Kelly Monaco life and biography

Kelly Marie Monaco (born May 23, 1976) is an American model, actress, reality television contestant and winner of Dancing with the Stars in Season 1. Since 2003, she has played the character of Sam McCall on General Hospital.

Kelly Monaco was born on May 23, 1976, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 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, and without much money, she was forced to live in her car, and shower at the local gym. 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."

In 1996, Monaco sent nude modeling photos of herself to Playboy and in April 1997 she became the Playboy Playmate of the Month. Throughout her tenure with Playboy in the 1990s, Monaco was also featured in many Playboy Special Edition publications.

She was a booth babe for Eidos Interactive at the 1999 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, CA.

She was featured in the November 2005 issue of Playboy, however the pictoral consisted of previously unpublished pictures from her Miss April 1997 shoot.

After moving on from Playboy in the 1990s, Monaco has significantly distanced herself from Playboy, possibly as a move to "clean up" her image. More recently, Monaco has made numerous cover appearances in other lad mags such as FHM and Maxim magazine. Along with her Maxim feature in 2005, the magazine also awarded her 13th place on their annual Hot 100List in May 2006.

In March 2009, Monaco was chosen by Donald Trump and Paula Shugart to be one of the judges for the 2009 Miss USA pageant.

Dancing

Monaco was a cast member, and the season winner, on the ABC reality television series Dancing with the Stars, during its first season in 2005. Among the events that she experienced prior to her victory were a disappointing first episode in which she received unvarnished criticism from judge Bruno Tonioli, and a near-wardrobe malfunction in which the skimpy strap on her dress during a Latin dance number came apart.

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. Monaco starred alongside British pop diva and fellow Dancing with the Stars contestant Mel B, aka Scary Spice. Both Monaco and Mel B left the show in late June 2009.

Monaco is also good friends with General Hospital co-star Kimberly McCullough and has recently taken up Bhangra dancing lessons with her. Bhangra is a traditional Indian dance.

Personal life

Monaco is a fan of extreme sports, and participated in the all-women's Hi-Tec Racing Series, which consisted of 12 miles of off-road running, 3–4 miles of kayaking and 12–15 miles of mountain biking, interspersed with a Marine-style obstacle course. Monaco's team came in second.

On April 25, 2009, Monaco's apartment at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino was ransacked by burglars. It is unclear what was taken. On Sept. 8, 2009, Merrill Wetter was sentenced to 12 to 30 months in jail after pleading guilty with no contest after being caught by surveillance tape. Wetter is to pay Monaco a reported $5,000 restitution, a $25 court fee as well as $150 DNA Fee. Wetter had broken into Monaco’s penthouse while Monaco was in the bedroom and had hidden behind the bed at the time of robbery in April 2009.

TV work

* Baywatch (1997-1998)
* Late Last Night (1999)
* Port Charles (1999-2003)
* The Man Show (2000)
* Hard Copy (2000)
* Spin City (2001)
* General Hospital (2003-present)
* Dancing with the Stars (2005)
* Punk'd (2005)

Filmography

* BASEketball (1998)
* Idle Hands (1999)
* Mumford (1999)

Playboy video filmography

* Playboy: Playmate Profile Video Collection Featuring Miss April 1997, 1994, 1991, 1988 (1997)
* Playboy Video Playmate Calendar 1998 (1997)
* Playboy: Girls Next Door, Naughty and Nice (1997)
* Playboy: Babes of Baywatch (1998)
* Playboy: Girlfriends (1998)
* Playboy: Naturals (1998)
* Playboy: Club Lingerie (2000)
* Playboy: Playmates Bustin' Out (2000)
* Playboy Playmate DVD Calendar Collection: The '90s (2004)

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