Kelly Monaco

Kelly Monaco
Born Kelly Marie Monaco
May 23, 1976[1]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States[2]
Occupation Actress/Model
Years active 1997–present
Partner(s) Mike Gonzalez (1991–2009)
Awards See below

Kelly Marie Monaco (born May 23, 1976) is an American model, actress, and reality television personality. She is the Playboy Playmate for the April 1997 issue of Playboy magazine. Monaco portrayed the character Livvie Locke on the ABC soap opera Port Charles from 1997 until the show's cancellation in 2003; that same year she began playing Sam McCall on General Hospital, a role in which she remains today. In 2005, Monaco was a contestant on and the winner of the first season of the reality TV competition series Dancing with the Stars.

Early life

Kelly Monaco was born to Albert "Al" and Carmina Monaco. She is the middle child[3] and has four sisters: Christine, Marissa, Carmina and Amber.[4] The family moved to the Poconos before Monaco attended Pocono Mountain East High School, where she first started with acting classes.[5] After high school she worked as a lifeguard at a local resort[5] and attended Northampton Community College for two years.[3]

Career

Early modeling

Kelly Monaco
Playboy centerfold appearance
April 1997
Preceded by Jennifer Miriam
Succeeded by Lynn Thomas
Personal details
Born May 23, 1976
(age 20 at Playboy appearance)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States[2]
Measurements Bust: 34D[1][2]
Waist: 21½
Hips: 31½
Height 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m)[1]
Weight 95 lb (43 kg; 6.8 st)

In 1996, Monaco, who had been thinking of a career in modeling, sent her photo to Playboy.[6] As a result, she became the Playmate of the Month for April 1997.[7][3] Throughout her tenure with Playboy in the 1990s,[3] Monaco was also featured in many Playboy Special Edition publications.

Acting and reality television

Monaco's first television role was on the drama Baywatch[7] from 1997 to 1998.[3] In addition to playing the role of Susan on the show, Monaco also was Carmen Electra's body double at times,[3] 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.[3] In 2006, Monaco also co-hosted the 33rd Annual Daytime Emmys,[7] 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.[7]

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 she experienced before her victory was a wardrobe malfunction in which the skimpy strap on her dress came apart during a Latin dance number.[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 was 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.[7][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.[6] They worked together as lifeguards at a local resort and attended community college together. They remained together for 18 years.[6][23] They broke up in 2009,[23] but as seen in the premiere episode of the reality television series Dirty 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

Title Role
BASEketball[2] (1998) Sharon
Idle Hands[3] Tiffany
Mumford[3] (1999) Landlady's Daughter
The Edge of the Garden[26] (2011) Julie

Awards and nominations

List of acting awards and nominations
Year Award Category Title Result Ref.
2003
 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Port Charles Nominated
[27]
2006
 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series General Hospital Nominated
[28]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Playmate Data Sheet". Playboy. April 1997.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Today's Girl Kelly Monaco". Maxim. maxim.com. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 "Kelly Monaco Biography". A+E Television Networks. www.biography.com. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  4. ↑ Dirty Soap - "As the Ex Returns" (October 23, 2011) episode.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Kelly Marie Monaco". Playboy. playboy.com. 1997-04-01. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Burton, Alex (November 12, 2012). Star. pp. 48-49.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "Kelly Monaco: Biography". TV Guide. tvguide.com. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  8. ↑ Kelly Monaco, John Salley (2011-11-17). Dancing with the Stars - Kelly Monaco Interview (Internet). Game On! with John Salley: www.reelz.com.
  9. ↑ Kroll, Dan J. (2003-08-27). "Monaco stays in PC and joins GH cast". Soapcentral.com. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  10. ↑ "First Look at DIRTY SOAP". SoapOperaDiegst.com. 2011-08-27. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  11. ↑ Coleridge, Daniel R. (2005-06-13). "Dancing Queen Sounds Off". TV Guide. tvguide.com. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  12. ↑ "2005's Top 10 Style Moments: 7. Kelly's Wardrobe Malfunction.". People. people.com. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  13. ↑ Dahl, Oscar (2007-01-02). "Dancing with the Stars and Wardrobe Malfunctions: A Conspiracy Theory". Buddy TV. buddytv.com. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Kelly Monaco's Maxim Cover Shoot". Maxim. maxim.com. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  15. ↑ "2006 Hot 100". Maxim. maxim.com. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  16. ↑ Playmate News. Playboy magazine. March 2009. Page 114.
  17. ↑ Gray, Mark (2008-11-18). "Mel B & Kelly Monaco to Star in Topless Vegas Show". People (people.com). Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  18. ↑ Gray, Mark (2009-05-14). "Holly Madison to Replace Kelly Monaco in Sexy Vegas Show". People (people.com). Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Maxim's 12 Sexiest Covers of the Decade". Maxim. maxim.com. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  20. ↑ Shira, Dahvi (2012-07-27). "Dancing with the Stars All-Star Cast Revealed". People (people.com). Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  21. ↑ 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.
  22. ↑ "Soap Nation: iParticipate Additions!". Soap Net. soapnet.com. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Kelly Monaco Was Devastated After Break-Up". starpulse.com. 2010-07-21. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  24. ↑ Logan, Michael. "Getting Down and Dirty". TV Guide. October 3, 2011. page 47
  25. ↑ 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.
  26. ↑ Edge of the Garden Hallmark Channel. accessed September 25, 2011.
  27. ↑ "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.
  28. ↑ "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

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
New Show		 Dancing with the Stars (US) winner
Season 1 (Summer 2005 with Alec Mazo) 		Succeeded by
Drew Lachey & Cheryl Burke
Preceded by
William Levy & Cheryl Burke		 Dancing with the Stars (US) third place
Season 15 (Autumn 2012 with Valentin Chmerkovskiy) 		Succeeded by
Jacoby Jones & Karina Smirnoff