| Kelly Monaco |
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| Born | Kelly Marie Monaco
May 23, 1976 (age 37)[1]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States[2] |
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| Occupation | Actress/Model |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
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| Partner(s) | Mike Gonzalez (1991-2009) |
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Kelly Marie Monaco (born May 23, 1976) is an American model, actress, reality television personality. She is the Playboy Playmatefor the April 1997 issue of Playboy magazine.
She later gained fame among soap opera viewers in 2003 when she originated the role ofSam McCall on the soap opera General Hospital, in which she has appeared in until the present. In 2005 she was a contestant on and the winner of the first season of the reality TV competition series Dancing with the Stars.[3]
Early life
Kelly Monaco was born to Albert "Al" and Carmina Monaco. She is the middle child[4] and has four sisters: Christine, Marissa, Carmina and Amber.[5] The family moved to thePoconos before Monaco attended junior high.[6] After high school she worked as a lifeguard at a local resort[6] and attended Northampton Community College for two years.[4]
Career
Early modeling
In 1996, Monaco, who had been thinking of a career in modeling, sent her photo to Playboy.[7] As a result, she became the Playmate of the Month for April 1997.[3][4] Throughout her tenure with Playboy in the 1990s,[4] Monaco was also featured in many Playboy Special Edition publications.[citation needed]
Acting and reality television
Monaco's first television role was on the drama Baywatch[3] from 1997 to 1998.[4] In addition to playing the role of Susan on the show, Monaco also was Carmen Electra's body double at times,[4] as Electra could not swim.[8] Monaco also had minor roles in the late 1990s films BASEketball, Idle Hands, and Mumford.
Monaco had two roles on the ABC soap opera Port Charles: Olivia “Livvie” Locke Morley (1999–2003) and Tess Ramsey (2002–03). When that program ended, she joined the cast of ABC soap opera General Hospital as Samantha McCall[9] in September 2003.
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 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.[4] In 2006, Monaco also co-hosted the 33rd Annual Daytime Emmys,[3] 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.[3]
Monaco starred on the E! reality television series Dirty Soap, which premiered on September 25, 2011.[10]
Monaco was a cast member, and the season winner along with her professional partner, Alec Mazo, on the ABC reality television series Dancing with the Stars, during its first season in 2005. Although she initially faced tough criticism from the judges, she maintained a positive outlook throughout the series.[11] Among the events that she experienced before her victory were a near-wardrobe malfunction in which the skimpy strap on her dress during a Latin dance number came apart.[12][13]
Monaco appeared in a Maxim cover feature in 2005,[14] and the magazine also placed her at #13 on their annual Hot 100 List in 2006.[15]
In February 2009, Monaco expanded her dancing résumé with Peepshow, a burlesque act directed by Tony Award-winning director Jerry Mitchell, that plays at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Monaco starred as Bo Peep, a precocious character who discovers her sexuality throughout the show.[16] Monaco starred alongside singer and fellow Dancing with the Stars contestant Melanie Brown,[17] until June 2009, when Monaco's contract expired and she was replaced by Holly Madison.[18] The same year, Monaco was named Maxim's number one sexiest cover model of the decade.[19]
On July 27, 2012 it was announced that Monaco would be participating in the 15th season of Dancing with the Stars for a chance to win a second mirrorball trophy.[20] This time she is partnered with Valentin Chmerkovskiy. After making the finals for a second time, Monaco finished in third place on November 27, 2012.
