Kelly Monaco

Kelly Monaco (born May 23, 1976 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American model, actress, and reality television contestant. Monaco was the third of five daughters. Monaco grew up with a love of sports such as soccer, swimming, and track, and worked as a lifeguard for several years while attending a community college until she broke into modeling. As a young adult, Kelly moved to Los Angeles with dreams to become an actress. Success was limited for several years. In 1999, she landed her first major role on the soap opera "Port Charles". Kelly has been nominated twice for an acting Emmy, and she currently plays the role of Samantha McCall on the soap opera General Hospital.

Her 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. Kelly 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 Morley (1999–2003) and Tess Ramsey (2002–2003). When that program ended, she joined the cast of soap opera General Hospital as con woman Samantha “Sam” McCall in September 2003.

In 2003, Kelly 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.

In Summer 2005, Monaco appeared as a contestant in the highly-rated American version of the television series Dancing with the Stars. Despite her perceived lack of height and an initial lack of grace, she improved each week and became a popular underdog. In the quarterfinal round samba, she coolly recovered from a mid-dance wardrobe malfunction without becoming exposed on live national television. On July 6, 2005, Kelly Monaco won the Dancing With The Stars competition.