Golden Globe Winner & General Hospital Alum Linda Cristal Dead at 89

General Hospital actress who played a mob boss’ mistress passes away.

General Hospital alum Linda Cristal, who played Dimitra in 1988, has passed away in her sleep at the age of 89. She died Saturday June 27 at her home in Beverly Hills, California according to her son Jordan Wexler, who told The New York Times.

Cristal was born Marta Victoria Moya Burges in Buenos Aires, Argentina on February 23, 1931 to a French father and Italian mother. She had two other siblings. She attended the Conservatoria Franklin in Uruguay where she studied voice and piano. A brief marriage to the Argentinian actor Tito Gómez was annulled after five days in 1950. She was also married to Robert W. Champion from 1958 until 1959, and actor Yale Wexler from 1960 until 1966. The couple had two sons together, Jordan and Gregory.

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While vacationing in Mexico, Cristal was discovered by film producer and director Miguel Alemán Velasco. She was signed to a contract and adopted the name Linda Cristal. After several Spanish language films, she was established one of Mexico’s rising stars. She set her sights on Hollywood and learned English with hopes of landing roles in America. She made her American debut with a small role in the western Comanche (1956), and then went on to appear in The Last of the Fast Guns (1958) and The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958). Catching John Wayne’s eye led larger roles in The Alamo (1960) and Two Rode Together (1961).

The actress transitioned to television playing Victoria Montoya on The High Chaparral (1967) for four seasons. It earned her two Primetime Emmy nominations and won her the Golden Globe in 1970 for Best Actress in a TV Drama. She went on to appear in a handful of television shows in the years to follow. Her General Hospital role playing Dimitri, the mistress of a mob boss, was her final acting job, and she retired in 1988.

Cristal is survived by both of her sons and two grandchildren. Our thoughts and prayers are with Cristal’s friends and family at this time. We invite you to browse our gallery of other stars lost in 2020.