Charity work
In July 2009, Monaco and several other daytime celebrities traveled to Kenya, Africa as a part of the Feed the Children program, delivering food and other supplies and visiting schools and orphanages built by Feed the Children.[3][21]
On October 24, 2009, as part of the iParticipate campaign, Monaco and several of her General Hospital co-stars volunteered to help beautify a school in Los Angeles.[22]
Personal life
When Monaco was a junior in high school, she met Mike Gonzalez, and began a relationship with him.[7] They worked together as lifeguards at a local resort and attendedcommunity college together.[citation needed] They remained together for 18 years.[7][23] They broke up in 2009,[23] but as seen in the premiere episode of the reality television seriesDirty Soap in 2011, she was still mourning the loss of this relationship. Monaco's General Hospital costar Kirsten Storms counseled her through her feelings on that episode by convincing her to burn her prom dress.[24]
On April 25, 2009, Monaco's apartment at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino was ransacked by burglars.[25]
Filmography
Awards and nominations
References
- ^ Jump up to:a b c Playmate Data Sheet. Playboy. April 1997.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d "Today's Girl Kelly Monaco". Maxim. maxim.com. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f "Kelly Monaco: Biography". TV Guide. tvguide.com. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i "Kelly Monaco Biography". A+E Television Networks. www.biography.com. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
- Jump up^ Dirty Soap - "As the Ex Returns" (October 23, 2011) episode.
- ^ Jump up to:a b "Kelly Marie Monaco". Playboy. playboy.com. 1997-04-01. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c Burton, Alex (November 12, 2012). Star. pp. 48-49.
- Jump up^ Kelly Monaco, John Salley (2011-11-17). Dancing with the Stars - Kelly Monaco Interview (Internet). Game On! with John Salley: www.reelz.com.
- Jump up^ Kroll, Dan J. (2003-08-27). "Monaco stays in PC and joins GH cast". Soapcentral.com. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- Jump up^ "First Look at DIRTY SOAP". SoapOperaDiegst.com. 2011-08-27. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
- Jump up^ Coleridge, Daniel R. (2005-06-13). "Dancing Queen Sounds Off". TV Guide. tvguide.com. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
- Jump up^ "2005's Top 10 Style Moments: 7. Kelly's Wardrobe Malfunction.". People. people.com. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
- Jump up^ Dahl, Oscar (2007-01-02). "Dancing with the Stars and Wardrobe Malfunctions: A Conspiracy Theory". Buddy TV. buddytv.com. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- Jump up^ "Kelly Monaco's Maxim Cover Shoot". Maxim. maxim.com. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- Jump up^ "2006 Hot 100". Maxim. maxim.com. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- Jump up^ Playmate News. Playboy magazine. March 2009. Page 114.
- Jump up^ Gray, Mark (2008-11-18). "Mel B & Kelly Monaco to Star in Topless Vegas Show".People (people.com). Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- Jump up^ Gray, Mark (2009-05-14). "Holly Madison to Replace Kelly Monaco in Sexy Vegas Show". People (people.com). Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- Jump up^ "Maxim's 12 Sexiest Covers of the Decade". Maxim. maxim.com. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- Jump up^ Shira, Dahvi (2012-07-27). "Dancing with the Stars All-Star Cast Revealed". People(people.com). Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- Jump up^ Fairman, Michael (2009-06-29). "Susan Lucci, Anthony Geary and Kelly Monaco to Kenya for 'Daytime Gives Back' Daytime Emmy telecast and Feed the Children!".Michael Fairman On Soaps. michaelfairmansoaps.com. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- Jump up^ "Soap Nation: iParticipate Additions!". Soap Net. soapnet.com. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
- ^ Jump up to:a b "Kelly Monaco Was Devastated After Break-Up". starpulse.com. 2010-07-21. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- Jump up^ Logan, Michael. "Getting Down and Dirty". TV Guide. October 3, 2011. page 47
- Jump up^ Jovie Baclayon (2009-04-27). "DWTS Champ Kelly Monaco Uses Smooth Moves to Avoid Robber". E!. eonline.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- Jump up^ Edge of the Garden Hallmark Channel. accessed September 25, 2011.
- Jump up^ "Nominees for Daytime Emmys". USA Today. Tysons Corner, Virginia: Gannett Company. Associated Press. March 12, 2003. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
- Jump up^ "The 33rd Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award Nominations". New York, New York: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. February 8, 2006. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
External links