Naledi Ushe
Joan Benedict Steiger, known for her roles in “Candid Camera” and “General Hospital,” has died at 96.
The actress died on June 24 due to complications from a stroke, a family spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline Monday.
One of Steiger’s first roles was on the 1950s hidden camera prank show “Candid Camera.” She later had a recurring role as Edith Fairchild on “General Hospital.”
USA TODAY reached out to reps for Steiger for comment.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Steiger originally had her sights set on a dance career before she turned to theater and television.
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“I always thought when I was little I would be a dancer,” she told Women Fitness in 2016. “I was never really built for ballet, but I was tap dancing in public at age 7 when I performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. I remember the first film I ever saw was with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and as I was leaving the theatre, I wanted to run back in, I knew I had to be a part of that world.”
Steiger went on to appear in “The Steve Allen Show,” “The Smith Family” and “Days of Our Lives.”
She also starred in several theater ensembles in regional and off Broadway productions including “Promises, Promises,” “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” and her one-woman, autobiographical show “The Loves of My Life,” based on her relationships with first husband John Myhers, second husband Rod Steiger and boyfriend Jeremy Slate.
Benedict married Myhers in 1962 and remained with the actor until his death in 1992. The actress was also the widow to Oscar-winning actor Rod Steiger. The pair were married from 2000 to his death in 2002.
Steiger was also in a relationship with Slate from 2002 until his death in 2006.
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“Both of my (husbands) and my lifetime partner Jeremy, were wonderful men who respected me as an actress. They all died from different forms of cancer, so my memories are sometimes bittersweet, but with no regrets,” she told Women Fitness. “They were all actors, writers, directors, brilliant, funny men.”
Steiger is survived by daughter Claudia Myhers Tschudin and granddaughters Hanna and Ashley.
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