Caleb Nichol

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Caleb Nichol
Alan Dale as Caleb Nichol
First appearance	The Girlfriend (episode 1.06)
Last appearance	The O.Sea (episode 2.23)
Cause/Reason	Fatal Heart Attack
Statistics
Gender	Male
Age	60 something
Year of Death	2005
Occupation	CEO of the Newport Group
Family	Kirsten Cohen (daughter), Seth Cohen (grandson), Lindsay Gardner (daughter), Sandy Cohen (son-in-law), Ryan Atwood (adoptive grandson)
Spouse	Gabrielle (ex-girlfriend) Julie Cooper (widow)
Episode Count	35
Portrayed by	Alan Dale
Created by	Josh Schwartz

Caleb Nichol was a fictional character on The O.C.. He was portrayed by Alan Dale. He was a recurring character throughout the first season, joining the cast as a regular throughout the second season. His character is most well known for being the father of Kirsten Cohen and Hailey Nichol.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Caleb was one of the wealthiest people in Newport Beach, owning the real estate company Newport Group which owned a large amount of properties in Newport. He was portrayed as quite a suave businessman that was known for dishonest business dealings and practice. He also was somewhat controlling and manipulative, shown perhaps by the way he treated his daughter Kirsten who worked for him, who found it increasingly hard to please him and earn his approval. He did appear however to genuinely care for his children and was something of a prominent social figure. His relationship with his son in law, Sandy Cohen, was mixed, being particularly bad and resentful during season one to being somewhat of a mutual understanding in season two when Sandy helped Caleb with his legal troubles.

Caleb married Julie Cooper at the end of season one in a uneventful wedding ceremony. Many suspected it was for social and financial gain for both parties concerned, and proved to be a troubled marriage. He confessed that the Newport Group was in deep financial debt towards the end of season one as well, and in season two a long kept secret of an illegitimate child, Lindsay Gardner came back to haunt him. He attempted to build a relationship with her at the start and at one point was intent on adopting her, but this relationship collapsed when he caved into Julie's demands for a blood test. The blood test confirmed Lindsay was Caleb's daughter, but Lindsay left with her mother shortly after. Caleb also developed a heart condition throughout season two as well, after having a confrontation with Ryan Atwood about Ryan's interference with his relationship with Lindsay. He also eventually ended his troubled marriage with Julie when he found out she had been having an affair with a man from her past called Lance, who released a pornographic video tape of Julie, humiliating both Caleb and her. Julie originally intended to kill him with poison after she found out she would not get anything from the divorce settlement as a result of not having been married to him for a year, a requirement stipulated in their pre-nuptial agreement. However at the last minute she backed out but instead Caleb suffered a fatal heart attack. His death hit his daughter Kirsten very hard, pushing her already excessive drinking into full-fledged alcoholism. Despite Caleb's status in both the corporate and social world of Newport, he was later revealed that he was bankrupt, with massive company debts in the Newport Group and high interest loans and mortgages. Caleb left both Julie and Kirsten with nothing, though he had intended in his will to divide his fortune and assets equally between them.

The O.C.
Episode List \| Official Website
Current Main Characters	Ryan Atwood \| Kirsten Cohen \| Sandy Cohen \| Seth Cohen Julie Cooper \| Kaitlin Cooper \| Summer Roberts \| Taylor Townsend
Former Main Characters	Marissa Cooper (S1 - S3) \| Jimmy Cooper (S1) \| Luke Ward (S1) \| Caleb Nichol (S2)
Recurring Characters	Dawn Atwood \| Trey Atwood \| Lance Baldwin \| Rebecca Bloom Carter Buckley \| Reed Carlson \| Sophie Cohen \| Theresa Diaz Lindsay Gardner \| Johnny Harper \| Alex Kelly \| Charlotte Morgan Hailey Nichol \| Neil Roberts \| Jess Sathers \| Anna Stern Zach Stevens \| Veronica Townsend \| Oliver Trask \| Kevin Volchok
Places	Newport Beach \| Orange County \| Chino