Smith, Viki's life and family have been sent further into turmoil. Will Viki be able to overcome the destruction that Niki has left in her path and discover the secret that she is hiding? A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, Ms. Slezak 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, Ms. Slezak learned to speak German at home before she learned English. For high school she attended the Sacred Heart Schools in Greenwich, CT, and Philadelphia, PA. When did Ms. Slezak 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 Life to Live," Ms. Slezak established solid credentials in the theater. She was a member of the Milwaukee Repertory Company for three seasons, where she starred in everything from Shakespeare to Noel Coward, and she acted for another season at the Alley Theater in Houston. Ms. Slezak 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. Ms. Slezak and her husband, actor Brian Davies, have two children, Michael and Amanda. The family lives in a suburb of New York. |
